There is just something about having four seniors in the lineup that puts Kansas University women’s basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson at ease.

When her team unofficially begins the 2014-15 season with its exhibition opener against Fort Hays State at 2 p.m. today at Allen Fieldhouse, Henrickson can rely on guards Asia Boyd and Natalie Knight and forwards Bunny Williams and Chelsea Gardner, all of whom were around for KU’s back-to-back trips to the Sweet 16 in 2012 and 2013.

“The work in the summer and the work so far this fall,” the KU coach said earlier this preseason, “I’m confident that we handle the ball better, I’m confident that we shoot the ball better, and I’m really impressed with their ability to recognize how to get uncontested threes.”

Gardner (58), Knight (85), Boyd (16) and Williams (14) have 173 career starts between them.

Gardner played her way to an All-Big 12 First Team selection as a junior, averaging 17.1 points and 8.4 rebounds, so all the Jayhawks know the offense should run through the 6-foot-3 forward from DeSoto, Texas.

That should make it possible for KU’s freshman guards — Lauren Aldridge, Chayla Cheadle and Terriell Bradley — to figure out the game plan pretty easily.

Probable starters

Kansas

G — Asia Boyd, 6-1, sr.

G — Natalie Knight, 5-7, sr.

G — Lauren Aldridge, 5-7, fr.

F — Bunny Williams, 6-1, sr.

F — Chelsea Gardner, 6-3, sr.

Fort Hays State

G — Beth Bohuslavsky, 5-6, jr.

G — Jill Faxon, 5-10, so.

G — Paige Lunsford, 5-11, jr.

F — Keriann Shaw, 5-10, sr.

C — Kate Lehman, 6-4, sr.