Kelly Kohn never could find the form that saw her lead Kansas in minutes played as a freshman. It wasn’t that she had lost a step or couldn’t play.

The culprit? A nagging ankle injury that had sidelined the sophomore guard since around the New Year, limiting her to only four starts compared to 31 starts in 31 games last season.

Without Kohn for a chunk of the season, Kansas didn’t necessarily collapse but it never looked entirely comfortable either. Though Kohn only missed a grand total of five games, she was never really the same as the ankle continued to bother her. Would things have been different with her at full strength? No doubt.

Henrickson said she expected Kohn to come back even stronger next season, and that her biggest effect on the game may not necessarily show on the score sheet.

“She is a tough kid,” Henrickson said. “She is a competitive kid. She has the intangibles to weather the storm when someone makes a run or in a possession battle.” While fellow sophomore guards Danielle McCray, Sade Morris and LaChelda Jacobs were stepping up their games and gaining invaluable experience by playing 20 plus minutes per game, Kohn was forced to take a back seat. After averaging 9.8 points, 3 assists and 3.3 rebounds as a freshman, her production plummeted to 3 points per contest.

She said it was difficult to watch, knowing she couldn’t contribute the way she wanted or was capable of. Even more difficult was returning in the midst of Big 12 play while not fully healthy.

“It is tough to come back from an injury in any sport, but it was especially tough for me to have to try to come back during conference play,” Kohn said after Kansas’ WNIT victory against Evansville. “You are playing against such good competition and it is hard to get your rhythm back in the couple of minutes you are out on the floor.”

Although it would have been easy to become negative about her injury, Kohn’s teammates said she remained mentally strong while recovering and during the struggles that followed. Morris said bringing Kohn back in the fold is only going to make the Jayhawks that much more dangerous.

“Hey, we’ve got a girl that can shoot lights out back,” she said. “Now instead of having to guard two or three people, they are going to have to guard five or six.”

Once she had finally battled her way back to full health late in the season, Kohn gave Kansas a glimpse of what she was capable of. In games against Nebraska and Evansville in the final weeks of the season, Kohn made 8-11 shots and showed court vision and tenacious defense.

Henrickson said that boded well for months until the first exhibition games, and that Kohn was chomping at the bit to begin preparing.

“She is probably in a hungrier place right now than she was coming off a freshman year when she had played so much,” Henrickson said. “She said she is just really ready and excited to have a great spring and great summer.”

—Edited by Jeff Briscoe