"The bar is high," said KU coach Bonnie Henrickson, who enters her sixth year at the program. "It's higher — it should be high. Our players are excited about that challenge.
"Our goal right now is pretty simple: Just try to get better everyday. If we can keep it that simple and grow as a group — we've got a chance — like many teams in this league do, to have a great year."
The Jayhawks return five seniors, including Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year Danielle McCray, who averaged 21.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game last season. Joining McCray is guard Sade Morris, who averaged a career-best 12.7 points per game during her junior season.
In addition, freshman point guard Angel Goodrich, who tore her ACL in last season's second practice, returns, adding another dimension to the Jayhawks' offense. The trio gives KU one of the most formidable backcourts in the conference.
"I think our point guard play will be different," Henrickson said. "I think that will be good for Danielle, as well as everyone else in our group as far as how I really believe they'll be able to play in transition.
"I think we'll be able to get (McCray) more uncontested shots in transition and not run so many sets, which is what we did quite a bit last year. And Sade Morris on the other wing makes Danielle a better player. Those two being able to play off each other and being Batman and Robin, so to speak, are two talented kids on the wing."
The 2009 season marks the first time since 2000, the last time the Jayhawks made the NCAA Tournament, that they have a realistic shot to win the Big 12. The last conference championship they won occurred in 1996-97, the inaugural year of the Big 12.
KU is coming off a season in which it fell in defeat in the WNIT championship game. The game represented a stepping stone for the program under Henrickson and the success of last year's squad has helped Her team develop leadership.
"There's great energy. There's great accountability," Henrickson said. "Really, when you go back to look at last year when we made the run, there was a lot of self-policing. We did that at the end of the year and really believe with a few other things that was part of — created the opportunity for us to be successful. We didn't get to that probably until February.
"And we are at that right now to start."
Freshmen will be key for preseason top pick
Despite Baylor losing four starters, nearly 60 percent of its scoring and more than 50 percent of its rebounding, it was still picked as the preseason favorite to win the Big 12 Conference by the league's coaches.
Quite a compliment to Bears' coach Kim Mulkey, but also a surprise to the long-time Baylor coach.
"There are teams returning in this league that have many starters, if not an entire starting five back. I was very surprised," she said.
The Bears brought in the nation's No. 1-ranked recruiting class, which features 6-foot-8 center Brittney Griner. Griner has a 7-4 wingspan, and averaged 33 points and 15.5 rebounds during her senior season while also dunking the ball 52 times in 32 games.
Griner and the rest of the Bears' freshmen class will be vital towards helping the Bears meet the expectations the league's coaches have bestowed on them.
"I've never seen a girl that can effortlessly dunk it any way she wants, left-handed, right-handed, two-hand jam. I think the only dunk I've not ever seen her do is the windmill," Mulkey said of Griner.
"I think she's really going to be special."
Huskers ready to
make run
Nebraska is considered a "sleeper" team by many to contend for the Big 12 Championship, and for head coach Connie Yori, that's quite fitting.
"We were definitely a sleeper last year, at least we put our fans to sleep with how bad we were on offense," she joked. "So hopefully we'll be able to turn the corner a little bit in that area."
The Cornhuskers were picked to finish sixth in the standings by the league's coaches last week. Helping the cause is the return of two-time All-Big 12 player Kelsey Griffin, who missed last season due to an ankle injury.
"It's great to have her back, obviously," Yori said. "She's playing at a level right now that I haven't seen, and yet she was one of the best players in our league two years ago."
Oklahoma looks to move on without Paris twins
Sherri Coale just can't seem to move past it, then again, no one will let her.
"If I had a dollar for every time I've been asked that today…" the Oklahoma coach joked following a question about replacing Ashley and Courtney Paris.
However, not all is lost. The Sooners return All-Big 12 preseason selection Danielle Robinson. The junior guard averaged nearly 13 points per game last season. Also returning is guard Whitney Hand, an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention preseason selection.
Because of that, Coale, who guided the Sooners to a Final Four appearance last season, is optimistic.
"The most important thing that we have returning this year are guys in the backcourt who have the experience of going to the Final Four," she said. "So those guys translating the confidence that comes from that experience — confidence that can't come in any other way, shape, or form the way it can from playing on the brightest stage in women's college basketball.
"Those guys set the tone early. And I don't think it's about post players producing 40 points a game. I don't think that's the answer. I think the answer is Oklahoma playing a solid, beautiful version of basketball."
POINTS FROM
BEYOND THE ARC
-Texas A&M will look to replace the loss of three senior starters off last season's squad. But Aggie coach Gary Blair likes the look of his team.
"I like the makeup of our team because we're reloading," he said. "I don't think we're rebuilding."
-Oklahoma State senior guard Andrea Riley will look to lead the conference in scoring for the third consecutive season. If she can accomplish the feat, she will be the first to do so in the history of the Big 12. Riley, who has played primarily point guard in her first two seasons in Stillwater, will look to play more of the two-guard position this season.
-Oklahoma sophomore guard Whitney hand is dating Landry Jones, the starting quarterback on the Sooner football team. And just in case anyone was wondering, Hand is not a fan of Jones' mustache.
