Jayhawks Shaking Things Up Overseas
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Former Kansas women’s basketball players Angel Goodrich, Aishah Sutherland, Monica Engelman and Asia Boyd are putting up impressive early-season numbers for their respective teams in European leagues.
While the Kansas women’s basketball team is gearing up for the start of its season, professional basketball leagues in Europe are underway and all three former standouts in Kansas’ backcourt are seeing significant playing time.
After playing the 2015 season with the Seattle Storm, where she made five starts and 23 total appearances, Angel Goodrich is now the starting shooting guard for Gorzow, a professional team in Poland. In her first game with the club, the 2013 Kansas graduate posted 18 points and five assists to help the team to victory in its season opener.
Goodrich continues to be a key contributor, averaging a team-high 3.3 assists per game over the first seven contests, paired with 13.3 points per game, the second-best mark on her team. She is also pulling down 3.2 rebounds per game, the fourth-best average on the Polish squad.
Aishah Sutherland, who played for the Jayhawks from 2008-12, is playing in the same league as Goodrich, but for Sosnowiec in Poland. Currently in seventh place, Sosnowiec is 2-5 in league play. As a starter, Sutherland is averaging 15.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. With the Jayhawks, Sutherland was an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection and the 24th KU player to join the 1,000-point club.
Slovak League team Piestanske Cajky is the new home for 2013 graduate Monica Engelman. She arrived in Slovakia after a successful two-year stint with Romanian club ICIM Arad. The team claimed the league championship during the 2013-14 season and reached the semifinal last spring. Engelman averaged 11.5 points and 2.9 assists per game to earn a spot in the Romanian League All-Star Game.
Now the starting point guard for head coach Martin Pospisil, Engelman is averaging 10.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game with her new team. Piestanske Cajky sits at 8-1 and is second in its league, with the only loss coming on the road against league-leaders Good Angels (10-0).
Asia Boyd, fresh off her senior season with the Jayhawks, is now a small forward for Lulea Basket, a Swedish club that competes in the Sweden-Damligan professional league. In league play, Boyd boasts the best field goal percentage on the team at 68.8 percent. Her 14.6 points per game are second-best on the team. She is averaging 3.0 assists and 4.3 rebounds per contest through the first eight games of the season.
Boyd’s club is dominating the competition with an 8-0 record, including two games with a margin of victory over 50 points. Lulea began Eurocup action with an 82-71 victory against Russian side Energia Ivanovo on Oct. 29.
Gorzow, Goodrich’s club, is now 2-5 and will face MKK Siedlce (1-6) at home on Nov. 7. Sutherland and Sosnowiec recently lost a close game to Goodrich and her club and look to bounce back with a contest on Nov. 7 against Polkowice. Engelman’s Slovak side will look to bounce back from its opening loss in Eurocup play when it takes on Turkish club Besiktas (1-0) on Nov. 5. Lulea Basket, with Boyd recently added to the starting lineup, will put its undefeated streak on the line Nov. 3, when it competes against Norrkoping (2-5) on the road.
