“That happens more times than I can count,” said Taylor, the younger of the two. “It happens all the time.”

Danielle and Taylor Bird’s similarities don’t stop with a facial resemblance. Both are also talented high school basketball players who helped Lawrence High post a 14-8 record last winter. The Lions came within one game of advancing to the Class 6A state tournament.

Taylor earned first-team All-Sunflower League honors as a sophomore while Danielle, who’ll be a senior, has been a second-team all-league choice two years running.

“At home, she’s my little sister,” big sis Danielle said. “But outside we’re more like friends : and teammates.”

Nick Krug

The Bird sisters are among seven Lawrence High players enrolled in Kansas University coach Bonnie Henrickson’s elite camp that started Thursday afternoon and will run through Saturday.

“We want to win state next year,” Danielle said. “That’s our goal. We have a really good group of freshmen coming in.”

Lions’ coach Kristin Mallory, who is working as a camp counselor, is also optimistic about her next team. Mallory is so high, in fact, on a couple of incoming sophomores that she foresees a new role for Taylor Bird, her leading returning scorer.

“Taylor won’t be playing point,” Mallory said. “We’ll be moving her to a different spot. We’ll try to get her inside more, post her up a little bit. We’ll have a lot of scorers on the floor.”

The other Lions in the KU camp are Tania Jackson, a returning starter who’ll be a junior, and incoming sophs Cassie Potter, Shelby Miller, Jasmine Turner and Haley Parker.

Meanwhile, Free State High coach Bryan Duncan is also working as a camp counselor, although none of his Firebirds are enrolled.

“Most of them are on traveling teams this summer,” Duncan said. “The most important thing is that there were 100 percent of them at my camp last week.”

¢ Twice as many: With more than 100 enrollees, Henrickson said her Elite Camp has doubled in size from last year.

“I like to think the reason is because of word of mouth,” Henrickson said.

Elite Camp is for girls entering grades 10-12 and includes, it goes without saying, potential KU recruits. Most of the Jayhawks’ current players attended this camp, including sophs Sade Morris and Danielle McCray.

“That’s how Sade and Danielle got to meet each other,” Henrickson noted.

Campers will be introduced to Henrickson’s coaching philosophies as well as intense five-on-five drills, simulated games and position-by-position instruction.

“They’ll be gassed when they get out of here Saturday,” Henrickson said.

¢ Kemp Back from Europe: Among the camp counselors is former KU standout Crystal Kemp, who earned a degree last December, then spent five months playing professionally in Romania.

“It was very different,” Kemp said of her first pro experience. “I can’t say I had the time of my life. There were a lot of adjustments, like getting used to the ball and the officiating, of course.”

Kemp is mulling whether to return to Europe or to explore a teaching-coaching job in the Dallas area.

“After camp, I’ll call my agent and discuss my options,” Kemp said. “If I do go back to Europe, it won’t be to Romania.”

¢ McFarland iII: Among the noteworthy campers expected was Joanna McFarland, a 6-foot-2 first-team all-stater from Derby whose older sisters Jessica and Jackie became Big 12 Conference standouts at Kansas State and Colorado, respectively. Joanna will be a junior next year.

Another tall junior-to-be in camp is 6-3 Ashley Ellis of Deer Valley High in Antioch, Calif. Ellis’ prep coach, Lindsay Wisely, is one of the camp instructors. Angel Goodrich, who has led Sequoyah-Tahlequah High to three straight Oklahoma Class 3A championships, was also expected in camp.