Coach Bonnie Henrickson and her players haven’t had much to look at while preparing for today’s exhibition opener against Pittsburg State.
The Division II Gorillas have a new coach and no returning starters, so forgive the Jayhawks if their scouting reports are a little thinner than usual heading into this afternoon’s 4 p.m. contest.
“I know we’re not as prepared as we would be in a conference game,” Henrickson said. “Pitt State’s a little bit unique.”
Only three letter-winners return for Pitt State (11-16 last year), but KU does have some knowledge of its foe.
“The only thing that’s familiar is that it’s Taylor McIntosh’s old high school coach,” Henrickson said of the Gorillas’ head man, Lane Lord, who coached McIntosh at Wichita Heights before moving on to Barton Community College, and then PSU.
“She says he’s been calling, but she won’t return his calls. He’s the enemy this week,” Henrickson joked.
So does McIntosh have the inside scoop on how to stop a Lane-coached team?
“She talked about what the press used to look like back in high school – we’ll see,” Henrickson said with a laugh.
“Lane has seen us play a lot. He’s more familiar with us than we are with him. He’ll be prepared, and those kids will play with tremendous pride.”
The Jayhawks also know a little bit about one of the Gorillas – freshman guard Jenna Brantley, who played at Free State High. KU has seen the Lawrence product at a number of camps through the years.
But as the Jayhawks embark on a new season, they are more concerned with themselves.
“Our preparation, focusing on us, that’s been very, very good,” Henrickson said.
In the exhibition, the Jayhawks’ coach said she wants her team to get plenty of quick scoring opportunities and be efficient in doing so.
“But in doing that,” Henrickson added, “take care of the ball, take good shots. That will be important to us. I’m anxious to see what we look like.”
The fourth-year KU coach said she would be happy with her team if everyone played with high energy and made hustle plays: “For everyone to play like Taylor McIntosh plays, quite honestly,” she said.
