The women’s basketball regular season hasn’t even started and freshman point guard Angel Goodrich has already made an effect on the Kansas Jayhawks that goes far beyond her play on the court. Goodrich’s skills and on-court intuition have begun to rub off on junior guard Rhea Codio and the rest of her teammates.

“I think it’s contagious,” coach Bonnie Henrickson said of Goodrich’s effect on the team.

While Goodrich turned in a solid seven assist, two point performance in the Jayhawks’ 85-48 exhibition victory against the Emporia State Hornets Nov. 8, the point guards behind her on the bench strived to make their presence known as well.

In 14 minutes of backup work to Goodrich, Codio, a junior college transfer, tallied four assists. Codio seemed to borrow many of those assists right out of Goodrich’s playbook.

“When I sit by Rhea on the bench, I can just feel her knowing she wants to go out there and do the same thing as Angel,” senior guard Danielle McCray said.

About halfway through the first half against Emporia State, as McCray and Codio both sat on the bench, Goodrich led a three on two charge for the Jayhawks. As she drove the ball down the court she confused defenders by first looking right and then back left before making an outstanding, no-look, behind-the-back pass to junior center Krysten Boogaard. Although Boogaard missed the shot. Goodrich received an ovation from the fans. One man sporting a Jayhawk sweater and baseball cap even stood up to applaud Goodrich’s efforts.

“I thought Angel threw some beautiful passes and I told the post players they got a couple of them that need to take her out to dinner tonight,” Henrickson said.

Codio was at the helm of the Jayhawks transition offense in a nearly identical play late in the first half. As the Jayhawks flew down the court, Codio seemed to mimic Goodrich by bouncing a no-look pass behind her back to freshman Annette Davis, who laid it in for two points.

“Sometimes when we’re running plays or doing drills, I go in the back just to watch how she does the drill,” Codio said of Goodrich.

In those same practices, however, Goodrich also takes note of Codio’s skill set as she continues to learn the Kansas offense.

“We push each other in practice,” Goodrich said.

The play made by Codio, however, simply exemplifies one intangible aspect that Goodrich provides for the team. Her presence and ability to find open players at any point in the offense causes her teammates to try to step up their game.

“As a group, we’re moving to be more aggressive without the ball, trying to get into a passing lane,” Henrickson said.

McCray nicely summed up the need for players to be constantly aware when Goodrich was on the court and handling the ball.

“If we’re not running and not looking up the court she’s going to hit us in the back of the head,” McCray said.

— Edited by Tim Burgess