Freshmen pair ready for Big 12 games

Friday, January 18, 2008

For weeks before Big 12 Conference play, senior forward Taylor McIntosh told freshman forward Nicolette Smith and freshman center Krysten Boogaard how much more intense games would become in January.

McIntosh’s sage advice didn’t fall on deaf ears.

“She told us it’s going to get a lot harder, and it definitely has,” Boogaard said. “We have just got to keep our composure.”

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After winning 11 of 13 games during nonconference play, Bonnie Henrickson’s team looked primed to improve on last season’s 4-12 mark in Big 12 Conference play.

An 0-3 start hasn’t dampened hopes for the young squad, but the freshman post duo said they knew they must continue to adapt to the change in the quality of opponents to help Kansas be successful.

The two have learned quickly that what passed for quality post play in November and December is much different against the likes of Oklahoma State, Nebraska and Baylor.

“They are a lot more physical and they run the floor a lot better than nonconference teams,” Smith said. “So you are not only having to muscle them down low but then you have to run the full length of the court.”

Despite impressing during the Jayhawks’ fast start, Smith and Boogaard have found life against stronger and more athletic posts more challenging. Through the first three games of the conference schedule the two have struggled to stay out of foul trouble.

Kansan file photo

During the opening three games the two have combined for 21 personal fouls, an average of more than three fouls per game each. Smith said Henrickson had stressed better defensive positioning and focus. The concentration on the defensive end has been a transition in her game since arriving in Lawrence, Smith said.

“In high school I never really had to play defense the way I do now,” she said. “I never really had to sit down and work and that’s been the biggest chance for me.”

At 6-foot-5, Boogaard had begun showing flashes of her offensive potential against the smaller post players Kansas faced before Big 12 Conference games. Against Nebraska, she missed all seven shots she took and was clearly affected by the defense the Huskers threw at her.

After benefiting from the anonymity of being a freshman, Boogaard said Big 12 teams were putting together better game plans against the Jayhawks than their nonconference counterparts.

“We know that the teams are scouting us a lot harder because they have more game film on us and they know our strengths and our weaknesses,” she said.

Despite the winless start for the Jayhawks, Smith said the unpredictability of the conference boded well for the remaining 13 games of Big 12 play. Tomorrow’s matchup with Missouri will be key in determining whether or not Kansas can climb back into the middle of a crowded pack.

“The rest of our games are obviously going to be tough because it’s the Big 12 and teams are good from top to bottom,” Smith said. “We have already seen big upsets by teams we didn’t think were going to beat anybody.”

Conference play hasn’t begun the way the pair has hoped, but both remain optimistic about their chances to surprise teams that overlook the young Jayhawks.

“I think this league is very unpredictable,” Boogaard said. “You never know who is going to win.”

- Madeline Hyden

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