Goodrich Displays Improved Shot In Exhibition Season
Nov. 7, 2011
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Angel Goodrich leading the Jayhawk offense is nothing new. The 5-foot-4 junior guard paced the team in assists each of her first two years with Kansas. Thanks to a focused effort on furthering her offense skill set over the summer, though, Goodrich not only led the team in assists during the 2011 exhibition season, but also in scoring.
With 9:11 remaining in the first half during Sunday’s exhibition contest versus Pittsburg State, Goodrich pulled up in the middle of the lane on a fast break to knock down a jump shot, which give Kansas a 19-14 lead against the Gorillas. That shot perhaps exemplified Goodrich’s hard work over the offseason more so than any other play in the team’s first two games.
“I’m trying to be more of a scorer,” said Goodrich, who scored a team-high 28 points in the first two exhibition games combined. “As far as driving, I want to improve more on my jumper. I feel like I’ve improved a lot on my jumper in the middle of the lane. I focused more on the mid-range jumper and the three-pointer this summer, especially being able to drive and pull up real quick instead of getting too deep into the lane where the posts can block me.”
Goodrich’s focus on improving her shot came after a conversation with head coach Bonnie Henrickson toward the end of last season. Goodrich, who became the fastest player in KU history to reach 100 assists when she did it in only 13 games her freshman season, understood she could bring even more value to the offense if she was scoring herself in addition to setting up other people.
“I’ve always realized it,” said Goodrich, who ranked sixth in the NCAA last year with 6.3 assists per game. “I always looked to pass first. Then Coach and I kind of talked about it, and we both agreed that I needed to be more of a scorer. If I can get the bigs to come up on me, then it opens up more for the bigs and I can dish it off. If they don’t come up on me, then I can score, too. I worked on my shot over the summer, and I’m trying to work on it during practice. My biggest goal is trying to be more of a scorer.”
Goodrich has connected on 12 of her 21 field goal attempts this year, including a 2-for-4 night from three-point range against Emporia State Nov. 2. Meanwhile, she has retained her ability to find the open person within the offense, dishing out a team-high 10 assists during exhibition play.
Despite her hot start, Goodrich knows she still has to maintain her focus to develop more consistency with her jumper.
“I’m still trying to get my three-point shot down,” said Goodrich. “I haven’t been getting my feet right on some of my three-pointers. When that doesn’t hit, it’s mostly my feet. Just coming in and shooting helps a lot.”
Kansas will officially open its 2011-12 season when it hosts Western Michigan next Sunday, Nov. 13, in Allen Fieldhouse at 2 p.m.
