During July and August, junior guard Kelly Kohn grabbed anyone willing and walked the one block from her home in Adrian, Mich., to the gym at Adrian College.

Inside, Kohn and her designated rebounder of the day launched shot after shot — 100 three-pointers, 100 free throws.

“I was in the gym every single day,” Kohn said. “The point was to feel comfortable and confident with my shot.”

After an impressive freshman season during which she averaged 9.8 points per game and led Kansas in minutes played, Kohn suffered from injuries and confidence issues in her sophomore year.

She missed five games with an ankle injury last year, while her points per game dipped to three.

“It just snowballed,” coach Bonnie Henrickson said.

Kohn returned to Adrian with two purposes. First, she wanted to gain confidence with her new shooting technique. When Kohn arrived at Kansas as a freshman, Henrickson said, she pushed the ball instead of snapping her wrist and following through.

“When we got back to workouts in the fall you could tell she worked on it,” Henrickson said. “It looked smooth.”

But the Jayhawks noticed another change in Kohn. As a freshman, Kohn started all 31 games and added three assists.

Last season, however, Kohn started just four games, playing primarily as a reserve.

“Having to transition from starting to coming off the bench, that’s hard for anyone who plays in college and is used to starting,” Kohn said. “It’s definitely a different feeling.”

In the gym at Adrian College, though, Kohn pieced the two together and embraced her role off the bench. The results were on display against San Jose State Thursday.

With 11:35 left in the first half, Kohn provided a spark for the Kansas offense.

It wasn’t that the Jayhawks were struggling before Kohn pulled up for a free-throw line jumper — actually, they held an 8-2 lead. Offensively, however, Kansas lacked any sort of consistency.

That Kohn’s made basket kick-started the Jayhawks’ scoring is fitting. Kohn finished the game with 15 points, made four of five three-pointers and even grabbed five rebounds.

“That’s what great teams do,” junior Danielle McCray said. “If someone isn’t on, someone else steps up.”

True, San Jose State isn’t a top tier team, but facing similarly skilled opponents in St. Louis and New Orleans, Kohn combined for just three points off the bench.

Last night, though, Kohn’s play resembled that of her freshman year, thanks in large part to those who worked with her during the summer.

“Even when I didn’t want to go my parents were like, ‘We’re going to the gym. Let’s go,’” Kohn said.

“I might send them a little thank you note.”

— — Edited by Adam Mowder