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Sports > Basketball > College Basketball '09-'10

College Basketball '09-'10

For women on the go

Women's hoops is no longer screen and shoot. Athleticism and an expanding talent base have made a difference.

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BY TAYLOR ELDRIDGE

Eagle correspondent

WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING ABOUT JODY ADAMS' WINTER COLLECTION

Technically, last season was Jody Adams' first in rebuilding the Wichita State women's program.

But it was the summer of change for the Shockers with four seeming to be a popular number. Four players from last season's team did not return, four freshman were inked and four junior-college players transferred in.

So with all the changes, does this make the upcoming season, starting with an exhibition against Newman on Sunday, Year One: Part B?

"I think it's the grassroots," Adams said. "I think it's the beginning of the rebuilding stage. Last year was reloading. That's why you see so many new faces. Now, it's truly the beginning of rebuilding. This is a very exciting time."

Yes, the Shockers have been pegged near the cellar of the Missouri Valley Conference again. But the team will certainly be entertaining to watch, as the buzz word surrounding Wichita State this season seems to be focused on one word.

"Athletic?" Adams said, then smirked before continuing. "Way athletic. Very much more than last year's team."

From top to bottom, the roster has been revamped with talent at all positions.

Freshman guard Jessica Diamond (5-foot-7) should provide another, and taller, playmaker to compliment returner Marisah Henderson (5-2) at guard.

The other three freshmen — Chynna Turner, Michelle Price and Jazimen Gordon — are expected to rotate in the post alongside with senior returner Ashley Gladden.

Morgan Boyd should be a scorer off the bench to relieve Haleigh Lankster. Sheena Johnson and Dannah Kemp provide depth at guard.

"We all connected off the court more this summer and I think that has brought us really close together on the court," Lankster said.

Gladden said the leadership role was initially divided between the three returners.

"Everybody has fallen into their roles," Gladden said. "Leadership is coming from a lot of different players."

Scoring will likely be spread out once again, but players and coaches alike have been raving about the development of Lankster as a scorer. As always, Adams and her players point to the team's defense as its strength.

But, really, how athletic is the team going to be this year?

"Well, I know we can get up and down the floor pretty fast," Adams said. "We can go down and back in 10 seconds."

"But it's about what we do with it," Gladden said. "It doesn't matter how athletic we are if we aren't disciplined and we don't do things the right way. Then our athleticism goes to waste."

—Taylor Eldridge

WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING ABOUT BONNIE HENRICKSON'S WINTER COLLECTION

Now that the shock has worn off the Kansas women's basketball team being predicted to finish tied for second in the Big 12 — the Jayhawks haven't finished higher than seventh under Bonnie Henrickson — it's time to take a real look at whether the Jayhawks can follow through and make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000.

The short answer? They better. KU has one more year with Danielle McCray, the Big 12 preseason player of the year. McCray is joined by another talented, experienced player in senior guard Sade Morris. The Jayhawks now know what it's like to play in a tournament atmosphere after making it to the WNIT championship game last season. And, lastly, it's a down year in the Big 12 with no clear favorite.

It seems like everything has lined up for KU this season. But the Jayhawks still have to prove that they can get out of their own way. Turnovers plagued this same group of players last season, and they only realized near the end of the season that playing with intensity on defense every game was important. At least, that's what they said.

The key will be the impact of redshirt freshman point guard Angel Goodrich. Touted as one of the top guards in the nation coming out of high school, Goodrich tore her ACL in October 2008 and was lost for the year. Now she's back, and she needs to be the pace-setter and make things easier for McCray and Morris, who had to do everything in 2008-09.

—J. Brady McCollough

WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING ABOUT DEB PATTERSON'S WINTER COLLECTION

Kansas State's women's team will look so different, Deb Patterson can't compare it to any squad she's coached in her 13 years with the Wildcats.

"The chick breaking out of the egg is how I feel about our basketball team," she said. "It's a new day."

For Patterson, it's also an exciting day. She always goes out of her way to find the positive in any situation, and even though top players Shalee Lehning and Marlies Gipson are gone, she is looking forward to coaching a promising new group.

She's also optimistic that by the end of the season, K-State will be able to surprise a few people. The Wildcats went to the NCAA Tournament a year ago, but were picked to finish eighth in the preseason Big 12 coaches poll.

If K-State is to exceed expectations, seniors Kari Kincaid and Ashley Sweat will need to lead the way.

Sweat, of McPherson, was an All-Big 12 forward a year ago and currently ranks as the 15th-leading scorer in program history. Kincaid, of Andover Central, is one of the Wildcats' most vocal leaders.

They have both been asked to set an example for K-State's younger players.

Of those underclassmen, Patterson is highest on post players Branshea Brown and Jalana Childs. She said they are two of the strongest, most forceful players she has ever coached.

K-State's true question marks are on the perimeter, where freshman guards Brittany Chambers, Mariah White and Taelor Karr are all unproven but will be asked to play big-time minutes and even start.

The loss of junior guard Kelsey Hill, who will miss the season after tearing ligaments in her knee during a preseason practice, will make the development of those newcomers even more important.

Depth could also be an issue. Without Hill, K-State has nine healthy players.

Patterson doesn't try to dance around any of those weaknesses. She understands they are there. But it takes a lot more than that to get her down.

"We'll have a young team and a very new look," she said. "We're just looking forward to the energy and seeing what they can achieve over the course of the season."

—Kellis Robinett

It all started with Cynthia Cooper as the prototype. Then it was Lisa Leslie.

Now, a new dawn is approaching women's basketball. Athleticism, which used to be an advantage, is now a necessity. Players are getting taller. Skills are being sharpened at an earlier age.

Every year a new archetype of the ideal player is molded. Diana Taurasi, a smooth 6-foot point guard was first. Next came Candace Parker, the first women's dunker, to revolutionize the game. Now the new style is being redefined by 6-foot-8 Baylor freshman Brittney Griner, a do-everything big that can dunk with ease.

"I'm just amazed at the level of play now," said Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, the most recognizable ambassador of the women's game. "There's so much parody in our game, which is a good thing. It's been a gradual process, but now I think what we're seeing in the women's game is a different commitment from everyone."

No longer is the talent pool reserved for the elite teams in the game like Summitt's Volunteers.

"There's more athleticism, just not at the Tennessees or the Rutgers or the UConns," said Wichita State coach Jody Adams, a member of the Vols' 1991 national championship team. "Now you have more of it. Team by team, conference to conference."

But how and when did this infusion of talent occur? While Tennessee or UConn seem to trade off the title from year to year, the pool of talent to choose from is growing at an earlier age.

"I think the biggest change is the exposure of the women's game," said Jackie Stiles, the Claflin native who popularized the game in her playing days at Missouri State. "I'm seeing younger kids getting better at a very young age. There's so many opportunities. I didn't play on my first team until I was 12. Now there are teams for 4- and 5-year-olds."

Since retired, Stiles sees the difference as a camp instructor and a broadcaster. She is still amazed at camps when she sees 12-year-olds with the same skills that are comparable to high schoolers 10 years ago.

Summitt credits better coaching in high school. Not only is the talent expanding, but it is being developed better. And with that, the game has changed.

"I think with the athleticism, we have a much faster-paced game," Summitt said. "It's just the size, the strength, the speed and the skill is at a totally different level."

No longer are games drawn-out, halfcourt affairs. More teams are running the floor, pressing. Players are finding new ways to score. The game flows better, becoming more like the men's game. With one obvious exception.

"We don't play above the rim," Adams said. "We still use more screens or more patterns, but you're seeing a lot more athletic plays. You're seeing women, a lot of them being able to unbalance their defender and be able to create their own shot."

Even the exception is diminishing. Stiles credit more work in the weight room for the increase in female dunkers in recent years. And it's not just happening at the power schools. Wichita State's own Jazimen Gordon might join the list this season.

That alone shows the rapid growth of the game to Stiles.

"That was my big goal," she said. "I just wanted to hit the rim, but I think I would have needed a trampoline."

The game, as many know it, is rapidly changing. A renaissance is sweeping through the game, from you basketball to the WNBA.

Women's basketball is marketing Parker to be the face of the game, the equivalent of a LeBron or Kobe.

Eight years ago, Stiles was that face. Now, with the popularity growing and the style changing, she hopes to be just one in a long line of many.

"When we made it to the Final Four, a bunch of guys would come up to me and say, 'You and your team made us women's basketball fans,' " Stiles said. "That was really cool. I just hope the opportunities continue to grow. The sky is the limit. We're just going to see it get better and better."

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