Norman, Okla. ? Sade Morris vows she’ll try to maintain a normal heartbeat.
For the first time as a collegian, Morris, the second-leading scorer on Kansas University’s women’s basketball team, will be playing tonight in her hometown.
“I’m trying not to make it any different than any other game,” Morris said, “because I don’t want to psych myself out.”
Tipoff for the Kansas-Oklahoma game will be at 7 p.m. in the Noble Center on the OU campus.
With as many as 25 or 30 family and friends in attendance, Morris figures to have a tough time keeping her adrenaline on an even keel.
“I’m trying not to think about it,” Morris said with a smile.
A 5-foot-11 sophomore, Morris was the Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year in 2006. As a senior, she averaged 15.3 points and 7.7 rebounds a game for Norman High.
Naturally, Morris was targeted as a potential prospect by the hometown Sooners.
“They recruited me hard,” Morris said, “but I felt I needed to get away. I’d lived in Norman all my life, so I decided to try to help turn this program around.”
Turning Kansas around remains a work in progress. Morris is averaging 11.5 points a game – almost double her 6.4 average as a part-time starter last year – but the Jayhawks continue to struggle against Big 12 Conference competition.
Last year, the freshman-laden Jayhawks dropped their first nine league games before rallying to finish with a 4-12 conference mark. This year, they’ve dropped five of their first six. And now the Jayhawks have to face the nation’s No. 11-ranked team on its home floor.
Like everyone else, Kansas doesn’t have anyone who can match up with Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris, a 6-4 junior who has recorded an amazing 78 straight scoring and rebounding double-doubles.
Paris posted 32 points and grabbed 13 boards in Lawrence last season. Meanwhile, her twin sister Ashley had 16 points and 9 boards, yet the Jayhawks hung tough before bowing, 76-70.
Kansas is coming off Saturday’s disappointing 58-51 home loss to Texas A&M, a defeat that prompted coach Bonnie Henrickson to question her players’ will to win.
“We never matched (A&M’s) intensity,” Henrickson said. “We’ve got to be more tough-minded.”
Kansas will return home Saturday for a 7 p.m. clash with Iowa State.
