Profile: Rachel Weidensaul

Vitals:
Player: Weidensaul, Rachel
Height: 6’0”
Number: 15
Class: Senior
Hometown: Ashland
High School: Cardinal Brennan
Major: Marketing
Position: Guard
Depth Chart: Starter

Stats: She entered her senior season with career numbers equaling 665 points, 267 rebounds, 90 steals, and 157 assists. She is just over 100 points away from 1,000 in her career. In 2007-08, she leads the team in scoring, averaging 11.6 PPG. She is third on the team in rebounding and is shooting 42.6% from the field, including 42.1% from beyond the arc.

Breakdown: Weidensaul has seen significant minutes since her arrival at KU. Following a freshman season in which she started 23 games and averaged just under 29 minutes of work a game, she started just 12 combined games and saw her minutes drop dramatically during her sophomore and junior seasons. However, in her senior season Coach Malouf has handed her the reigns of the team and she has been one of the top players in the PSAC East.

Strengths: Weidensaul is an outstanding shooter and always a threat from beyond the arc. Her trademark shot is the jumper from anywhere along the free throw line, but she is never afraid to take a midrange jumper from anywhere inside the arc. In particular, she often will take aim from the baseline about 15 feet away from the net.

She has decent speed and can always been called upon to bring the ball up the court. On the defensive end, she often can cause problems for the opposing offense, particularly by knocking balls away with her long reach. A two-sport athlete for much of her KU tenure, Weidensaul has shown plenty of endurance and never appears fatigued.

Weaknesses: She had 285 turnovers in her first 3 years on the Golden Bears, mostly due to traveling calls. A tall, skinny guard who loves to work the perimeter, Weidensaul would often get called for a borderline travel when performing a quick crossover move on defenders. She has significantly cut back on the travels her senior season, but still has 61 turnovers to her name. Weidensaul has a tendency to force shots from tough angles and in traffic even when struggling from the field.

Impact: Weidensaul is the best player on the KU roster in her senior season and her production will be tough to replace upon her graduation. In the meantime, she will be counted on to lead the Golden Bears back to the PSAC playoffs. If Weidensaul struggles to perform, KU is going to have a hard time scoring enough points to win games.