Henrickson calls Mosley, Smith centerpieces of team

Friday, April 20, 2007

For an awards ceremony being held in honor of the 2006-07 Kansas women’s basketball season, there sure was a lot of talk about the future.

Of course that is understandable with a roster composed of seven freshmen and only two seniors. By the way coach Bonnie Henrickson talked about seniors Shaquina Mosley and Sharita Smith on Wednesday night, it was clear that they were the centerpiece of this season’s Kansas team.

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Fans may have been surprised by Katie Smith winning the “Ms. Jayhawk Award,” but anyone associated with the program knew she was the right choice.

“The future is bright with all that we’ve got back,” she said, “And that’s a testament to these two. They took us on their backs and we followed.”

To no surprise, Sharita Smith took home the Best Defender award after a season full of assignments against the opposition’s best players.

Fans may have been surprised by Katie Smith winning the “Ms. Jayhawk Award,” but anyone associated with the program knew she was the right choice.

“Katie Smith embodies the program of what Bonnie is trying to bring here perfectly,” teammate Kelly Kohn said.

Katie Smith only played a total of five minutes all season but was invaluable in practice. Henrickson said she motivated the rest of the team by always playing with game-like intensity. The players voted to give Smith the award and when asked if she was deserving, Henrickson showed no hesitation with her answer.

“Absolutely,” she said, “she is incredibly selfless. She takes on whatever role we ask her to.”

Shaquina Mosley was recognized for her selection to the All Big 12 Second Team, but more importantly gave fans something to cheer about during the two videos shown.

Mosley’s shot under the basket with .4 seconds left to beat the Texas Longhorns was shown four times during the ceremony. It served as an unforgettable moment in an otherwise forgettable 11-20 season.

“If you know me well, you know I have a dry and sarcastic sense of humor,” Henrickson said, “If we would have played half as good as we look tonight, we would have won a lot more games.”

That was the only cynical statement all night. The focus was clearly on the legacy Smith and Mosley left after they fought through adversity to lead Kansas to five wins in its last nine games.

“I hope to be remembered as a person instead of just a defensive stopper,” Sharita Smith said, “I want to be remembered as the teammate that was always there,”

Even with the gloomy feeling of having to say goodbye, the excitement for what the future entails was undeniable.

“Late Night will be here before you know it,” Henrickson said.

Kansan sportswriter Case Keefer can be contacted at ckeefer@kansan.com.

— Edited by Trevan McGee

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