The Future Waiting In The Wings

MANHATTAN, Kan. Over the last decade, the Kansas State women's basketball program has prospered in the national spotlight under head coach Deb Patterson and has held a strong presence in one of the nation's premier women’s basketball conferences.

In fact, the Wildcats have achieved measures over the last four seasons with a school-record four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, two Kodak/WBCA All-Americans, three consecutive Big 12 Conference Player of the Year honorees and one Big 12 Championship title.

With the loss of three key starters who were an integral part of K-State’s success over the last four years, seven returners and four incoming freshmen make up this year’s roster. Just like the 2001-02 season, Patterson will lead yet another one of the nation's and conference's youngest teams. Four years ago, that particular Patterson-led team, which included former K-State greats Nicole Ohlde, then a sophomore, and Kendra Wecker and Laurie Koehn, who were both freshmen, earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, a third-place finish in the Big 12 and reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in 19 years.

"There is a tremendous opportunity for everyone on our roster, including our freshmen, to make an immediate impact in 2005-06," Patterson said. "I believe we will play much deeper into our roster this season. The large window of opportunity should make for a very exciting and competitive environment in our gym."

As another banner year and one of the best four-year stretches in school history unfolded a year ago, the future of the program will depend solely on a roster filled with youth, but a team ready, like their predecessors, to make their own mark in K-State history.

"The 2005-06 season will present a variety of exciting transitions for our program," said Patterson, who is in her 10th season at K-State and is the program's second winningest coach of all-time with 175 career victories. "We will transition from a team dominated by four-year starters, to one of the youngest teams in the Big 12 Conference. I am excited about the opportunities that exist for players to assume new and major roles in impacting the success of our program in the Big 12 and nationally. I expect that this team will be extremely competitive and one that our fans will be thrilled to watch evolve."

But the big question remains, how do you replace the likes of All-American Wecker, NCAA career three-point leader Koehn, K-State career assist leader Megan Mahoney, Brie Madden and Chelsea Domenico? K-State's rendition of the "Fab Five" led the Wildcats to an impressive 103-26 record (.798) during their four-year careers, marking the best four-year stretch in the program's history since going 100-33 from 1979-82. For Patterson, you can never replace them, but you can use all of their successes to motivate the team.

"You rely on the players you have in your program to embrace their opportunity to assume the elite level commitment to excellence that is standard in this program," Patterson said. "I don't believe you replace great classes or All-Americans. We will honor and use the achievements of past teams and players to set aspirations for future achievements. Committed and competitive players and teams are driven by such challenges. I believe we have a group that is passionately committed to working to become the very best they can be."

The Wildcats return two of last year's starting five in Claire Coggins and Shana Wheeler. Both played significant minutes on the court and gained valuable experience playing alongside veterans Wecker, Koehn and Mahoney, as underclassmen.

Coggins, a 5-foot-11 junior combination guard/forward, played in all 32 games of the season with 24 starts averaging 9.5 points per game. A preseason all-conference candidate, she finished fourth on the team in scoring and second on the team in steals (40) last season. She is by far the Wildcats' most experienced player on this year's roster with 31 career starts under her belt.

"Claire's physical strength and athleticism combined with her extraordinary ability to penetrate, and to stretch the defense with the three-ball, make her one of the league's most versatile guards," Patterson said.

Wheeler, a 6-foot-2 sophomore forward, rewrote the freshman single season record for blocks (37) last year, which was previously held by former Wildcat Tina Dixon since 1983. She played in 31 games of the season with 22 starts and became the first K-State freshman to start in a league game since the freshmen duo of Wecker and Mahoney did so in 2001-02. Not only did Wheeler lead the team in blocked shots, she ranked second best among Big 12 freshmen and seventh-best in the league in just her rookie campaign.

"Shana is our most experienced returner in minutes played," Patterson said. "She brings tremendous quickness and agility as a defender and is an intimidating presence as a shot blocker. This season, I expect her offensive skills will match the tremendous defensive game she brought to the floor as a freshman starter."

Jessica McFarland, the lone senior on this year's squad, will have an opportunity to see more minutes in the paint with the loss of Madden in the post game. The 6-foot-2 center played in 28 games last season with two starts and averaged 2.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.

"One of Jessica's greatest attributes is the physical strength that she brings to the paint," Patterson said. "She has a tremendous work ethic day-in and day-out at practice. We will look for her to be a tough physical defender and a consistent, hard-nosed and productive rebounder this season."

Twiggy McIntyre and Kimberly Dietz are two returning letterwinners with ample experience in the backcourt. McIntyre, a 5-foot-5 junior guard, will have an opportunity to lead the Wildcats on the floor with the loss of graduating guards Domenico and Mahoney. Last year, McIntyre played in 30 contests averaging 1.3 assists off the bench. Her career-high 19 points against Texas in the Big 12 Tournament Semifinals helped boost K-State into its first appearance in the conference championship game since 1997.

"Twiggy can blow by defenders in transition, sees the court exceptionally well and is a tremendous finisher when she gets to the rim," Patterson said. "In addition to her offensive contributions, Twiggy's on-ball defensive intensity is excellent. I expect her intelligence and aggressiveness as a defender to provide important extra offensive opportunities for our squad."

Dietz, a 5-foot-9 sophomore guard, averaged 10.0 minutes off the bench in 28 games during her rookie season. Like McIntyre, Dietz could see additional minutes on the floor and add to the Wildcats' perimeter game with her three-point shot.

"Kimberly brings a smooth, intelligent and versatile game to the floor," Patterson said. "Her handle skills, excellent three-point range and ability to score in a variety of ways, will put a great deal of pressure on defenses."

Rounding out the Wildcats' returners is junior reserve Naytanda Smith and sophomore reserve Carolyn McCullough. A 5-foot-11 forward, Smith saw limited minutes in 14 games last season. She recorded a career-high six points at Nebraska and a career-high four rebounds against Kansas a year ago.

"Naytanda is an extremely quick and dynamic player," Patterson said. "We will look to her to impact the team as a very explosive rebounder and defender. She has worked hard to develop a consistent jump shot to compliment her penetration abilities."

McCullough, a 6-foot-1 guard/forward, played in 17 games last season and averaged 2.2 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. She scored a career-high seven points twice against Saint Joseph’s and Central Connecticut State.

"Carolyn has worked as hard as any young player we've ever had in our program,” Patterson said. "She can stretch the defense with her three-point shot and I expect her to emerge as a consistent passer and jump shooter in her sophomore season."

Four incoming freshmen, Marlies Gipson, JoAnn Hamlin, Shalee Lehning and Danielle Zanotti, will have the opportunity to challenge the veterans on the squad for coveted starting spots. This past summer, the foursome won the AAU Under-19 National Championship with the Kansas Belles AAU squad in Orlando, Fla.

Gipson, a 6-foot forward from McPherson, Kan., is one-of-three talented freshmen hailing from the Sunflower State. A two-time Street & Smith's High School All-American honorable mention, Gipson was rated No. 31 in the Blue Star Top 100 Seniors Index. A four-year standout at McPherson High School, she holds the school record for most rebounds in a game (19) and most blocks in a game (17). During her senior campaign, she led her team to an undefeated 25-0 season and a state 5A championship title.

"Marlies is a fierce competitor who impacts the game in a variety of ways on both ends of the floor," Patterson said. "She is a quick and aggressive rebounder, a shot blocker and a versatile finisher on the offensive end of the floor. She brings a highly intelligent and productive game to both ends of the floor."

Hamlin, a 6-foot-3 center from Douglass, Kan., is a two-time first team all-conference and all-state selection out of Winfield High School, where she led the Vikings to their first 5A sub-state basketball championship in 13 years in 2003. She holds 10 of the school's single game records and 11 of the school's career records, including career points (1,609), career rebounds (785) and career blocks (210). Hamlin was named the MVP of the AAU Under-19 National Championship this summer.

"JoAnn is an extremely talented offensive player with a tremendous work ethic and a solid foundation of fundamental skills," Patterson said. "She has terrific passing instincts and is an excellent rebounder. I expect her to make a major impact in the league."

Lehning, a 5-foot-9 guard from Sublette, Kan., led Sublette High School to back-to-back undefeated seasons with a 52-0 record and two state 2A championship titles in 2004 and 2005. Named the state Gatorade Player of the Year and Miss Kansas Basketball as a senior, Lehning left her mark as the fourth all-time leading scorer in Kansas Girls Basketball history with 2,510 career points. A four-time all-state first team selection, she also holds the state all-time career records for rebounds (1,336), assists (804) and steals (543).

"Shalee is a tremendous floor leader, transition passer and finisher with the ability to make everyone else on the floor better," Patterson said. "She elevates the speed and the level of play on the floor with her intensity, speed, court vision and passing abilities."

Zanotti, a 6-foot-2 forward from Yukon, Okla., rounds out this year's freshmen class for the Wildcats. The Mustang High School standout is a first team all-state, two-time all-big city first team and three-time all-conference first team selection. She was named a national finalist for the prestigious Wendy's High School Heisman Award in 2005.

"Danielle is a highly intelligent and versatile player who will bring much-needed size to our perimeter game," Patterson said. "She can post players up, hit jump shots, rebound, and defend both the perimeter and the post. She is a tremendous competitor."

The 2005-06 schedule will present 11 key matchups against opponents that advanced to postseason play a year ago, which will prepare the Wildcats for its 16-game Big 12 slate. Last year in non-conference play, K-State went 9-2 with victories over Alabama, Villanova, Wyoming and Pepperdine. They will open the season against Detroit on Nov. 20 and will face perennial NCAA teams in Santa Clara on Nov. 26 and Louisiana Tech on Dec. 6.

"Our home games against La. Tech and Saint Joseph's and our road game at Wyoming will be particularly challenging preseason matchups for our young team," Patterson said. "We have constructed a schedule which will provide our team with the challenge of facing distinct and diverse styles of play, one which will teach them the rigors of competing on the road, and which will ultimately prepare us well for Big 12 competition."

Once again, the conference portion of the schedule will pit the Wildcats against some of the nation's top preseason squads including defending national champion Baylor which K-State will meet in the second to last game of the regular season on Feb. 25, prior to the league championship on March 7-11 in Dallas. The Wildcats will open the conference season at home versus Texas Tech on Jan. 4. In the last three seasons, K-State has been successful against Big 12 foes compiling a 40-8 record.

"The Big 12 will be as strong as it has ever been in the top five spots," Patterson said. "Baylor, defending national champions, Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma are likely to be in everyone's preseason top 25. Depth like that at the top of the league provides a great opportunity for our program to assert itself as nationally competitive and successful. I expect this to be a team which evolves a great deal, particularly, as it competes through league play."

With a new chapter ready to unfold, Wildcat fans will see a different look on the court with fresh new faces and up-and-coming talent, but still the same trademark of play that is Kansas State women's basketball.

KEY DATES

October 21 JAM THE VILLE (Aggieville) 9:30 p.m.

October 29 OPEN PRACTICE TBA

November 8 EMPORIA STATE (exh.) 7 p.m.

November 20 DETROIT 2 p.m.

Kansas State University Athletics

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