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Kansas women’s basketball coach Brandon Schneider highlights 7 of Jayhawks’ newcomers

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Kansas women’s basketball coach Brandon Schneider highlights 7 of Jayhawks’ newcomers

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LAWRENCE — As Kansas women’s basketball players arrive on campus ahead of the upcoming season, the Jayhawks will be able to start to develop the chemistry necessary to achieve their goals.

Considering Taiyanna Jackson, Holly Kersgieter and Zakiyah Franklin finished their college careers last season, when KU made the NCAA tournament for a second time in three years, there’s a lot of production to make up for. Jackson, Kersgieter and Franklin were all regular starters for Kansas, in addition to being among the Jayhawks’ top scorers and more. It would be difficult for Wyvette Mayberry and S’Mya Nichols, two key returning talents, to lead the program forward without that chemistry and further development.

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So, here are coach Brandon Schneider’s thoughts on seven of the newcomers — not including recent forward commit Freddie Wallace out of Butler Community College — who will compete for roles during the nearing campaign:

Carla Osma

Carla Osma will join Kansas as a freshman out of Spain, providing the Jayhawks with another international prospect. Listed as a guard when KU announced her signing this past November, Osma is someone Schneider said provides the team with versatility, length, needed size on the perimeter and a talent who can hit 3s. She fits the overarching theme of what Schneider was looking for as his staff recruited to put together his team for the upcoming season.

Zoe Canfield

Zoe Canfield is another prospect who will join Kansas as a freshman, and a guard as well. A Topeka, Kansas, native, she’s one of the local athletes Schneider believes is excited to put Kansas across their chest during their college careers. Schneider said Canfield provides size on the perimeter at 5-foot-11, tremendous 3-point shooting ability and someone who will have the chance to develop.

Regan Williams

Regan Williams is a third prospect who is set to be a freshman for Kansas this upcoming campaign. A forward out of Kansas City, Missouri, she is someone Schneider thinks can be a stretch-five if the team goes with a small lineup and someone who can play the 4-spot if the team goes with a larger lineup. Tough and gritty, Schneider praised Williams’ motor as impressive as any he’s seen during a recruiting process.

Sania Copeland

Sania Copeland, a 5-foot-7 guard from Olathe, Kansas, joins KU as a transfer from Wisconsin. A starter there this past season, who provides multiple years of college experience, she’s someone Schneider said can hit 3s and be active defensively. Last season, from Schneider’s perspective, Copeland received some of the more difficult assignments during Big Ten Conference play and didn’t back down from them.

Brittany Harshaw

Brittany Harshaw will suit up for Kansas as a transfer after spending the past couple seasons at Creighton. The guard, who is from Andover, Kansas, is someone Schneider views as having incredible upside. Creighton listed Harshaw at 6-foot-1, and according to Schneider she’s also athletic and versatile.

Jordan Webster

Jordan Webster, a transfer guard from UC Riverside, gives Kansas someone with four years of experience at the college level. She’s earned multiple All-Big West Conference honors during her career, including first-team recognition this past season as she led the team in scoring. Schneider expects Webster — listed at 5-foot-10 — to provide an immediate impact and he likes her ability to stretch the floor and be versatile.

Elle Evans

Elle Evans spent the past couple of seasons at North Dakota State, and provides Kansas with a 6-foot-3 guard who didn’t take long to become an All-Summit League talent. Evans, a former freshman of the year in her conference who also became a first-team honoree later on, is a versatile player who’s also been on the Summit League’s all-defense team. With her 3-point and free-throw shooting in mind, Schneider described Evans as someone they are counting on to compete for a starting role.

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

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