The past isn’t always pretty, but no need being down in the dumps about it forever.

So when KU women’s basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson saw her team all dolled up at Thursday’s awards banquet at the Kansas Union, she had to make a crack.

“If we had played half as good as we look, we’d have won a lot more games,” she said to laughter.

OK, so parts of the season were frustrating learning experiences for the Jayhawks. Kansas started 0-9 in Big 12 Conference play, and chatter of a dreadful winless league season started to sprout.

That is, before the Jayhawks extinguished it by winning five of their last nine games.

Kansas is looking ahead knowing that last season finished with a boost. It was honored Thursday with two highlight videos, seven awards passed out and a tribute put together for Shaquina Mosley and Sharita Smith, the team’s two seniors.

Mosley was the spark plug for the team’s late turnaround, and her second-team All-Big 12 honor was recognized.

But the biggest award Thursday went elsewhere. Taking home the Ms. Jayhawk Award for the player “that embodies the spirit and vision of the Kansas women’s basketball program” was Katie Smith, a former walk-on who played in just three games this year.

“She embodies all that Bonnie is trying to do almost perfectly,” guard Kelly Kohn said. “She is the greatest teammate, both on and off the court. There is nobody more deserving to win that award.”

Kansas University senior guard Shaquina Mosley watches a highlight video. Mosley and fellow senior Sharita Smith were honored at Thursday's women's basketball awards banquet in the Kansas Union.

The vote was done by the players, though Henrickson had no arguments with the results.

“She’s incredibly unselfish,” Henrickson said of Katie Smith. “She’ll be on the scout-team offense, and she’s cheering on the defense. That’s the way she is.”

Katie Smith was given a a plaque with an action shot of her front-and-center. Afterward, the two seniors gave quick speeches and passed out several thank-yous before wrapping up the 2006-07 season with a flurry of picture-taking among teammates up on stage.

No tears were shed Thursday. Sharita Smith made it a point not to, even though the conclusion of her college career made her a little sentimental.

“A little bit,” she said, “but I tried not to get mushy.”