Thursday, April 3, 2008
The best way to imagine the current state of Kansas women’s basketball happens to be the best way to imagine almost anything. Think of Scooby Doo.
When Scooby and Shaggy first see the (insert seemingly normal guy) dressed up as a (insert bad guy costume), they yell and then try and run away. However, before they shuffle off in front of an eerily similar background for 30 seconds, they’re suspended in the air for a while – feet frantically churning with nothing getting accomplished.
That’s what coach Bonnie Henrickson’s team looks like right now. For all of their recruiting prowess and stellar non-conference records, the Jayhawks are still suspended in the air, running as fast as they can and not going anywhere.
Instead of trying to get away from a scary monster like Shaggy and Scooby, Kansas is trying to catch up to a frighteningly good Big 12, which is one reason it hasn’t made any progress.
The Big 12 is without a doubt the best conference in women’s basketball top to bottom. Eight league teams made it to the NCAA tournament and through the first round all eight were still alive. Also, Missouri was the only conference team not to participate in a postseason tournament.
Even with all of that in mind, it’s not enough for Kansas to dream big in the preseason – this year’s goal was 20 wins and the NCAA tourney – then fall short only to blame it on a difficult conference or a youthful squad. This team is getting older and freshman mistakes like turning the ball over out of a time-out can no longer be excused.
The core of the Jayhawks is still the six sophomores that all came in together as freshmen, and one of those players holds the key to an NCAA tournament bid next season … but she’s not named Danielle McCray.
Sophomore forward Porscha Weddington started the first 11 games of the year before relinquishing the role to freshman center Krysten Boogaard, and the fate of the 2008-09 season may rest on her shoulders.
Kansas will be guard heavy next season because every one of them is coming back. The only players graduating are forwards Jamie Boyd and Taylor McIntosh, but McIntosh meant more to the Jayhawks than a box score could ever show.
The difference between wins and losses wasn’t whether McCray was playing well, but how well McIntosh performed. More than that, she looked after all of the players and yelled at players when it needed to be done. Kansas will need that leadership on and off the court again, and who better to fill that void than the player taking her starting spot?
Try and think of it like Scooby Doo. Daphne and Freddy drive the Mystery Machine, but Velma gives them the directions. Shaggy and Scooby run from the villains while Velma solves the mystery. For Kansas, Velma just graduated, and it’s time to buy Porscha some glasses. Jinkees!
—Edited by Samuel Lamb
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