2004-05 KU Women's Basketball Season Review
April 8, 2005
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Kansas (12-16 overall, 5-11 Big 12)
Records
Kansas finished the season 12-16 overall and 5-11 in the Big 12 to finish eighth in the league standings.
Rankings
Kansas was never ranked or receiving votes in the national polls in 2004-05. The Jayhawks played eight games against teams ranked in the top 25, including two top 10 opponents.
Coaches
Kansas coach Bonnie Henrickson wrapped up her first year at the helm of the Jayhawks with a 12-16 record to move her eight-year career record to 170-78.
Jayhawk Storylines
– The Jayhawk’s 12 wins and five conference victories were the most since KU finished the 2000-01 season with an overall record of 12-17 and a 5-11 mark in the league.
– KU held 15 of 16 Big 12 opponents under their season scoring averages, and seven of those opponents to more than 10 points below their season average.
– KU used five different starting lineups with eight players receiving at least one starting nod.
– Kansas ranked fourth in the conference in scoring defense, allowing just 57.9 points per game.
– The Jayhawks also ranked fourth in the Big 12 in rebounding defense as KU opponents collected just 34.5 boards per game.
– UMKC scored just 36 points against Kansas on Nov. 27, 2004 to tie the sixth fewest by a KU opponent all-time. It was the lowest scoring output by any KU opponent since Mississippi Valley State scored 34 points on Dec. 21, 2000. The `Roos posted 17 second half points which is the second fewest second half points ever scored against KU, and the fewest since MVSU had 16 in the second stanza.
– The Jayhawks allowed Western Illinois to score just 13 points in the first half on Dec. 8, 2004 — the fourth fewest in Kansas history.
– Kansas tied a program low with 18 rebounds at Texas on Jan. 5, 2005. KU had grabbed 18 rebounds two other times in school history, both against Kansas State.
– KU committed a season-low nine fouls against Kansas State on Jan. 8, 2005, which tied for fourth fewest in Kansas history.
– The Jayhawks faced both the NCAA Division I and II national champions. KU fell 62-59 to DII champ Washburn on Dec. 18, 2004. The Jayhawks also fell 70-60 to DI champ Baylor on Feb. 23, 2005.
2004-05 Season In Review
If the progress of the 2004-05 University of Kansas women’s basketball team was any sign of what’s to come in the future, Jayhawk fans have reason to be excited. While it won’t go down as one of the best seasons in KU history, the improvements and small successes were monumental as first year head coach Bonnie Henrickson took the initial steps toward returning the program to a national contender.
Stepping into the position, Henrickson knew of the proud history of the Jayhawk program.
“Kansas has a national academic reputation and the quality of the Big 12 is outstanding,” Henrickson noted as reasons for coming to Kansas. “The Big 12 has a strong national reputation, but it’s a conference where we felt like we could compete.”
She also knew that the task in front of her with only 10 players on the roster and just a handful standing over six feet tall would not be easy. Then she led the team to its best record since 2000-01, its highest Big 12 finish since 1999-2000 and coached two players to all-conference recognition — the first for KU since 2000-01.
Sitting at the podium after KU was knocked out of the Big 12 Tournament, Henrickson reflected on the strides the program had made in her first year.
“I think we’ve made progress. We went through a stretch down at the end where we felt like we identified a couple wins we could have gotten and there was a chance for us to be in the WNIT. Not long ago, NIT stood for `not in the tournament,’ but we would have had a big party in Lawrence if we made it in the NIT. I think there’s growth there. We’ve had a couple disappointing performances certainly, but I think as a staff and myself personally, I’m proud of the kids for staying off the rollercoaster as much as we did. I said to them afterwards, I think one of the most rewarding things right now is their self-esteem and self-confidence.”
The Jayhawks opened the season against the first of 12 opponents who advanced to postseason play in 2004-05. Texas-Arlington came to Lawrence and defeated KU 53-49 on Nov. 21 despite a strong 26-point performance by junior Crystal Kemp. The Jayhawks quickly got on track and beat their next three opponents. KU defeated Sacred Heart (59-48), UMKC (47-36) and Denver (67-44) all in Allen Fieldhouse to round out the month of November.
KU then fell in its next two games to nationally recognized opponents. The Jayhawks were narrowly defeated, 62-59, by Washburn, ranked No. 9 in the nation in Division II. After the disappointing loss to the Lady Blues, KU took its first road trip to No. 18 Minnesota.
The Gophers, fresh off a Final Four appearance and led by Player of the Year candidate Janel McCarville, on paper looked to be too much for the Jayhawks to handle. However, a confident KU team came out on all cylinders and controlled the tempo for the first 25 minutes. The Jayhawks held Minnesota to 27 first half points — its lowest output of the season at the time — and led at the break, 33-27. UM’s experience and KU’s lack of depth spoiled the Jayhawks’ bid for an upset and the Gophers prevailed 62-45 in the end. Despite the loss, the Kansas players gained confidence as they saw they could compete with some of the nation’s best.
The Crimson and Blue won four of its next five games to conclude the non-conference slate. Included in that stretch were home wins over Western Illinois on Dec. 8 (58-41), Dartmouth on Dec. 18 (84-51), San Diego State on Dec. 28 (71-45) and a road victory over Ball State on Dec. 30 (80-66). Sandwiched in the middle was a 68-63 defeat at Creighton on Dec. 21.
After non-conference play, the Jayhawks were 7-4 and had the tough task of taking on three Big 12 opponents ranked in the national polls to open league play.
First up was a date with No. 7 Texas in Austin on Jan. 5 where the final score of 66-51 did not tell the whole story. KU battled hard and trailed by as few as three late in the second half before the Longhorns put the game away at the free throw line.
Kansas returned home for a matchup with Sunflower Showdown rival Kansas State on Jan. 8. Much like the game at Minnesota earlier in the season, the Jayhawks came out strong and controlled most of the first half. After a tie game at halftime, the hot-shooting Wildcats won 63-45. KU then suffered through its toughest game of the season at home against Iowa State on Jan. 12. The Jayhawks came out flat while the Cyclones were raining threes and ISU won 70-37.
Finally, KU got a chance to play an unranked Big 12 team as the Jayhawks travelled to College Station to take on the Aggies of Texas A&M — who, like KU, was one of the most improved teams in the league. A worn down KU team came out sluggish and trailed by as many as 18 in the second half. Then, the Jayhawks staged their biggest comeback of the season to tie the game at 60-all with one minute remaining, only to see the Aggies hit the game-winning shot with 1.8 seconds left. KU dipped to 0-4 in the league and was staring at its first losing record overall since the season-opener.
KU refused to give up and it won its next two games beginning with an exciting two-point win over the Missouri Tigers on Jan. 22. Kemp was impressive with 22 points and 14 rebounds as the Jayhawks defeated MU 63-61. (cont.)
Kansas followed that with another narrow victory, this time on the road. Behind the slick shooting of junior Erica Hallman, Kansas topped Colorado 65-60 on Jan. 25 in Boulder. The win was Kansas’ first over the Buffs in nine tries.
KU dropped its next two games at Nebraska on Jan. 29 (59-48) and against Oklahoma on Feb. 2 (65-49), before travelling to Columbia, Mo., for round two with the Tigers.
Kansas jumped out to an 18-2 lead and never looked back, handing Missouri a 60-42 loss on Feb. 5. Freshman Taylor McIntosh had a monster game with 11 points and 16 rebounds. The season sweep of MU marked the first for Kansas over the Tigers since 1999, and the 42 Missouri points were the fewest scored against the Jayhawks in a conference game since 1997.
Following a disappointing 57-54 loss at Oklahoma State on Feb. 9, Kansas recorded its second season sweep when it clobbered Colorado 76-54 on Feb. 13 in Lawrence.
People were starting to take notice of KU’s dominance over teams the second time it played them. After defeating MU and CU by a combined seven points in the first meetings, Kansas had beaten those same two teams by an average of 20 points the second time around.
With five games remaining, KU was 11-11 overall and had the tall order of taking on No. 15 Texas Tech, No. 6 Baylor, No. 17 Kansas State and No. 20 Iowa State, in addition to Nebraska, to end the season.
After falling 66-53 to the Lady Raiders, Kansas got payback against Nebraska on Feb. 20 in Lawrence. Four Jayhawks scored in double figures as KU dismantled the Huskers 67-53 in the rematch.
KU dropped its final three regular season games 70-60 to Baylor, 73-46 at Kansas State and 61-52 at Iowa State. With a league mark of 5-11, Kansas took eighth place in the conference and was pitted against ninth-seeded Missouri in the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, Mo.
In a game that saw 14 lead changes, Kansas could not pull off a third win over the Tigers in Municipal Auditorium on March 8 in the first round despite a huge effort by Kemp, who posted a career-high 27 points, and Hallman, who added 19 points. Missouri fell in the next round to eventual national champion Baylor.
For the season, Kansas was led by Kemp with 13.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Hallman was second in scoring with 13.1 points per game to go with 5.1 assists per outing. Senior Aquanita Burras rounded out the double-figure scoring with 10.1 points per contest.
Kansas graduated two seniors in Burras and Blair Waltz.
“The growth we’ve had was important for us this year,” Henrickson said. “We understand as a group we need the same amount of growth next year for those kids that are returning.”
Jayhawk Starters
KU used five different starting lineups in 28 games with the duo of senior Aquanita Burras and junior Erica Hallman starting each game. Freshman Taylor McIntosh (27 starts), junior Crystal Kemp (26), junior Kaylee Brown (25), senior Blair Waltz (3), sophomore Alicia Rhymes (2) and freshman Jamie Boyd (1) also made starts. The most-used combo of McIntosh, Burras, Hallman, Brown and Kemp started 23 of the last 25 contests and the team owned a record of 10-13 when going with that fivesome. The five regular starters and sophomore Sharita Smith were the only six players to see action in every game.
A Quick Look At the Jayhawks
Junior Crystal Kemp (Topeka, Kan.), the returning team MVP, anchored the inside game. At 6-2, Kemp was the tallest player on the KU roster. Sophomore Alicia Rhymes (Shreveport, La.), freshman Jamie Boyd (Underwood, Iowa) and freshman Taylor McIntosh (Wichita, Kan.) bolstered the Jayhawk frontcourt.
On the perimeter, Henrickson had six players to work with. Junior Erica Hallman (Covington, Ky.) carried the brunt of the workload at the point, while junior Kaylee Brown (Arcadia, Okla.), senior Blair Waltz (Leawood, Kan.), senior Aquanita Burras (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and sophomore Sharita Smith (Dallas, Texas) operated on the wings. Junior Heather Hayes (Derby, Kan.), a late addition to the team, also played on the wing.
Kemp led the team with 13.8 points and 8.8 boards per outing. Hallman and Burras also averaged double-figure scoring with 13.1 and 10.1 points, respectively. Hallman was the team leader in assists with 5.1 dimes per game. Burras swiped 2.0 steals per game to lead the team for the third-straight year. Kemp blocked a team-high 24 shots.
Six different players reached double-figure scoring in at least one game led by Kemp, who had 19 outings with 10 or more points. Five different players led the squad in scoring in at least one game paced by Kemp’s 11 game-high honors.
On the glass, Kemp led the team in 16 games and had 12 double-figure rebound performances. KU recorded 12 double-doubles, including 10 by Kemp and two by McIntosh.
Head Coach Bonnie Henrickson
Head coach Bonnie Henrickson, one the hottest young coaches in the nation, wrapped up her first season at KU with a record of 12-16 — the best for Kansas since 2000-01. Henrickson came to KU after seven successful seasons at Virginia Tech University where she compiled a record of 158-62 (.718). Her teams averaged 23 wins per season and advanced to postseason play all seven years, including five NCAA appearances. When Henrickson took over at Tech for the 1997-98 season, she orchestrated the biggest turnaround in school history. She guided her team to a 22-10 record, the school’s first Atlantic 10 Conference title and an NCAA second-round appearance just one season after the Hokies had finished last in the Atlantic 10 Conference with a 10-21 record. Overall, the Willmar, Minn., native was a part of 11 straight postseason teams entering the 2004-05 season. After eight years as a head coach, her career record stands at 170-78.
An All-Star Staff
Joining Bonnie Henrickson on the sidelines in her first season at KU were assistant coaches Karen Lange, Kyra Elzy and Katie O’Connor. Also on the staff was director of operations Trena Anderson and administrative assistant Katie Wulf. Lange, O’Connor and Anderson followed Henrickson from Virginia Tech, while Elzy and Wulf both joined KU from Western Kentucky. Prior to WKU, Elzy also worked as an administrative assistant for Henrickson at Virginia Tech. At an average age of less than 28 years old, Henrickson’s three assistant coaches (Lange, Elzy, O’Connor) have already been a part of 19 NCAA tournaments, eight Sweet 16s, five Elite Eights, four Final Fours and two National Championships, combined.
Most Wins Since 2000-01
With a 12-16 record, KU recorded its most wins since the 2000-01 season when the Jayhawks finished the year 12-17. With five conference wins, Kansas also tied its most league wins in the last five years. The last time KU had five Big 12 wins was in 2000-01. The last time KU had more than five Big 12 wins was 1999-2000 when the Jayhawks had 11.
Kemp And Hallman Named All-Conference
Juniors Crystal Kemp and Erica Hallman were each named Honorable Mention All-Big 12 in a vote by the league’s coaches. The duo represented the first KU all-conference selections since 2000-01 when Jaclyn Johnson, Brooke Reves and Jennifer Jackson all earned honorable mention all-league. Additionally, Kemp was named third-team All-Big 12 by the Kansas City Star.
Waltz And Kemp Earn Academic All-Big 12
Senior Blair Waltz and junior Crystal Kemp were named to the 2005 Women’s Basketball Academic All-Big 12 team first team. Waltz, a Leawood, Kan., native majoring in French and Economics was one of just 15 Big 12 players to earn the honor for the third straight year. She was named to the first team as a sophomore and the second team as a junior. Kemp, a Topeka, Kan., native majoring in Speech Language and Hearing, was named to the first team for the second straight year.
Nominated by each institution’s director of student-athlete support services and media relations offices, the women’s basketball academic all-league squad consisted of 37 first team members combined with nine on the second team. First team members include those who have maintained a 3.20 or better grade point average, and the second team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.
Kemp Joins 1,000-Point, 500-Rebound Club
Junior Crystal Kemp became the 18th player in KU history to reach 1,000 career points when she hit a jumper from the right wing with 18:13 on the clock in first half against Texas Tech. Two games earlier against Oklahoma State, the Topeka, Kan., native collected her 500th career rebound. She is just the 11th player in KU history to accumulate over 1,000 career points and 500 career boards, which puts her in some exclusive company.
Streaks, Season And Career Leaders
– Senior Aquanita Burras started all 85 games in her three-year KU career.
– Junior Erica Hallman ended the year ranked in the all-time top five at Kansas for three-pointers made (119, 5th), three-pointers attempted (325, 5th) and three-point field goal percentage (36.6 percent, 5th).
– Hallman cracked the KU all-time top-10 in assists. She moved her total to 330 career assists, which ranks in sixth place behind Tamecka Dixon who ranks fifth with 337.
– On the single season assist list, Hallman’s 142 dimes rank sixth all-time at KU.
– At Oklahoma State, Hallman moved into the KU single season top-10 for three-point field goals made. She finished the season with 61 treys which ranks fourth all-time. Her total was just eight shy of the Kansas leader Angie Halbleib who had 69 three pointers in 1996.
– Junior Kaylee Brown also cracked the KU single season top 10 with 43 three pointers made. Her total tied for ninth with Kay Kay Hart’s 1992 effort.
– Hallman’s 157 three-point attempts ranked fourth on the KU single-season list, while Brown’s 141 attempts ranked sixth.
– Hallman shot 38.9 percent from three-point land which ranked her eighth on the KU single season list.
– Junior Crystal Kemp finished the season ranked 15th on the KU all-time scoring list with 1,080 career points.
– Kemp improved her streak of playing and scoring in every game to all 85 games of her career.
Second Time Around
KU looked good against teams the second time it played them, with the exception of K-State on its senior night. In second meetings against Missouri, Colorado and Nebraska, the Jayhawks looked fantastic. In the first meetings against those three, KU narrowly defeated Missouri by two, won at Colorado by five and lost at Nebraska by 11. The second time around, KU won by 18 over Missouri, 22 over Colorado and 14 over Nebraska. In the first meeting against Iowa State, KU suffered its worst loss of the season, by 33 at home. But in the season finale, KU took the Cyclones down to the wire trailing by only three until late ISU free throws pushed the final margin to nine.
The Jayhawks were able to score an average of nearly nine points more per game in second meetings while holding those five teams to an average of six points less. The most visible difference was on the defensive end where KU forced an average of 17 turnovers per game the second time around as opposed to just over 13 in first meetings.
Tenacious D
KU held six opponents to under 20 points in the first half (UMKC-19, Denver-15, Washburn-19, Western Illinois-13, San Diego State-17, Missouri-15). At Minnesota, the Jayhawks held the Gophers to 27 points, which was a Minnesota season-low at the time. Prior to playing KU, the Gophers averaged 40.5 points in the first half. Additionally, KU held all opponents to 57.9 points per game which ranked fourth in the Big 12. KU held 15 of 16 Big 12 opponents under their season scoring averages, 11 of those league opponents to more than five points below their average and seven of those teams to more than 10 points below their season average. KU held Missouri to 42 points (2/5), which was the lowest point total by a Big 12 opponent against KU since the Jayhawks held Missouri to 37 points on Feb. 7, 1999.
Iron Women
Three players (4th-Erica Hallman-35.39, 5th-Aquanita Burras-34.46 and 9th-Crystal Kemp-33.29) played more than 33 minutes per game, and each ranked in the top nine in the conference in time played per game. Kemp (5), Burras (3) and Hallman (3) also each played at least three complete games. Only six players played in every game. KU’s top seven played over 92 percent of the available minutes.
Kemp Leading The Jayhawks
Junior forward Crystal Kemp paced the team with 13.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. She played in all 28 games with 26 starts. She posted 10 double-doubles, which ranked among the Big 12 leaders. Her 18-rebound performance at Ball State and 17-rebound showing at Creighton were the top two single-game efforts in the league (along with a 17-rebound game by OU’s Dionnah Jackson in the NCAA tournament). She owned four 20+ point games during the season. She reached 1,000 career points on Feb. 16 against Texas Tech, and ended the season with a career total 1,080 points, which ranked 15th on the all-time KU scoring list. Kemp collected 15 or more rebounds in a game four times in 2004-05 including at Oklahoma State when her 15 boards pushed her career total over 500. She became the 11th KU player to accumulate both 1,000 career points and 500 career rebounds.
Hallman Running The Point
Junior Erica Hallman, who primarily played on the wing as a sophomore, started all 28 games in 2004-05 at point guard. She finished second on the team with 13.1 points per game and led the team with 61 three-pointers made. Her 1.71-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio ranked first on the team and seventh in the Big 12. She dished a career-high 13 assists against Dartmouth on Dec. 18, which ranked second on the all-time KU single game list, and was the sixth highest total in the NCAA DI ranks during the season. She moved into the all-time top-10 at KU for three-pointers made (5th), three-pointers attempted (5th) and three-point field goal percentage (5th). She also moved her career assist total to 330 career dimes to rank in sixth place on that KU career list. She scored a career-high 22 points in a win over Nebraska on Feb. 20, and followed that with 21 versus Baylor. On defense, she led the team with 13 charges drawn. She ranked fourth in the league, playing 35.39 minutes per game. Was one of just two players (also Dionnah Jackson) in the conference to average at least 13 points and five assists per game.
Burras An All-Around Threat
Perhaps Kansas’ top all-around player, senior Aquanita Burras did the little things with hustle and intense defense. She was third on the team with 10.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. She ranked second on the team with 86 assists and led the team with 56 steals. At just 5’9″, she was second on the team with 14 blocked shots and third on the squad with 45 offensive rebounds. She rarely came out of the game, averaging 34.5 minutes per contest. In three years at KU, she started all 85 games of her career. She tied a career-high 24 points at Texas A&M on Jan. 15 and on Senior Night versus Baylor.
McIntosh A Crowd Favorite
Freshman forward Taylor McIntosh quickly became a fan favorite for the Jayhawks in her first season. A Wichita, Kan., native, “T-Mac” started 27 of 28 games and made her reputation doing the little things in her young career. She was second on the team with 6.5 rebounds per game and first on the team with 86 offensive rebounds. Her 3.07 offensive boards per game ranked fifth in the Big 12. Her 6.5 rpg ranked first in the Big 12 among freshmen and 10th in the league overall. On offense, she steadily improved her ball-handling and became more reliable with the ball in her hands as the season progressed. She recorded two double-doubles including at Missouri when she recorded 10 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. She posted five double-figure scoring games.
Brown From Downtown
Junior guard Kaylee Brown played in all 28 games with 25 starts. A hard-nosed player, Brown was not afraid to sacrifice her body to take a charge as she was second on the team with nine drawn. Brown was second on the team with 43 three-pointers made, which ranked her in a tie for ninth on the KU single season list. She connected on at least one three-pointer in 22 games. She averaged 8.9 points and 1.4 assists per game. She posted a career-high 19 points at Ball State. She led the team in scoring four times in Big 12 Conference games.
Smith First Off The Bench
Sophomore guard Sharita Smith played her first full season after missing the first half of her freshman campaign due to injury. As a sophomore, she was the first player off the bench a team-high 17 times and averaged 2.8 points and 1.1 assists in 14.9 minutes per game. She had her best game of the season when she had 10 points, two assists and two rebounds versus Dartmouth on Dec. 18. She backed up Hallman at point guard and also played on the wing.
Boyd Plays Valuable Reserve Role
Freshman forward Jamie Boyd played her first season with the Jayhawks after a standout career at Underwood (Iowa) High School where she was named Miss Iowa Basketball. She played in 27 games this season primarily in a reserve role before earning her first start in the regular season finale against Iowa State. She posted 2.6 points and 2.3 boards in 14.7 minutes per game. She posted season-highs of six points on two occasions and seven rebounds versus Dartmouth.
Waltz Back For Senior Season
Senior Blair Waltz, the only four-year senior on the team, played in 22 games with three starting assignments. She averaged 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds per game. Her best game in 2004-05 was a nine-point, four-assist effort versus Sacred Heart on Nov. 24.
Rhymes A Hard Worker
Sophomore forward Alicia Rhymes played in 16 games with two starting assignments. She posted 1.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per outing. One of just four players to stand at least six feet tall, she operated primarily out of the high post.
Hayes Added Late
Junior guard Heather Hayes was a late addition to the team after practice had already begun in October. A native of Derby, Kan., Hayes began her career at Oral Roberts in 2001-02. She spent the first half of her sophomore season at Seward County CC before enrolling at Butler County CC in the spring of 2003. Hayes enrolled at KU in the summer of 2003 and spent the 2003-04 season as a redshirt walk-on with the Jayhawks. She left the team following the season but returned when offered a scholarship by the coaching staff. She saw action in five games in 2004-05.
Quick Hits
– Junior Crystal Kemp’s 13.8 points per game were the most by a KU player since Jaclyn Johnson scored 16.1 ppg in 2001.
– Kemp’s 8.8 rebounds per game were the most by a KU player since Terrilyn Johnson grabbed 9.4 rpg in 1991.
– Junior Erica Hallman’s 142 assists in 2004-05 were the most by a KU player in a single season since Lisa Braddy dished 173 in 1990. Her average of 5.1 dimes per game were the most since Lisa Braddy dished 6.2 apg in 1990.
– Hallman led KU in assists all three of her years in a Jayhawk uniform.
– Hallman scored a career-high 22 points on Feb. 20 against Nebraska and then posted 21 points three days later against Baylor on Feb. 23 to become the first KU player since Jaclyn Johnson to record back-to-back 20-point games. Johnson scored 25 points at Colorado and 20 versus Missouri on Feb. 7th and 10th of 2001.
– Senior Aquanita Burras led Kansas in steals (56) for the third-straight season.
– The Jayhawks hit 125 three-pointers which were the most since the 1997-98 team hit 129 treys.
– An average of 2,127 fans attended KU’s 16 home games, the most since 2000-01 when an average of 2,458 fans watched the Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse. In total, 34,031 fans attended the 16 home games which reprsented an 84 percent increase in attendance from 2003-04 when 18,467 fans attended KU’s 12 home games (average of 1,539).
– KU allowed its opponents 1,620 total points for an average of 57.9 per game. The total of 1,620 is the lowest in school history since complete stats were kept in 1979-80. The average of 57.9 ranks as the second lowest only to the 57.5 points KU allowed in 1991-92.
– KU held its opponents to the fewest steals (219), rebounds (965) and field goals made (590) since stats were kept in 1979-80. The previous lows were 230 steals, 1,023 rebounds and 628 field goals made.
– KU opponents totalled 117 blocked shots, which were the most against KU in school history.
– Jayhawk opponents dished 344 assists this season, the fewest since KU foes dished a total of 344 assists in 1988-89.
– KU opponents averaged just 34.5 rebounds per game, the second fewest in school history behind the 1998-99 team which allowed just 34.2 rebounds per game.
– Kansas opponents connected for only 108 three-pointers this year, the fewest since 1993-94 when Jayhawk foes hit 100.
– KU drew 34 charges while being called for just 13 all season. Junior Erica Hallman drew 13 charges, junior Kaylee Brown took nine and junior Crystal Kemp drew six. Senior Aquanita Burras (4), sophomore Alicia Rhymes (1) and sophomore Sharita Smith (1) also drew at least one charge.
– KU was a No. 8 seed in the Big 12 Tournament for the first time in school history. It was the highest seed for the Jayhawks since 2000 when KU was seeded fourth.
– Four of KU’s Big 12 games — and eight total games this season — were decided by five points or less. The Jayhawks were 2-6 overall in games decided by five or fewer points.
Kansas Signs Four
Kansas signed four players during the early signing period for the 2005-06 season including Ivana Catic (E-von-uh Cot-ich), Shaquina Mosley (Shuh-KWAH-nah MOSE-lee), Jennifer Orgas (Or-GUS) and Sophronia Sallard (Suh-FRONE-yuh SUH-lard). Catic, Orgas and Sallard will join the Jayhawks as freshmen, while Mosley will be a junior after transferring from Central Arizona College.
Kansas Signees At-a-Glance
Ivana Catic (point guard, 5-8, Wheeling, W.V. – Mt. deChantal Academy)
Shaquina Mosley (point guard, 5-6, Lancaster, Calif. – Antelope Valley HS/Central Arizona College)
Jennifer Orgas (forward, 6-2, Omaha, Neb. – Skutt Catholic HS)
Sophronia Sallard (guard/forward, 5-10, Syracuse, N.Y. – Nottingham HS)
Program Milestones
With a 67-44 win over Denver on Nov. 30, Kansas became the 30th school in NCAA Division I history to record 600 wins. Two days later on Dec. 2, Kansas played its 1,000th all-time game against Washburn.
Home Court Advantage
Kansas fans had plenty of opportunities to check out the Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse this season. KU played a total of 18 games this year in Lawrence including two exhibition games, eight non-conference contests and eight conference matchups. Other than conference play, KU only played three road games. KU played at No. 14 Minnesota on Dec. 5, at Creighton on Dec. 21 and at Ball State on Dec. 30. With a 9-7 mark in Allen Fieldhouse, KU owned a winning record at home for the first time since 1999-2000 when the Jayhawks went 12-2 in Lawrence.
20 Games On TV
KU’s television package in 2004-05 was the finest in school history. The Jayhawks played four times on national television (two each on Fox Sports Net and CSTV), four times on Metro Sports out of Kansas City, nine times on Sunflower Broadband in Lawrence, once on the Jayhawk Television Network and two other road Big 12 games. All 16 regular season home games were on the tube, in addition to games at Texas, Colorado, Kansas State and Iowa State.
Increased Radio Coverage
The Jayhawk Radio Network also improved its coverage of the Jayhawks in 2004-05. Stations carrying the Jayhawks included KLWN 1320-AM in Lawrence, KWIC 99.3-FM in Topeka, KFH 98.7-FM in Wichita and either KMBZ 980-AM or KXTR-1660-AM in Kansas City.
Woodard To Be Enshrined In Women’s HOF
The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame announced its seventh group of inductees, the Class of 2005, on Sunday, November 14. The six members of the Class of 2005 are Joe Ciampi, Kelli Litsch, Hunter Low, Edna Tarbutton, Dixie Woodall and Lynette Woodard.
Woodard, a Kansas legend, scored 3,649 points to become the all-time leading scorer in Division I women’s collegiate basketball en route to becoming a four-time Kodak All-American and winning the 1981 Wade Trophy. She then went on to become a two-time Olympian, serving as captain of the USA’s 1984 gold medal-winning squad, and the first female to play for the Harlem Globetrotters before playing professionally in Japan and Italy and two seasons in the WNBA.
The six individuals in the Class of 2005 will be formally enshrined as members of the Hall of Fame during a weekend of induction festivities to be held Friday and Saturday, June 10-11, 2005, in Knoxville, Tenn.
Woodard will become the second Jayhawk to be enshrined in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, joining former Kansas coach Marian Washington who was enshrined in June, 2004.
