Women's Basketball Welcomes Washburn To Allen Fieldhouse Sunday
Nov. 7, 2008
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
Game Notes in PDF Format
OPENING TIP
The University of Kansas hosts Washburn in its second and final exhibition game of the 2008-09 season Sunday, Nov. 9. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse. Bonnie Henrickson is in her fifth season at the helm of the women’s basketball program after leading the Jayhawks to a 57-65 overall mark during her first four campaigns, including a 17-16 mark and a bid to the Women’s NIT during the 2007-08 season.
FAST BREAKS
-Kansas holds a 32-9 all-time record in exhibition games and has won 24 of its last 26 preseason contests.
-Today’s game will mark the 13th time the Jayhawks have played an in-state Division II foe in the preseason, including last week’s win over Fort Hays State.
-KU defeated Washburn, 68-62, on Nov. 5, 2006, in Bonnie Henrickson’s third season as head coach. KU is 2-0 in exhibition games against the Lady Blues, with Henrickson owning a 1-0 mark versus WU in exhibition play.
-KU is 7-1 versus Washburn in regular season contests. The Jayhawks were defeated by the Lady Blues, 62-59, on Dec. 2, 2004 in Bonnie Henrickson’s first season at the helm of the Jayhawk program. The loss marks Henrickson’s only regular season battle versus Washburn.
-The Jayhawks will host Sacred Heart in the 2008-09 season-opener on Friday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m., in Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas and Sacred Heart will be meeting for the second time in program history, as the Jayhawks knocked off the Pioneers, 59-48, on Nov. 24, 2004. The game marked Henrickson’s first win as the Kansas head coach.
A LOOK AT WASHBURN
After reaching the NCAA Elite Eight for the third time under head coach Ron McHenry and finishing the 2007-08 season with a 26-7 record while winning their fifth MIAA regular season championship in eight season with McHenry on the bench, the Lady Blues are primed for another run at the MIAA and NCAA titles. Washburn, who opens the season ranked No. 3 in Division II, returns seven players who saw action in at least 24 games. Washburn returns three starters in the backcourt from last season’s team including the MIAA’s Defensive MVP in senior point guard Jessica Mainz, who will join the team after her soccer season ends. The other returning starters are guards: senior Janice Bright, who averaged 10.6 ppg and junior Hope Gregory who scored 4.5 points per game and 4.1 rebounds per game. Bright averaged 10.6 points per game in her first season at Washburn starting all 33 games. She is Washburn’s only returning player who averaged in double figures last season. The Lady Blues frontcourt will have to make up from the 12.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game lost from Amanda Holmes. The Lady Blues added height and depth to the Washburn front line with the addition of senior transfer Stanecia Graham. Graham, a 6-1 transfer from Texas Tech played in 32 games making eight starts and averaged 7.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Graham led the Lady Blues with 11 points in their exhition-opener versus Kansas State. KSU defeated Washburn 66-47.
A LOOK AT KANSAS
Kansas will hit the court to begin the 2008-09 season returning 11 letterwinners, including four starters, from last season’s 17-16 team. Junior guard-forward Danielle McCray returns as the Jayhawks’ leading scorer (14.9 points ) and rebounder (7.1 rebounds). McCray, who scored in double digits in 26 games last season, earned Honorable Mention All-Big 12 honors as a sophomore. Sophomore center Krysten Boogaard nabbed Big 12 All-Rookie Team honors last season after averaging 9.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Junior guard Sade Morris also returns to the starting line-up. Morris turned in 9.8 points (second on the team) and 3.5 caroms per contest last season. Senior guard Ivana Catic and junior guard LaChelda Jacobs took turns handling the point guard duties in 2007-08 and both return to the court this season.
LAST TIME OUT
Behind a stifling defense and the explosive scoring combination of juniors Danielle McCray and Sade Morris, the Kansas women’s basketball team dominated Fort Hays State, 93-37, in its exhibition opener. McCray led all Jayhawks in scoring with 20 points on 8-14 shooting. The Olathe, Kan., native also chipped in seven rebounds and four steals. Morris added 14 points for the Jayhawks. The Jayhawks opened up a 10-0 lead to start the game and never looked back from there. The Jayhawks defense held the Lady Tigers to just 14 first-half points on 15 percent shooting from the field and took a 47-14 lead into intermission. Fort Hays State shot just 25 percent from the field for the game, while committing 27 turnovers. The Jayhawks converted the 27 Lady Tigers turnovers into 39 points. Along with Morris and McCray, three other Jayhawks (Kelly Kohn, Porscha Weddington and LaChelda Jacobs) tallied double-digits in scoring and 11 different Jayhawks scored on the afternoon.
LEADERS OF THE HAWKS
Seniors Ivana Catic and Katie Smith and junior Danielle McCray have been named tri-captains for the 2008-09 season. It is the third-straight year for Catic to be bestowed with the honor, while Smith and McCray are serving as captains for the first time in their Jayhawk careers.
GUARDIAN ANGEL
Kansas freshman guard Angel Goodrich will miss the entire 2008-09 season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee in practice on Oct. 19. The 5-foot-4 guard was expected to see significant playing time in her first season with the Jayhawks. Goodrich, a native of Tahlequah, Okla., arrived at KU as one of the highest ranked signees in Kansas women’s basketball history after helping guide her Sequoyah High squad to three state titles in four seasons. She was named a 2008 WBCA State Farm High School All-American, as well as the 2007 Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year. Goodrich had successful reconstructive surgery on Oct. 29.
BIG 12 PRESEASON POLL
The University of Kansas was tabbed ninth in the preseason poll voted on by the league’s head coaches. For the second time in the last three years, Oklahoma topped the poll. The Sooners received seven first-place nods and 124 total points as they return four starters, highlighted by three-time unanimous All-America Courtney Paris. Iowa State collected two first place votes, while Texas, Baylor and Oklahoma State each picked up one first place nod.
ALL IN THE FAMILY
Three members of the Kansas women’s basketball team come from highly athletic families. Juniors Kelly Kohn and Porscha Weddington and sophomore Krysten Boogaard all have current or former professional athletes in their immediate family. Kohn’s brother, Matt, currently plays indoor football (most recently for the Kansas City Brigade), while Weddington’s father, Michael, played football collegiately for Oklahoma and professionally for the Green Bay Packers. Boogaard comes from a hockey family. Her older brother Derek plays in the NHL for the Minnesota Wild, while another brother Aaron plays in the Pittsburgh Penguins minor league organization. Several other members of the Jayhawk roster have collegiate athletes among their family members. In addition, Kohn’s sister Lauren played college basketball at Syracuse before finishing her career at Ohio. Lauren Kohn is currently in her first year of law school at Kansas.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF COLLEGE
Junior guard-forward Danielle McCray took classes at a different kind of college over the summer as she traveled to Texas to attend Point Guard College. McCray spent part of the day taking notes on how to become a better leader and spent the other half of the day applying those skills in on-the-court sessions. McCray is the second Jayhawk to attend Point Guard College. Senior Ivana Catic was a student during the summer of 2006.
WORLD TRAVELERS
While most of the current roster of Jayhawks stayed in Lawrence for the majority of the summer, four members of the team took out their passports and took various trips to foreign countries. Seniors Ivana Catic and Marija Zinic both managed to get an extended visit home to their native Serbia to visit family and friends. Junior Rebecca Feickert made her way to Spain as part of a study abroad experience for college credit, while sophomore Krysten Boogaard ventured to both Canada (her native country) and to China. Boogaard played on the Canadian National Developmental Team and as part of her experience she and the team played three exhibition games in Beijing leading up to the 2008 Olympics. Although she did not play in the Olympic games, Boogaard’s Canadian team did scrimmage the Chinese Olympic team while in Beijing.
UP NEXT
KU will officially tip-off the 2008-09 season with a home game versus Sacred Heart on Friday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m., in Allen Fieldhouse. KU leads the all-time series with Sacred Heart 1-0.
