Monday, August 13, 2007
Though the women’s basketball team’s trip to Australia offers a chance for preseason competition to prepare for the upcoming season, the real value of the trip seems to be in the bonding experience of a 10-day trip overseas.
The Jayhawks left for the trip Down Under on Aug. 4, destined for capital city Sydney to play their first of four games.
Before ever stepping into a gym, coach Bonnie Henrickson and her crew toured the famous Sydney Opera House, shopped at various malls, climbed to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and walked along Manly Beach.
“The trip has been everything and more than what I expected,” said sophomore guard Kelly Kohn. “There are just a million things to do every day.”
All of the outside attractions did little to help Kansas on the court, though, as the semi-pro Sydney Flames welcomed the team with an 88-54 loss Tuesday night. Disappointment would be an understatement for senior guard Taylor McIntosh.
“We were having so much fun that it was hard to get focused. It had to be comparable to our worst game from last year,” she said.
The Jayhawks took on the Flames instead of their original opponent, the Sutherland Sharks, because of a scheduling conflict. Worse yet, traffic jams left Kansas with very little time to prepare before the game.
“It’s a combination of all those things,” Henrickson said. “There’s never an excuse to play that poorly, but we got there … had to change our clothes and had 18 minutes to warm-up.”
Henrickson said the roster her team was given didn’t match the team they played, a great disadvantage for a team that relies heavily on scouting reports. With a better idea of what it would take to compete in Australia, the Jayhawks re-focused on their way to Brisbane for games two and three.
The difference was clear Thursday night as sophomore forward Danielle McCray poured in 26 points and led Kansas to a 78-71 win over Logan Blue. McIntosh posted a double-double with 18 points and 11 boards while sophomore forwards Sade Morris and Porscha Weddington also reached double-figure point totals, tallying 13 and 11, respectively.
Before the game Henrickson had preached better defense, and her team held Logan Blue to 36.4 percent shooting from the field. The coach also said she liked the opportunity she had to see some of her players in different roles, such as McCray on the perimeter and Kohn trying to take over the point guard.
Aside from giving her a chance to prove herself for the starting spot, Kohn felt the trip would help make the team closer.
“Outside of basketball, I like just having an opportunity to be together for a bonding experience,” she said.
The Jayhawks defeated Logan Red Saturday evening 83-56. They then left for Cairns, where they will play their fourth and final game Tuesday, and they will return to Lawrence Wednesday.
– Edited by Matt Erickson
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