Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Minutes into Kansas’ 70-57 victory against Nebraska, coach Bonnie Henrickson quickly shook her hand at her side. Moments later, senior guard Ivana Catic repeated the gesture, setting Kansas’ offense into motion.
The Jayhawks’ signals for calling plays may be rather simple, but their offensive sets are anything but. The ability to execute those offensive schemes has been a significant reason for the Jayhawks’ current three-game winning streak.
“Once you get into February and March, everyone knows what you’re going to run,” sophomore forward Nicollette Smith said. “It just gets tougher and tougher and you have to be able to make a play within a play. The teams that can’t do that, that’s when they start to go downhill.”
Junior guard LaChelda Jacobs leads several of her teammates across the court after a defensive rebound during team's Feb. 22 game against Iowa State. The KU women's basketball offense is described as one of the most complex in the country.
This season, the Jayhawks’ offensive numbers — field-goal percentage and three-point percentage — have ranked in the upper half of the Big 12. But only recently has Kansas been consistently executing offensive plays.
Henrickson’s offense, which Smith said contained at least 50 plays, revolves around the basic principles of basketball: exploiting defensive weak spots, playing to strengths and adjusting during games.
“They know who should come off a screen and who we should look for” junior forward Danielle McCray said. “They do a good job of telling us that and then it’s all on us. I think we’ve done a good job of executing that. I mean, if you play right, then it’s going to get you an easy look.”
Perhaps most importantly, Kansas constantly looks for mismatches. As a point guard, Catic said, one of her primary responsibilities is identifying advantages and correctly calling plays that expose those mismatches.
When/Where...
Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Allen Fieldhouse.
TV coverage...
Sunflower (Channel 6)
Who to watch for...
Junior forward Jhasmin Player. With All-Big 12 talent Danielle Wilson likely out for this game with an injury to her ACL, Player is now the go-to player for Baylor. She scored 21 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in a gutsy win against a talented Texas team. Player won’t be afraid to step up in the spotlight; she is a senior who has been playing big minutes since her freshman year.
What to expect...
Baylor will have to give Kansas the outside jumper because of the loss of Wilson. She averaged more than three blocks a game, and without her, Baylor is not very tall. The Bears will need to sag into the lane often. Kansas sophomore Krysten Boogaard has three inches on any player Baylor can sub in. Kansas will try to score in the post early.
Why Kansas will win...
Swagger. These Jayhawks have it right now. They even have an outside chance of making the NCAA tournament if they finish their season with two great wins and win a few games in the Big 12 tournament. The Jayhawks will fight hard and try to reach the tournament, their new Holy Grail.
How the game is important...
Kansas is tied for seventh in the Big 12 right now, but three teams lurk just one game behind the Jayhawks. If Kansas could somehow finish seventh in the league, they could avoid Oklahoma in the second round of the conference tournament.
Magic numbers...
24 and 11.6 — Average points and rebounds in the past three games for junior Danielle McCray, all Kansas victories. She has established herself as a definite candidate for the All-Big 12 first team.
— Clark Goble
“They’re running what they run so well that if you have a breakdown, then they take advantage of it,” said Nebraska coach Connie Yori.
But that wasn’t always the case.
Early in the season, the Jayhawks’ sheer athletic advantage allowed them to defeat opponents. But in a conference as talent-rich as the Big 12, possessing more athleticism is an almost unrealistic goal.
Kansas’ offensive sets rely heavily on intricacy and detail. The Jayhawks use multiple screens — sometimes as many as four or five in one play — to disrupt defenses and create scoring opportunities. And Kansas’ plays are specifically designed to place scorers in situations that emphasize their strengths.
“Our kids understand that there’s a reason why you’re coming off that screen, going that direction and coming off that pivot foot,” Henrickson said. “Most likely, you’re going to make that shot.”
The Jayhawks appear at ease operating Henrickson’s offense. But as recently as three weeks ago, Kansas often became stale offensively in key stretches of games.
With a system as detail-oriented as Henrickson’s, players said that at times frustration set in.
“We just weren’t finding what she was saying,” junior guard Sade Morris said. “But now that we see it? Oh, it’s much easier.”
In the second halves of Kansas’ past three games, the Jayhawks have flourished offensively, executing in a way that allows them to expand leads.
The key in that stretch — and a key for any team experiencing the grind of conference play — has been the ability to quickly adapt to defenses.
Sure, the Jayhawks run specific plays with a primary target. But throughout games defenses take away those first options, forcing Kansas to adjust.
“You know they’re going to try and take away the first option and second option, but they can’t take away all of them,” Catic said. “That’s why some of our sets go into second and third and fourth screens. Defenses can’t recover.”
Final home game for four
Four Jayhawks will play their final regular season game inside Allen Fieldhouse tonight against No. 5 Baylor. Seniors Ivana Catic, Marija Zinic and Katie Smith will be joined by junior Rebecca Feickert, who is graduating in three years.
Coach Bonnie Henrickson said Feickert would pursue academic interests.
“Rebecca and I had a conversation quite a while ago that this was probably something she needed to do for her academic career,” Henrickson said. “And I supported whatever she needed to do.”
— — Edited by Grant Treaster
Senior guard helps lead the team
Ivana Catic coaches fellow players in her role as “Bonnie on the ...
Women’s team loses late-season game to K-State
Rebounding problems and defensive slips led to Kansas' most recent loss in ...
Guard surprises with offensive instincts
Ivana Catic takes advantage of unsuspecting defenders and tries to play more ...
Women prepare for fast foe
OSU’s Andrea Riley will pose a significant challenge for the Jayhawks tonight.
McCray comes through with timely scoring
In the last two women’s basketball games, McCray has put up staggering ...
Senior Catic shines in postseason
By limiting turnovers and encouraging teammates, one starter makes the most of ...
What it takes to get home
Kansan writer B.J. Rains follows the KU women’s basketball team as they ...
McCray improves as Kansas gets hot
Jayhawks’ guards, defense also help extend win streak.
Jayhawks nab third conference win
The women’s basketball team shows improvement as they overtake the Buffaloes.
Preparation for the away game
The Kansas women’s basketball team will have traveled to 11 away games ...
KU shocks No. 5 Baylor on senior ...
Jayhawks use 35 points from Danielle McCray to blowout Bears, giving postseason ...
Jayhawks hope to continue season tonight
Women’s basketball team will host Illinois State tonight in the semifinals of ...
Bern and Wiebe: Women’s basketball season in ...
Kansan sports writers Taylor Bern and Andrew Wiebe announce their picks for ...
KU women need to play through the ...
Henrickson says players have to get the ball to center Boogaard, recently ...
Women’s basketball reflects on season
Jayhawks enter realm as bubble team for NCAA tournament; increased scoring needed ...
The good, the bad and the offseason
With three separate lists, we look at why Kansas succeeded, why they ...
Kansas visits Illinois State for WNIT sweet ...
Kansas women’s basketball team hopes for glory without injured senior guard Danielle ...
Senior class basks in Baylor win
Jayhawks look to build on victory as an NCAA tournament berth becomes ...
NEW: KU women fall to No. 9 ...
The Kansas women's basketball team dropped to 0-2 in Big 12 play, ...
Women coast past St. Louis
The Kansas women’s basketball team walked away with a big victory against ...
Killer instinct comes back to guard
Kansas scores 106 points, the most under coach Bonnie Henrickson in a ...
Team to rely on experience next season
The Jayhawks won only two of their road game this season, but ...
Kansas women feel excitement for next year
End of year success builds anticipation and expectations for recruits before next ...
Kansas' defense couldn't hold the potent Baylor ...
Kansas must now look to the NIT Tournament.
Jayhawks looking ahead
Team comes together, shows strong defense
Jayhawks shut down OSU’s Riley in first Big 12 road victory in ...
Kansas to face Nebraska in first round
The Lady Jayhawks need to beat several teams for a shot at ...
Women’s basketball team advances in WNIT, decreases ...
The Jayhawks beat Evansville 82-60 to advance to the third round of ...
Jayhawks disappointed by loss to in-state rivals
Kansas State junior forward Brittany Chambers gave Kansas big trouble with a ...
Davis fights for starting position
Freshman Carolyn Davis harneses her “nice” personality and gets aggressive.
McCray helps carry women’s basketball
Other players must also step up if team is to make it ...
After cold start, freshman guard heats up
Coach Bonnie Henrickson gains confidence as Monica Engelman starts showing improvements.
Victory against Indiana not attractive, but important ...
The Jayhawks won their fourth straight against the Hoosiers. While it wasn't ...
Women's BB: KU vs. MU Gameday
Young women's players show improvement
Kansas' seven freshman grew together throughout the season, and Kelly Kohn and ...
Kansas wins first conference game in Border ...
Defeating Missouri at home gave the Kansas women a boost to move ...
Women’s basketball duo trying to improve
Coach Bonnie Henrickson wants juniors Danielle McCray and Sade Morris to step ...
NCAA hopes are crushed after Iowa loss
Women’s basketball team blames past losses on missing chance to compete in ...
Hawks prepare for Border War after loss
Despite losing point guard Goodrich, Kansas gears up for its game against ...
Women's basketball defeats Iowa State in two ...
Junior forward Carolyn Davis scored 18 of her 21 points during the ...
From left: Kimberlee Hinkle, Libby Johnson and Hannah ...
1 comment
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
2 comments
Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
1 comment
0 comments
Armed robbers continue to threaten.
3 comments
Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
0 comments
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID