Kansas Women's Basketball To Take On Fort Hays State
Nov. 5, 2004
Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Kansas Jayhawks vs. Fort Hays State Tigers
Exhibition Game #1 – Tues., Nov. 9, 2004 – 7 p.m. – Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Radio/Television
Jayhawk Radio Network. Nate Bukaty (play-by-play) and Brenda VanLengen (color analyst) call the action.
Records
Tonight’s game is the exhibition season debut for both Kansas and Fort Hays State.
Rankings
None.
Coaches
Bonnie Henrickson is 0-0 as she begins her first year at Kansas, and owns a career record of 158-62 in her eighth year as a head coach overall. Fort Hays State coach Annette Wiles is 67-46 in her fifth year at FHSU and 231-98 in her 12th year overall.
Jayhawk Storylines
– Kansas takes the floor tonight with seven returning players and three newcomers. The team is comprised of two seniors, four juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen.
– The Jayhawks are under the direction of new head coach Bonnie Henrickson who makes her debut on the KU sidelines tonight. Henrickson was head coach at Virginia Tech for the past seven years, where she guided her team to an average of 23 wins per season and advanced to the postseason each year including five NCAA tournaments.
– The meeting with Fort Hays State is the third time in the past four years the Jayhawks have faced the Tigers in exhibition action. The two teams also met in 2001 and 2002.
– Kansas has been picked to finish 11th in the Big 12 according to preseason polls by both the league’s coaches and media.
– Tonight’s game is the first of two exhibition games for the Jayhawks. The team will play its second and final exhibition game against the California All-Stars on Nov. 16, before opening regular season play at home versus Texas-Arlington on Nov. 21.
Tonight’s Game
Kansas opens the 2004-05 exhibition season Tuesday, Nov. 9, when the Jayhawks take on Fort Hays State in Allen Fieldhouse with a 7 p.m. tip. The game is the first of two exhibition contests for KU as the Jayhawks will entertain the California All-Stars on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. Kansas is entering a new era of basketball under the guidance of first year head coach Bonnie Henrickson. Henrickson was hired at Kansas on March 29, 2004, after seven successful seasons at Virginia Tech University. In her seven years with the Hokies, Henrickson averaged 23 wins per season and advanced to the postseason each year during her tenure including five NCAA tournaments. The Jayhawks return seven letterwinners including three starters who accounted for 60 percent of the scoring and 41 percent of the rebounding in 2003-04. Two seniors, Blair Waltz and Aquanita Burras, return for the final seasons in a Jayhawk uniform, while newcomers Jamie Boyd, Taylor McIntosh and Heather Hayes will all be looking for their first career action. Fort Hays State is playing its only exhibition game of the season before it opens its regular season on Nov. 15 at Oklahoma-Panhandle State. KU has won its last nine exhibition contests dating back to 2001.
Head Coach Bonnie Henrickson
Kansas head coach Bonnie Henrickson enters her first season at the helm of the Jayhawks as one the hottest young coaches in the nation. Henrickson comes to Kansas 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 Virginia 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 has been a part of 11-straight postseason teams heading into the 2004-05 season.
An All-Star Staff
Joining Bonnie Henrickson on the sidelines in her first season at KU are assistant coaches Karen Lange, Kyra Elzy, Katie O’Connor. Also joining the staff is 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 join 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.
Last Time Out
The Jayhawks wrapped up the 2003-04 season at the eighth annual Big 12 Tournament in Dallas, Texas, falling 86-71 to No. 14 Baylor. KU was paced in the game by Tamara Ransburg with 15 points and Crystal Kemp with 10 rebounds. KU finished the season 9-19 overall and 2-14 in the Big 12.
Up Next For KU
After the game with Fort Hays State, the Jayhawks will take the court against the California All-Stars on Tuesday, Nov. 16, in Allen Fieldhouse at 7 p.m. The game will complete the exhibition portion of the schedule. Kansas opens the regular season on Nov. 21 at home versus Texas-Arlington.
Kansas In Exhibition Games
KU holds a 24-8 all-time record in exhibition games and has won it’s last nine preseason contests. In fact, Kansas has won 15 of its last 16 exhibition games with the one loss coming at the hands of the Houston Jaguars, a team made up primarily of former college all-stars and WNBA talent. KU is 2-0 against Fort Hays State in exhibition action including a 72-56 win on Nov. 10, 2001 and a 73-56 victory over the Tigers on Nov. 17, 2002.
Returning For The Jayhawks
Kansas returns seven players and three starters from last year’s team that finished 9-19 overall and 2-14 in the Big 12. Leading the returners is 2003-04 team MVP junior Crystal Kemp who averaged 13.4 points and 5.8 rebounds last year. Other returners with starting experience include senior Blair Waltz, senior Aquanita Burras, junior Kaylee Brown, junior Erica Hallman and sophomore Sharita Smith. Also returning is sophomore Alicia Rhymes.
The Newcomers
Joining the team in 2004-05 are three newcomers including two freshmen and one junior. Below is a quick look at the new faces.
10 Jamie Boyd, F, 6-0, Fr., Winner of the 2004 Ms. Iowa Basketball award.
13 Taylor McIntosh, F, 5-11, Fr., Wichita Heights product scored over 1,400 points.
22 Heather Hayes, G, 5-8, Jr., Began her career at Oral Roberts. Spent last season as a redshirt walk-on for the Jayhawks.
Tonight’s Opponent – Fort Hays State
Fort Hays State enters the 2004-05 season under the direction of head coach Annette Wiles, who is 67-46 in her fifth year at FHSU. Wiles owns a career mark of 231-98 in 11 years as a head coach overall. The Tigers return just two starters among five letterwinners to a team that finished 15-13 overall and 10-9 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. FHSU finished tied for third in the east division of its conference in 2003-04. Returning in the backcourt are starting seniors Jennifer Hake and Katie Rhodes. Hake started 26 of 28 games as a junior and averaged 8.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Rhodes started 19 contests and added 6.1 points and 2.4 boards per game.
Series Notes
In exhibition action, KU and Fort Hays State have met two times with the Jayhawks winning both meetings. KU defeated the Tigers 72-56 on Nov. 10, 2001, and 73-56 on Nov. 17, 2002. The two teams have also met nine times in regular season action, all in the 1970s, with Fort Hays State leading the series 5-4. Kansas won the first ever matchup 62-36 in 1970, and also owns a two game winning streak in the series with two wins during the 1975-76 season.
Last Meeting
Lawrence, Kan. — A 13-2 run to open the second half sparked Kansas to a 73-56 win over Fort Hays State, in exhibition action Sunday, Nov. 17, 2002, in Allen Fieldhouse. Aquanita Burras scored 19 points to lead KU to a 2-0 exhibition record.
Both teams struggled to find its shooting touch in the first half, and Fort Hays State took a 35-33 halftime lead. Kansas shot 34.3 percent from the field in the first-half making 12-of-35 shots. The Tigers were not much better, shooting 37.5 percent on 12-of-32 shots at the break.
The Jayhawks utilized a fullcourt press and improved their shooting to jump out to a 46-37 lead four minutes into the second half. KU outscored Fort Hays State 40-21 in the second stanza, as it held the Tigers’ top two scorers, Shanell Watson and Jamie Heiman, to two points. The Jayhawks outshot the Tigers 50.0 to 38.6 percent in the second half. Watson led FHSU with 13 points, while Heiman added 11 points.
Four Jayhawk starters reached double figures in scoring, led by Burras who was 7-of-16 from the floor, hitting 5-of-7 from the charity stripe. Point guard Leila Mengüç scored 12 points, center Crystal Kemp had 10 points and forward Blair Waltz had 11.
Preseason Polls
Texas was picked by both the conference media and league coaches to win the Big 12 Championship in 2004-05. In the Coaches Poll, Texas received 11 first place votes and Kansas State took one first place nod. In the Media Poll, Texas received 12 first place votes while K-State received two votes. Kansas was picked to finish 11th in both preseason polls.
Home Court
Advantage Kansas fans will have plenty of opportunities to check out the Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse this season. KU plays 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 will only take to the road three times. KU plays at No. 14 Minnesota on Dec. 5, at Creighton on Dec. 21 and at Ball State on Dec. 30.
20 Games On TV
KU’s television package in 2004-05 is the finest in school history. The Jayhawks will play 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 at least two other road Big 12 games. All 16 regular season home games will be on the tube, in addition to games at Texas, Colorado, Kansas State and Iowa State.
Increased Radio Coverage
The Jayhawk Radio Network has 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.
