KU’s women’s basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson finds reinforcements in the Show-Me State

After finishing 13-19 last season and experiencing a mini-exodus of transfers, the Kansas women’s basketball program needed an infusion of talent. KU coach Bonnie Henrickson found it in rival territory.

The new-look Jayhawks will feature three newcomers from the state of Missouri, bolstering a roster that also returns leading scorer Chelsea Gardner (17.1 points per game) and lead guard Natalie Knight, a graduate of Olathe South.

The Missouri crew includes former Raytown point guard Timeka O’Neal, who spent the past two seasons at Johnson County Community College, and Chayla Cheadle, a shooting guard from Columbia. Henrickson, though, didn’t have to work too hard to persuade them to cross the state line.

“I really wasn’t on either side,” O’Neal said. “KU was always one of my favorites.”

Good thing, too. O’Neal, who led Johnson County to a 60-4 record in two seasons, will battle for minutes at point guard with freshmen Lauren Aldridge — another Missouri import from Marshfield — and Terriell Bradley of Arlington, Texas.

Yes even a year later, the Jayhawks are still looking for a solid successor to point guard Angel Goodrich, who led Kansas to two straight Sweet 16s before graduating in 2013. So when O’Neal, who stands 5 feet 4, arrived on campus this fall, the KU coaches had her watch video of the diminutive Goodrich running the Jayhawks’ offense. Henrickson says both Aldridge and Bradley could be in position to play major minutes as well, but O’Neal certainly looks the part of Goodrich.

“A tiny point guard doesn't scare me,” Henrickson said. “She has the ability to escape and playmaking ability. She has a high basketball IQ.”

Cheadle, meanwhile, will try to join a backcourt rotation that is fronted by Knight, who averaged 10.6 points per game as a junior. Born in Kansas City, Cheadle is a distant cousin of Kansas City-born actor Don Cheadle, while her twin sister, Kayla, is a freshman on the KU volleyball team.

“Originally we had planned to go separate ways,” Cheadle said, “but then I decided to come here and she just happened to come here, too.”

All three players — O’Neal, Aldridge and Cheadle — could have an opportunity to play right away. For now, though, the goal is blending in alongside Gardner and Knight.

“We had a disappointing year last year,” Henrickson said, “but prior to that (it was) two Sweet 16 appearances. This is certainly a group that wants to do everything they can on and off the court to get back to the NCAA Tournament.”

This story was originally published October 7, 2014 at 7:40 PM with the headline "KU’s women’s basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson finds reinforcements in the Show-Me State."