For almost two weeks, junior guard Sade Morris knew little more than darkness and quiet.

No TV, no radio, no basketball.

“I got to sleep a lot, I guess, but it was still boring,” Morris said. “I couldn’t do anything but lie down and eat.”

In the first half of the game against Texas Tech on Jan. 17, Morris drove by a defender, spun near the basket and fell to the ground after a foul. At first, Morris tried to shake off the injury, slowly rising before falling back down. Then, with trainers on each side, Morris woozily made her way back to the Kansas bench.

She didn’t return to the game and also missed Kansas’ next two games with a Grade 2 concussion. The Jayhawks lost all three games.

“We need her back; everybody knows that,” coach Bonnie Henrickson said last weekend after Kansas lost to K-State. “We need her back.”

It appears the Jayhawks may have her Saturday against Texas A&M. Doctors still haven’t cleared her for full-contact practice or games, but Morris began participating in shooting drills and riding the stationary bicycle at Monday’s practice for the first time since the injury.

And, unless symptoms recur, Henrickson is “cautiously optimistic” that Morris can practice without restrictions beginning today and, subsequently, play in Saturday’s game.

“In practice,” sophomore center Krysten Boogaard said, “you can just see in her face how much she wants to be out there and playing with us.”

During the time she spent in a warm-up suit on the bench, Morris watched and absorbed facets of the game. Sure, she played the part of sideline cheerleader. But Morris also used the different viewing perspective as a time to learn.

“You see times when you say, ‘She should have drove and done this or they did that wrong and should have done this,’” Morris said. “Now, when I go in the game, I know exactly what they’re talking about. I get it.”

Make no mistake, Kansas was not and will not be a better team in the absence of Morris, who averages 12.3 points per game. But the Jayhawks used the time to grow — a perfect opportunity for other players to fill in and handle new responsibilities.

“The loss of her has strengthened our team and made others do more than they had to,” junior forward Danielle McCray said. “When she comes back, they’ll be doing more than before.”

Earlier in the season, a similar situation unfolded when Boogaard missed four games because of a stress reaction injury, forcing sophomore forward Nicollette Smith into the starting lineup. Smith has started every game since.

Still, Kansas has struggled offensively without Morris, the team’s second-leading scorer. In losses to Nebraska and K-State, Kansas had stretches where it relied solely on McCray for scoring.

McCray did her part — she scored 30 and 26, respectively — but Henrickson said the Jayhawks needed more balance. And Morris’ ability to drive and shoot three-pointers keeps defenders on edge.

“Players have to guard her and she’s really great off the bounce,” Boogaard said. “And it helps post players inside like myself because it stretches out the defense and gives us more room to work with.”

True, but Morris’ presence isn’t limited solely to the offensive end. In most games before her concussion, Morris matched up with opponents’ best players.

“Sade,” Henrickson said, “is our best one-on-one defender.”

Now the question isn’t so much when Morris will return, but how quickly she’s back in uniform. For Morris — and her teammates — that day can’t come soon enough.

“It’s hard watching them go out and fight and get so close but not finish it,” Morris said. “I was really proud of how they played, but I’m just ready to be back.”

— — Edited by Brandy Entsminger