Her full name is Kelly Christine Hilgenkamp, but call her KC.
Yes KC, not K.C.
“I just don’t use the dots anymore,” said Hilgenkamp, a 5-foot-10 junior college transfer who will be the lone newcomer in the starting lineup for the Kansas University women’s basketball team today.
Kansas will open its season coach Marian Washington’s 28th on Mount Oread against Grambling State.
Tipoff will be 2:05 p.m. in Allen Fieldhouse.
Hilgenkamp, a native of Arlington, Neb., who spent the last two seasons at Hutchinson Community College, is one of six new faces on the KU roster, and the only one who will start.
“Right now she has the most poise,” Washington said.
“She’s comfortable with the offense. She can play the two guard and she can also bring the ball up the floor.”
Hilgenkamp wasn’t interested in returning to the Cornhusker State after playing two years of juco ball in the Salt City.
“I don’t really know why,” Hilgenkamp said. “I always liked Kansas as I was growing up. I came to some camps here and liked coach Washington.”
Hilgenkamp will open in the backcourt with incumbent point guard Jennifer Jackson. Returning starters Brooke Reves and Jaclyn Johnson will open at the forwards with Nikki White at center.
White, a 6-foot-3 junior, has been plagued by bad knees throughout her career, but Washington has seen a different player in the preseason.
“In the past we were looking for a few quality minutes from Nikki,” Washington said. “Now I don’t see her as off-balance and limping like she was last year. My hope is she can give us at least 15 minutes (a game).”
Another returnee who has impressed Washington is Selena Scott, a 5-foot-5 junior guard.
“She’s really come back looking great,” Washington said. “Selena had a stress fracture in a foot, but it’s getting better. I’m assured it’s healing.”
Scott is Washington’s quickest backcourt performer and she could see considerable court time today based on the Grambling State scouting report.
“They’re small overall, but they have lots of quickness,” Washington said of the Tigers. “They could go with four perimeter players. They have three-point shooters who’ll shoot it from 25 feet out. We can’t get into their tempo.”
Grambling State is coming off a 92-64 loss to Tulane in a first-round Preseason WNIT contest. The Tigers took 37 three-point shots in that game and made 11.
Quite likely, the Jayhawks will try to pound the ball inside to Johnson, a 6-1 senior who scored 21 points and had 10 boards both team highs in the Jayhawks’ 69-50 exhibition win over the Basketball Travelers last week.
“Jaclyn has really worked hard in the offseason,” Washington said. “She really focused last summer.”
Washington is faced with the task of replacing her top two scorers from last year All-American Lynn Pride and sweet-shooting Suzi Raymant.
Right now the replacements are Hilgenkamp and White but, Washington said, “That’s not necessarily the way it’ll be the next game.”
Kansas’ next game will be Tuesday at Arkansas State. The Jayhawks will play in the Alabama-Birmingham Classic next weekend before returning home to meet Illinois on Nov. 28.
