A Kansas thread - and why not?

[JohnHenry]

Well, since we seem to have no Jayhawks around here, let's all pitch in and give them some board time. I was impressed with their athleticism at their game in Austin, but they didn't play well together as a team and couldn't hit shots at all. They did seem to have some very aggressive players with some skills, likeb Ransburg, Roberts, Hallman, and Aquanita Burras - who I think will be a big-time player soon.

They're SO YOUNG, though - they started 3 frosh and 2 sophs in Austin, and have only 2 juniors on their roster. How did Marion get so low on experience up there? I suppose recruiting in this game is like going to the fishing hole; some years you catch alot, some years not many, every now and then you reel in that 5-lb. bass...

I have a boat load of respect for MW - at the game here in Austin I noticed I wasn't the only one who stood to applaud her when she was introduced (without the fanfare she rightly deserves, BTW...). She is another of those great pioneers from Jody's generation that has paved the way for today's young guns. The program has hit a low ebb, but she's been here before and bounced back a few times - she had a pretty good recruiting year all things considered, which is a testament to the weight of respect her name carries among high school coaches and parents around the country. I wonder if KU fans have been calling for her resignation recently the way UT fans were calling for Jody's in the last 4 or 5 years (they have grown noticeably quiet this season, btw...)

Anyway, perhaps someone closer to Lawrence can elabortate more on KU's future. I kind of assumed that Lynette is her heir- apparent, and she has almost 4 full seasons under her belt asa MW's assistant. How much longer do you guys think MW will hang around before she cashes in her well-earned pension? I guess she's not really all that old (53 or 54?), but she's got 30 years of good time served. I'd be a little sad to see her go, but I figure that, like Jody, it won't be too much longer. (Unlike Jody, however, MW has a Big 12 title to show for her efforts.)

http://www.kuathletics.com/womensbasketball/coaches/mugs/Washington_Marian.jpg

[HuskerFan86]

I am impressed with KU's young team. They have superstar post in the making in Tamara Ransburg and the back court of Hallman, Burras, and Blair Waltz is only going to get better. Another player I really like is freshman forward Crystal Kemp. She's in a little bit of a slump right now, but an athletic, 6'2", left-handed post player can always come in handy.

I predict that next year, if Sharita Smith and Lauren Ervin can live up to their hype, that the Jayhawks will climb out of the Enron Division. As with all young teams, they are in for some ups and downs, but things in Lawrence don't look nearly as bleak as they did at this time last year.

[Bball Girl]

I agree that KU's future will be bright. They've got a very athletic group of kids that play hungry...they appear to be eager to learn and improve as they are showing this season. I like Burras a lot. Tech may have beaten them, but they out rebounded us by a couple which shows they are not intimidated at all. It's a shame they are not getting more fan support.

There were some folks on this board who don't like MW but I don't exactly remember why and I'm not trying to raise that issue again. I think there has been some talk about her leaving...but that may have just been talk. She has been one of the pioneers in WBB at a time when it was largely ignored by the country and she's produced some winners in the past..like Tameka Dixon. I know Coach Sharp has a lot of respect for her and I've heard similar comments from other Big12 Coaches.

May we live in interesting times...next season should be something as current top teams continue to mature, they are going to have some other teams breathing down their throat like Kansas.

[JohnHenry]

Agree that KU wiull have to be reckoned with next year. As will OSU - and it's not like any of this years' top 8 teams are going to tank next year, either. Things are gonna get pretty tight in '04...

As far as MW is concerned, i'd have to think that for an African-American woman coaching in the midwest, recruiting must have been touch-and-go at best, especially in her earlier years. Throw in the competition of coaches like Barry & Halterman, etc., back then, and now being surrounded by Fennelly, Patterson, Stein and Coale - well, Jody never had to deal with that much recruiting competition back in the good ol' days. I think MW has done pretty well, all things considered. Her resilliency is what impresses me most. Coming back from some down years and climbing back to conference titles, etc. Her record in the 90's is pretty impressive, actually.

Also garnered enough respect over the years that she represented her country as an assistant coach of Olympic & national teams. She's a tough ol' bird and i'd imagine most coaches in this game have a lot of respect for her.

Forgot about Kemp - she went toe-to-toe with Stacy (and Stacy had a couple of bruises to show for it) and got a block or two as well. Here' Beacham giving Stacy a rough time:

http://www.texassports.com/images/wbbimages/2002_03/010/stephens_stacy_200_20.jpg

[This message has been edited by JohnHenry (edited 02-22-2003).]

[This message has been edited by JohnHenry (edited 02-22-2003).]

[FeFiFoFum]

There is, indeed, a Jayhawk on the board. http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/smile.gif

Freshman Tamara Ransburg had a great game on Sat against Baylor. 23 pts and 9 rebounds (almost made it her fourth consecutive double-double). She's a skinny-minny but that girl can pull down rebounds like no one's business and although at times, she misses a few easy chip shots, she's pretty consistent in the paint. She helped shut down Blackmon (though of course, she'll get her points). Keep an eye out for her. Despite her frame, she plays like a big girl.

Don't overlook Fr Crystal Kemp. Girl can score in many ways (against Nebraska I think) she went the length of the court for a layup, had a 3pt in there, and was solid in the paint. She is a bit inconsisten game to game, but she's getting there and learning the ropes. Pretty solid Free Throw shooter as well.

Soph Aquanita Burras is my girl. She's got legs (though I suspect she's starting to hit the wall..leg cramps on Sat against Baylor) and can take it inside. Again, inconsistent though..some games she gets her shot, other games, she's seems to be out of the play. She's tough, good ball handler and once the team gets more mature and settled, will contribute well.

Soph Blair Waltz...if you want to talk about inconsistency, talk about Blair. She's not impressed me at all this year. She misses easy shots in the paint, makes lots of turnovers, and really hasn't made the kind of impact she should make (as one of the few leftovers from last year). I'm disappointed in her play.

Fr Erica Hallman..youth has made it tough for her to take charge of the PG role. Misses some of the openings given to her with players under the basket, bad passes, inconsistent shooting. However, the upside is that she'll be older next year and more comfortable with running the show. She has a decent 3pt shot and needs to be a scoring threat when the inside is shut down and needs to make better decisions. Maturity will solve this I think. Great potential.

Others: Soph Stacey Becker is our 3pt threat, Jr Keila Beachem has raw talent and hops, most athletic on the team, not an offensive threat though (I bet she could dunk, btw). Jr Leila Menguc..runs the floor by default as only upperclasswoman. Aggressive defensively, but offensively and decision-making/turnover-wise, not so good. So Nichelle Roberts..good rebounder, good in the paint, gives Ransburg and Kemp a rest.

Main problems with KU this year: 1) Youth 2) Inconsistency. Because those two are often related, I see things improving. The ball movement is starting to pick up and while there are lapses in decision making and in critical moments of the game, that will improve with age. One other thing is 3) Mental Toughness. At times, the team seems to be deflated when opponents go on a run or actually, what happens is that their shots stop falling and they get discouraged and their D goes to h*ll and the other team goes on a run and they can't seem to recover their composure. However, against Baylor, they were down a fair amount in the second half (like 14 or something) and managed to get within 4 (until a Baylor reserve, Jordan something, shot the lights out from 3pt land..they just left her alone on the wing and she just kept shooting..again, a lapse on D). They will have to learn to play tough all 40 mins if they're going to compete in the B12. Oh, and one other thing, we need several people to shoot the 3 with some amt of consistency. One 3pt scoring threat is not going to cut it. Overall, though, I think things are looking up. Heck, it's certainly been worse so we're on the upswing.

Re: Marian Washington. There were a few calls for her head last season, mostly from male sportswriters who either didn't follow women's sports, were concerned only with wins or had only a cursory knowledge of what MW has done with the women she has coached. I've said it elsewhere, but MW is a class act and to me, what she has done and continues to do is impressive. Her coaching style emphasizes teaching and nurturing young talent. To be sure, the players are driven hard, but it's less of a win-at-all-cost attitude that MW conveys. Just about every player that comes out of KU is a better person first and hopefully a better player second. There have been few (if any) troublemakers on her teams, none that I can recall. You're not going to read about her players in any other newspaper section than the sportspage. I feel that we're supremely lucky to have someone like her, a pioneer, to guide the program. She's simply a nice person too.

As for the future, I can see one of three things happening. 1) She reamins for one more year after her recruiting coup just to set it up for: 2) She'll retire and leave the reins to Lynette and Tim Eatman. Or 3) The new AD (Al Bohl who has his own problems coming into KU and who I'm not fan of) sweeps ship completely, get a brand new staff and go in a completely different direction. I'm hoping for a combination of 1 and 2. I'd hate to see her pushed out, but I suspect the pressure is there to produce, esp when we see I-70 neighbors K-State rake in the accolades of a winning, highly supported team.

Hmmm..I think that covers it. We've got a tough road ahead of us..K-State, Missouri and Iowa State. If nothing else, playing high caliber teams in the B12 is going to help this young team. You know, it wasn't all that long ago that KU won the inaugural Big 12 championship ("The 1996-97 women's basketball season was one to definitely remember. Sporting a 25-6 overall record and a 14-2 mark in Big 12 play, the Jayhawks claimed its second consecutive conference crown -- the first Big 12 title -- and gained a berth into the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in the program's history"). In the early 90's, KU consistently dominated or was at the top of the Big 8, and until the 2000-2001 season, often had an NCAA bid. KU fans don't forget those years and while we like to share the wealth around with other Big 12 teams these last couple of years, we're not going to forget our winning tradition and give it up that easily. Three sub-par seasons doesn't erase the history.

[JohnHenry]

Right on ! Thanks, FeFi.

[Go Buffs]

I have been impressed with Coach Washington since I started following CU WBB about 10 years ago. Back in the early to mid 1990's CU and KU had a fierce rivalry that reminds me of the Texas/Texas Tech rivalry today.

When my friends and I would go to the Big 8 Tournment in Salina, MW always talked to the CU fans telling us what a great team we had, and what great fans we were. When she coached her 800th career game in Boulder a few years ago, Coach Barry presented her with 8 roses, and she received a standing ovation from the CU crowd.

One thing that I think prevented MW's KU teams of the 90s from going further was not playing as a TEAM. I am seeing signs from her current group that they want to be a TEAM. Hopefully they will all stick together and reap the benefits of their hard work in a couple of years.

[swok34]

Head coach Marian Washington picked up her 550th career win with the victory over Nebraska, becoming only the 17th coach in college women's basketball history to do so. She joins Texas coach Jody Conradt as the two coaches who have accomplished the feat from the Big 12

Wow, I didn't know this...