It is really hard to put this season into perspective with it being cut short so suddenly. Yes, I truly enjoy that our last game was a victory over Baylor. Of course I was thoroughly depressed about not getting to go to KC and watch the ladies perform again. They had improved their stock value and were sure to get a decent seed in the big dance. That would have been exciting. But no...it all came to a crashing halt. The careers of some amazing women came to an end no one expected.
Looking back I think of the growth each of the seniors illustrated. AC kept showing glimpses of talent in her first three seasons, but the consistency just wasn't there. One thing that was there was that she hustled all the time. In that sense she reminded me of Tracy Gahan and Jess Schroll. But this year. She wasn't the star on the team, but she could be counted on game in and game out to make critical plays on both ends of the court. She was a leader for a team sorely in need of one. Jade Thurmon came in with a solid pedigree, but really reminded me of an unbroken horse. You could see the skills and the speed was undeniable. But, she was erratic and out of control. The adjustment to a power 5 program and competition was tough on her. On the plus side she learned and she put the effort in prior to her last year to get better. While she still had ups and downs, as the season went along she got more minutes and became a go to player. She was pesky on defense, could break a defender down with her drives, and she made those around her play the game a little quicker. My favorite transfer was Inez Nezerwa. The "what if's" of having her for four years always entered my mind. She gave 100% all of the time. She was still learning the game and you could see the joy in her eyes when she was on the court. She had the greatest desire to improve of anyone I've seen in some time. Nia Washington ended up doing more than I expected. I always felt she was too small for the Big 12 and in many ways I think that limited her. She never gave up. While others in her recruiting class left, she stuck it out. Never got a lot of playing time, but she was every bit a member of this team. I give her credit for that.
As for the season...this was supposed to be a rebuilding year. Did anyone expect Ashley Joens to emerge the way she did? If you say yes, you're lying. The team was beaten down with injuries from day 1. Rae and Kristen battled injuries all season. Kristen seemed to have regained her form and was playing at all-conference level when she went down again. Rae was always suffering. Then having Madison have problems with migraines. How did this team ever get the wins it did this year with so many key parts missing? That says something about the entire team. We saw Fennelly play a deeper lineup and those that came in didn't let anyone down. That excites me for the future. This team worked hard. Yes, they lost games they shouldn't have and they won a few we didn't expect. But they showed...even short key players...they could play with anyone. For the first time ever they lost to all three in-state teams. Were they that bad? No. Think about it. The team was trying to figure things out with players injured and those early losses were just part of the growth. Those same three teams had best hang on the next few years. Long story short...I kind of like that if the season had to end the way it did it was against Baylor and we won. I can live with that. Last game playing at the highest level against the best competition out there.
So, what about the future. We've all been following the performances of the incoming class of guards. They excite the crap out of me. We have some serious scoring coming into the house next year. No more worries about who plays point. Let's get Scott, Johnson and Wise healthy. This team will be deep (albeit the guards will be freshmen...we can't forget that) and expectations sky high. With the experience gained this year by the youngsters, we could be a ten deep team IF everyone pans out like expected. I felt bad that the Kansas state tourney was halted after round one. I wanted to see Emily Ryan break all the records and have four state titles to her name. The younger Joens suffered like her sister did coming away empty at state. It was no fault of hers though as she performed admirably. Donarski shows all the signs of being a great point as she distributes quite well and can score as needed. I love her stretch on defense. She's a five star for a reason. Feuerbach is that complete player who can do a bit of everything. You look at these four and it makes you drool with anticipation.
Well, that's a wrap. Another season in the books with perhaps the strangest of strange endings. Kind of like remembering when the NFL went on strike back in the day. One that that won't happen is we won't forget another great senior class that probably showed more growth in a short period of time than most. Seems strange it's all over, but we'll see you all next fall. I'm excited. I'm retiring this spring and I'll be able to make every single game at home next year and probably some roadies as well. Life is good.
