One finds more practice time excessive and drawn out; the other thinks of all the ways to improve. One can’t wait to play games again; the other can’t wait to continue correcting.

There’s little doubt that Kansas needed more practice to improve and get players healthy. But, when talking about the Jayhawks’ week full of practices without breaking for a game, it’s easy to notice a gap between player and coach.

“Personally, for me, I don’t like going a whole week without a game,” said junior guard LaChelda Jacobs. “But it’s part of basketball. I mean, it’s going to be good for us.”

Yet, coach Bonnie Henrickson’s viewpoint varies. Coming off three consecutive losses, and with junior guard Sade Morris slowly healing, Henrickson said the Jayhawks need the time to tinker and recover.

Kansas last played on Jan. 24 against K-State and, unlike most weeks when a mid-week game is scheduled, the Jayhawks don’t play again until Saturday.

“It’s good just to clean up some stuff for a team that’s been struggling and for us to get some more offensive reps and more offensive execution,” Henrickson said

Regardless of their personal stances, both player and coach agreed more time in the gym — and more repetitions — can only be seen as a positive.

In the first couple days of practice this week, Kansas focused almost solely on internal problems, not on its next opponent, Texas A&M. Actually, Kansas only touched on Texas A&M’s game plan when the Jayhawks worked on their zone defense against the Aggies’ offense.

“This week’s a long week for us, but it’s good because we’re focusing on us,” sophomore center Krysten Boogaard said.

Perhaps the two biggest beneficiaries from not having a mid-week game are Morris and freshman forward Aishah Sutherland.

Morris began practicing in limited action on Monday. Both Henrickson and Morris said this week without a game couldn’t have come at a better time.

“I’m really happy there’s no game,” Morris said. “I finally can practice and I don’t have to worry about ‘oh man, am I going to be able to make it?’”

After playing the center position for the first time — and after scoring nine points and grabbing 12 rebounds against K-State on Saturday — Sutherland has increased her repetitions in the low post this week.

Sutherland’s combination of athleticism and length make her a valuable asset for the Jayhawks. But the freshman is still raw and, as Henrickson said, the more reps the better.

“Aishah is a great player,” Boogaard, Kansas’ starting center, said. “It just shows what she can do offensively and defensively. If I play with her, in transition I can trail and she can handle herself on the block if she’s in that position now.”

And while she may not be the biggest fan of this week, Jacobs understands how important the extra time in the gym has been for a Kansas team looking to climb from the bottom of the Big 12 standings.

“We just took a step back from everything and worked on us for a couple of days,” Jacobs said. “We’ve been getting the things right that we need to get right.”

— — Edited by Carly Halvorson