Women’s basketball tuning up for season

Players spend time in weight room, on court with coaches and in pick-up games

By Taylor Bern

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Prep Time

With a successful trip to Australia under its belt and weeks left before Late Night in the Phog, the women’s basketball team is keeping busy with strength training and a little time on the court with the coaching staff.

According to NCAA rules, players can spend only eight hours a week with coaches. Coach Bonnie Henrickson divides that time up for her team, giving them six hours in the weight room and two hours on the court.

Rules also state that in these early sessions there can be only four players on the court at a time, so Henrickson brings in groups of post players together and guards together.

Outside of their time with the coaches, all the players take time on their own to play pick-up basketball games or work on shooting drills.

Although pick-up games could result in unnecessary injury (see: Brandon Rush), Henrickson feels that it’s necessary at this time of year to get in shape.

“The work they need to do is more important than the risk of injury. I’m more concerned with the fact that they don’t play enough defense in pick-up games,” Henrickson said.

A Daunting Task

The official schedule for the 2007-08 season has been finalized and it includes 14 teams that participated in postseason play last season.

Ten NCAA qualifiers and four Women’s NIT participants are slated to square off with the Jayhawks, starting with the regular season opener in Lawrence on Nov. 11 against WNIT qualifier Hartford.

To get through its difficult schedule, Kansas will rely heavily on the six sophomores who came in together last year and took their bumps and bruises as freshmen.

“It was a baptism by fire, but everybody lived to tell about it. In the long run it’s going to be really good for them, which in turn is really good for us,” Henrickson said.

The players she’s referring to are Sade Morris, Danielle McCray, Porscha Weddington, Kelly Kohn, Rebecca Feickert and LaChelda Jacobs.

Last season Henrickson played three or four of her freshmen on the court at one time, which forced the youngsters to learn on their feet.

“Heading into this year, I’m cautiously optimistic that all of that work and all of those experiences will help these kids be better their sophomore year,” Henrickson said.

The coach has her eyes on a few sophomores in particular: McCray, Weddington and Morris.

McCray led the squad with 21 points per game in Australia, working exclusively on the perimeter. Last year, McCray spent most of her time in the post, and Henrickson wanted her to improve her outside game.

Morris and Weddington impressed the coaching staff with their effort since the end of the ’06-’07 year.

“Sade Morris has a chance for a breakout year. Porscha Weddington had a great summer and spring. Those two, to me, were the two brightest spots,” Henrickson said.

Going Abroad

Former Kansas standout guard Shaquina ‘Shaq’ Mosley, who used up her eligibility last season, could be traveling overseas after this semester.

Mosley is taking two classes at Kansas this semester to graduate, and the coaches are currently helping her find a spot overseas on a professional team.

“We feel like she’s talented enough to play overseas,” said Henrickson, “we’ve just got to find the right situation for her.”

—edited by Kyle Carter

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