RCW: Meet the women's basketball team

Get to know the 2016-17 Jayhawks before they open up another exciting season of Kansas basketball.

SYDNEY BENOIT
R-Jr. | G | 5-10 | Smith Center, Kan.
Bio Full Bio

  • Benoit played two seasons at Hutchinson Community College before transferring to Kansas. She has two seasons of eligibility left heading into the 2016-17 season.
  • She helped the Blue Dragons to conference and regional championships during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons while compiling a 71-2 record.
  • Benoit prepped at Smith Center High School and was named the Hays Daily News North West Player of the Year in 2013.

LISA BLAIR
Sr. | F | 6-5 | Brooklyn, N.Y.
Bio Full Bio

  • A graduate transfer from Ohio State, Lisa Blair played three seasons for the Buckeyes before joining Kansas women’s basketball.
  • A three-star prospect out of high school, Blair was rated the 38th-best center in the nation by ESPN Hoopgurlz.
  • Blair was selected as a McDonald’s All-America nominee as a senior in high school.

JADA BROWN
Sr. | F | 6-0 | Las Vegas, Nev.
Bio Full Bio

  • Brown appeared in all 31 games for Kansas and made eight starts during the 2015-16 season, averaging 4.3 points per game and shot 40.3 percent from the field on the year.
  • Rated as a three-star recruit by Hoopgurlz.com and ranked No. 38 nationally by her position according to the recruiting site coming out of high school.
  • A McDonald’s All-America nominee coming out of high school.

MCKENZIE CALVERT
R-So. | G | 5-9 | Schertz, Texas
Bio Full Bio

  • Calvert sat out the 2015-16 season to comply with NCAA transfer rules after playing her freshman season at USC.
  • A four-time all-state and all-region honoree at Byron P. Steele High School.
  • A five-star recruit out of high school and tabbed as the No. 16 prospect in the ESPN HoopGurlz 100 her senior season and was a McDonald’s All-America nominee.

CHAYLA CHEADLE
Jr. | G | 6-0 | Columbia, Mo.
Bio Full Bio

  • Cheadle saw action in every game for Kansas and started 23 contests as a sophomore in 2015-16.
  • Ranked fourth on the squad in points (5.4) and rebounds (3.5) per game and tallied the third-most steals for the Jayhawks with 30.
  • Ranked No. 97 overall in the 2014-15 recruiting class and the No. 23 guard by ESPN coming out of high school.

JAYDE CHRISTOPER
So. | G | 5-8 | Federal Way, Wash.
Bio Full Bio

  • Christopher appeared in all 31 games for the Jayhawks and cracked the starting lineup on five occasions as a freshman. She ended her rookie season with 55 assists, second-most on the team and first among returning players.
  • A two-time Washington state champion and named to the Class 3A First Team by the Associated Press as a senior in high school.
  • Ranked 14th at her position and 59th overall by ProspectNation, while ESPN’s Hoopgurlz ranked her 22nd at her position and 67th overall.

TYLER JOHNSON
So. | F | 6-2 | Leavenworth, Kan.
Bio Full Bio

  • Appeared in all 31 games for the Jayhawks and made seven starts, including the final four games, of the 2015-16 season. She posted a team-best 50 percent shooting average (75-of-150), ranking 11th in the Big 12.
  • Ranked 17th for her position by ESPN’s Hoopgurlz and 22nd for her position by ProspectNation.
  • Named a 2015 McDonald’s All-America nominee.

KYLEE KOPATICH
So. | G | 5-10 | Olathe, Kan.
Bio Full Bio

  • Kopatich started 30 of 31 games for Kansas as a freshman and averaged the second-most minutes per game (33.0), ranking eighth in the Big 12.
  • Ranked 14th for her position and 96th overall by Hoopgurlz, 15th for her position and No. 96 overall by Collegiate Girls Basketball Report.
  • A 2015 McDonald’s All-America nominee.

CHELSEA LOTT
So. | C | 6-3 | Fresno, Texas
Bio Full Bio

  • Lott played in eight games for the Jayhawks as a freshman, tallying four points and averaging 3.3 minutes per game during her rookie campaign.
  • Earned all-district and 6A all-region honors during her senior season of high school.
  • Named to the 2015 Greater Houston Area Girls Basketball Association’s All-Star Team.

CAELYNN MANNING-ALLEN
Sr. | F | 6-4 | Chicago, Ill.
Bio Full Bio

  • Manning-Allen started the third-most games for the Jayhawks (24) and appeared in all 31 contests as a junior.
  • Named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team for the second-consecutive season at the end of 2015-16. Also earned Big Academic All-Rookie Team honors.
  • Earned first-team all-city and first-team all-conference in 2012 and 2013, while being named the 2012 Chicago Public League Player of the Year.

TIMEKA O’NEAL
Sr. | G | 5-4 | Raytown, Mo.
Bio Full Bio

  • O’Neal saw action in all 31 games for the Jayhawks and made five starts in 2015-16.
  • Posted a team-best 41.1 percent average from beyond the arc, the seventh-best mark in Kansas history and the fourth-best average in the Big 12 on the year.
  • Named National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) Division II third-team All-American and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Honorable Mention All-American at the conclusion of her sophomore season at Johnson County Community College.

AISIA ROBERTSON
So. | G | 5-7 | San Francisco, Calif.
Bio Full Bio

  • Robertson started 22 games for the Jayhawks, including the last 11 contests, and saw action in every game of her rookie season. She averaged 4.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
  • Ranked 18th for her position and No. 85 overall by ProspectNation, and 24th for her position and 84th overall by Collegiate Girls Basketball Report coming out of high school.
  • Earned a 2015 McDonald’s All-America nomination.

SYDNEY UMERI
Sr. | F | 6-0 | Acworth, Ga.
Bio Full Bio

  • Umeri is a graduate transfer and will be able to play immediately after three seasons at Virginia.
  • Completed summer internships with both Nike and ESPN in 2016 and 2015, respectively.
  • Won a gold medal with the 2011 USA Basketball’s U16 team at the FIBA Americas Championship in Mérida, Mexico.

JESSICA WASHINGTON
R-Jr. | G | 5-8 | Tulsa, Okla.
Bio Full Bio

  • Washington sat out the 2015-16 season to comply with NCAA transfer rules after playing two seasons at North Carolina.
  • A 2013 McDonald’s All-America selection, just the second Jayhawk to earn the accolade.
  • Ranked the No. 14 overall player and the No. 2 guard in her class by ESPN HoopGurlz coming out of high school.

EBONI WATTS
Jr. | G | 5-6 | Macon, Ga.
Bio Full Bio

  • A junior college transfer, Watts is eligible to play right away for the Jayhawks and will have three seasons of eligibility left.
  • Named First-Team All-Panhandle Conference, her second career league award.
  • Prepped at Rutland High School in Macon, Georgia.
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