K-State Women’s Basketball Hosts Annual Media Day
Oct 01, 2018 | Women's Basketball
MANHATTAN, Kansas – Kansas State women's basketball hosted its annual media day on Monday at the Ice Family Basketball Center. Head coach Jeff Mittie and all members of the 2018-19 K-State women's basketball roster spoke with the media.
The following quotes are from Mittie's press conference, as well as selected quotes from K-State student-athletes.
K-State head coach Jeff Mittie
Opening statement...
"We just finished up four days of what we kind of looked at as a mini-camp. Pretty positive with that group - it was a grind, it was unique, we hadn't done that before. The way the NCAA has moved things back, everyone is trying to figure out how to do certain things. When I looked at it awhile back I wanted to do a weekend where we almost sequestered them in. We were four hours on Friday, four hours on Saturday, pretty much four hours yesterday and then a little bit shorter today, but they handled the grind pretty well. They handled the intensive information that they were getting, especially for a young group, they had their ups and downs, but all in all a pretty successful weekend. We'll get in to a little more normal practice schedule as we go forward, however, one of the reasons I also wanted to do this was to give them an opportunity on the weekend to go back home right before the season. October 8 for us is actually the day we're targeting as our first practice, although we will have five of these in by then and by NCAA rule we'll have five practices in at that point."
On returning production making the job any easier...
"We return our top three scorers, that was a group that had a very good year last year. Peyton (Williams) is with volleyball, so that makes it a little more challenging, but we dealt with that last year some. Albeit, this year is easier because last year we really didn't know where Peyton could get to production-wise - she was coming off a year where she averaged four or five points a game and last year she had such a tremendous year. Anytime you have a number of points coming back it's really good where you know where some offense can come from. Last year at this time, we had no idea where the offense was coming from. We had some injuries - you know (Karyla) Middlebrook at this time, we were still hopeful she would've been our leading returning scorer. From an offensive standpoint, from my standpoint of a vision for this group, that does make things better at this point."
On a talented freshman class adjusting to this level so far…
"Never where you'd like them to be, no, but probably where they should be. They've all competed very well. Laura Macke came in and really from the get-go, really competed hard. She's getting lots of reps at the four-spot with Peyton over at volleyball - that's the advantage for Laura, she's getting a ton of reps that way. She's had highs and lows but she's pretty steady. Chrissy (Carr) has come in and worked extremely hard, she has an opportunity to really stretch the defense, really shoot the ball well, particularly in transition, but she's also got the ability to clear a shot for herself. This group may have the most ability to clear themselves for shots, get their own shots, than we've had here. (Savannah) Simmons has been a little bit banged up, so she hasn't quite had the reps, and Yokie (Ayoka Lee) has not able to practice since she's been here, she had an injury in high school. She may be, if you're an optimist today, four weeks from going full, if you're a pessimist it might be as much as eight."
On managing Peyton Williams' volleyball duties a second time around…
"The one advantage to last year was we had Europe (trip). We were able to get some things done in Europe that we didn't have that same advantage this year. Peyton picks up things very quickly, so that won't be the issue for her. The issue will be getting up enough shots, expanding her game as we wanted to be able to shoot the three, to be able to play better in transition, to be able to be out on the floor. Those are things that take time and when you're splitting time those are challenging. We've got a good vision of where we'd utilize her. Peyton certainly has a good vision, we've talked about that. We'll get her in practice some next week, we have not had her in September, she's been solely with volleyball. We'll get her at practice a little bit next week."
On what he's seen from Chrissy Carr at this point…
"I like her competitiveness, I like her ability to get shots early. For a young player, she has the confidence to launch shots but also to attack the basket. Like I mentioned, clearing herself for shots, she has the ability to have a mid-range game that can get up above people and score. All those things are areas that we've needed to improve. She's certainly done things fairly solid for a freshman."
On how important improving rebounding will be…
"Every practice has started with a huge number of rebounding drills. One of the things that I would say that I have committed myself to doing, and I've told them this numerous times, I'm going to be insane about rebounding. Being insane about rebounding means that there are going to be a lot of days where you're not going to understand how passionate I'm going to be and I have been. The first four days, I put in a skill correction segment at the end of practice, which is basically a manager stands next to me and I just tell them, this person, this person, this person didn't box out, this person didn't box out, this person didn't box out. If you didn't box out 23 times during practice, you're going to not only box out 23 times, but you're going to run before you box out 23 times. I still am not quite convinced they understand that everybody is going to have to rebound better, but hopefully they're getting that message day by day."
On Kayla Goth's professional playing prospects…
"I think she's talented enough. I think she's got some upside enough to do that. I think she'd have to continue on the same path that she was on. One of the things KG did such a good job of last year, if you go back to this time, she was learning to score from the point guard spot. She was learning to get her own shot while also getting everybody else involved. If you go back to the first scrimmage last year against our guys team, I think she had 10 or 12 turnovers. Now, look at the progress she made - I think she ended up with 226 assists - she made progress in that area, but she's still got to make a lot of progress in that area."
On next steps for Kayla Goth this season…
"You mentioned rebounding, this is a player that could get - when you look at past K-State players, a player like Shalee Lehning who averaged seven rebounds per game, Goth has the potential to do that. She's got the jumping ability to do that, she's got the wingspan to do it. She has not been committed enough to do it. I pulled her aside and said if you're not a better rebounder, then this will be a really disappointing year for you. When you talk about next steps, she's done the points, she's done the assists, what she hasn't done is consistent rebounding. If she can up her production on the glass to six or seven and three of those are defensive rebounds, our fastbreak will be much better. She can just take it off the glass and go, so that'll be a big emphasis for her to improve for this year."
On last year's team collecting high numbers of points off turnovers…
"We were decent at that, I don't think we were great. We got better as the year went on. That has been a little bit of a problem for us in we were getting turnovers but our production at the end of that wasn't positive. We've got more team speed this year. Last year we really emphasized that even though maybe we didn't have the team speed, we really emphasized trying to get out, get wide, go score. I think this year's team has more capabilities than that. One of the players we picked up late, has really picked things up quickly is Jasauen Beard. Beard's going to give us an athletic perimeter defender and she's going to give us a player that's active to the glass. When you're talking about a scoop in score, not in football, we're talking about a scoop and score in basketball, we have more ability this year than we had a year ago and we're emphasizing it more. We're emphasizing how quickly can we score out of a turnover, how can we take it off the glass quicker. We definitely have more team speed than we had a year ago. The areas where we're not very good, in our youth and inexperience, our spacing up the floor is really crowded right now, so we're not playing great in those spaces."
On the differences coaching a local star vs. others…
"Previous places that I've coached, because of the talent pool, I had a lot of local players. Generally the players are fine, it's the parents that are a pain in the rear. Fortunately one of them is up in my office so I can pull him aside anytime I want to and talk to him. I think it's great, I wish we had a ton of local players. It doesn't always work out that way talent-wise and it doesn't always work out that way interest-wise. She's an exciting player, she's a hard worker. Those weren't things I ever questioned. She's been in the gym, obviously with Chris, working hard when she was in high school, and she worked out with my youngest daughter quite a bit. I knew what kind of a worker Chrissy was, so none of that surprised me. Super competitive, I think it will be exciting for our fans to get excited about players that maybe they've followed earlier than being here at Kansas State. All those things will be really positive."
On the strength of the non-conference schedule…
"It's the best non-conference we've had since I've been here, at least on paper going into the year. It would appear that it has a lot of teams that, for example Syracuse, DePaul, Princeton, all have seven of their top eight scorers back. Syracuse had multiple players sitting out last year, they signed some of the best players from France last year that didn't necessarily get eligible and sat out last year. Arizona State has a good portion of their scoring back. The mid-majors on this schedule are some of the top mid-majors - Little Rock won 25 or 26 games, Northern Iowa has given us fits over the last couple years. It's a really, really strong schedule. I'm concerned that we've got to grow up quickly, that's one of my big concerns. We have to grow up quickly in preparation for that schedule. It'll be a schedule that I'm sure will expose us some, but it will also prepare us some and we'll have to have some success in it. If you look at two years ago, that was a different team in terms of veteran experience, but it was still a team that was trying to grow. We went out and won the Virgin Islands Tournament, beat NC State, we beat LSU, we beat UTEP, we came home in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge and beat Auburn - that was a big stretch for that team. We've got similar stretches in this schedule."
On scoring production increasing every year…
"I think we've expected that since we got here in terms of the roster. We needed more scoring immediately, we needed to develop more scoring. That's been an area, it's been the natural progression if our recruiting was good. I believe this team can be a high scoring team. I believe it can play at a faster pace. I think that right now we're developing some decent depth, I think this can be a deep team. We'll see how that progresses through practice. I did not think they could get through the grind of this four days as young team. I don't know what happened Saturday morning, but they came in - I ran them more on Friday than I have any team here and I thought that 8 a.m., practice on Saturday that there was no way they were going to come in and have legs and have an attitude to compete and they impressed me. Sunday was average, it was just OK. This morning, you could tell their intention was good, they wanted to go, but they just couldn't quite go, their legs were zapped it wasn't a lack of wanting to do it. I felt really good coming out of today. Talking about the scoring, we want to play faster. I'd like to have 10 more possessions a game. That hasn't been where we've been as a program or as a depth situation where I think 10 more possessions would've been positive for us. More possessions can be positive for us."
On Rachel Ranke's impact and development and Savannah Simmons helping out...
"Savvy has been hurt so she hasn't been full go yet. That has been difficult to assess. Ranke, overall I think her game is much better than it was a year ago. She's such a great shooter, I didn't want her to get labeled as a shooter. Her and I had multiple conversations about I think there's more to your game than just shooting the basketball from the perimeter. She has worked hard to develop the other parts of her game. She had an excellent controlled scrimmage yesterday where she really showed off a pretty good arsenal, both at the arc and inside the arc, which you didn't see a year ago."
On Kayla Goth's leadership development…
"Her temperament is so much better as a leader. When she was younger, her tolerance level for mistakes and things was not very good. She'd become too emotional about things during games. I joked last year that she'd come over just ranting and raving, and I'd watch her in the huddle, watch her temperature lower, then I could go in and have an adult conversation with her to some extent. She's competitive, you love that part of her fire. She's competitive, it matters to her, she takes pride in her craft and I love that about her. She's learned to control those emotions better and she's learned to do it with her teammates much, much better. Because she's been a little limited early in the fall - we were limiting her just so she could recover a little bit from some knee things, nothing serious - but because she was a little limited in the fall she got to see it from the sidelines a little bit, and she's really taken this team - even from this mini-camp, you can see her influence on this group. She has a much better demeanor to her conversations with her teammates. I think she's got a real chance to be a special leader. She sees all the plays, she's competitive enough to do it, she's not afraid to jump somebody when they need to be jumped. She's had those special leadership skills since she got here."
On what has stood out most about Jasauen Beard…
"Fearless, competitive. When she first got here, we got into some drills and you could see right away she just competed naturally, it was part of her DNA. She had a little bit of information overload this weekend, but I've actually kind of forgotten that she wasn't here this summer. She's naturally competitive, had a really good workout today. She hit the wall mentally towards the end of Saturday's workout, Sunday's workout was a little rough on her brain as we implemented some things, but she came back today had a really active workout. She can be quick to the ball rebounding. This is a player that we felt like, when we were recruiting her, that she could really help our rebounding. Everybody talks about rebounding in terms of size, it's also being quick to the ball. That was an area where we just were not quick to the ball. We've got a chance to be quicker to the ball this year than we've been."
K-State senior guard Kayla Goth
On team mini-camp…
"It was four hours for four days. It was long but it was good. We got a lot accomplished. We got most of our defenses put in and we started getting our offense in. We have been working a lot in transition offense and trying to play faster to get that pace up. I would say today we were tired which would be expected but the first three days were really good."
On how the freshmen have handled practices…
"Surprisingly, better than I thought they were going to. They are very talented so we can rely on that a little bit through fatigue. So trying to put them in situations where they are tired and not expecting x, y, z to happen. I thought they did very well. Laura (Macke) made all of her lines she did not miss one. It was really good. Overall, they did a really good job."
On starting her senior season…
"It is crazy, my mom said it for the first time the other day and I was like dang. It just goes by so fast. When you are going through it, it feels like it is taking forever but now that it is here it went by so fast. I am excited for it and excited to get going. Preseason is fun but I am ready to play some games."
On senior leadership…
"When I stepped in to the leadership role I said I will lead by example. Everything I did was lead by example. I went first on all the reps to show how it is supposed to be. When I stepped into that leadership role last year I was kind of forced to start leading vocally and start talking to people and communicating. It is not something I was super happy about and was very willing to do but it is something I have gotten a lot better at."
K-State sophomore guard Rachel Ranke
On her offseason…
"It has been really successful. I feel like I have gotten better at shot fakes and shooting off the dribble. I have expanded more to mid-range jumpers, pull-up jumpers and getting to the paint. I have been trying to finish in a wide variety of ways. I think this offseason has been very beneficial for me. I have been getting in the gym a lot more as well, too."
On getting inside the arc more…
"Back in high school I was a three-level scorer and then once I got here I was like, 'They do not really know I am a shooter yet.' I kind of was just one-dimensional last year. I pretty much stayed outside on the three-point line but this year I definitely want to score on all three levels."
On using her size to play inside…
"When we have been working on some of our offensive sets I have been getting inside with hook shots over the top of our guys, who are a lot more physical inside. It has been helpful to have them push on us and it has allowed me to become more aggressive and physical with them, as well, finishing either over the top of them or getting around for an up-and-under finish."
On the weapons they bring back…
"Me being guarded will leave Chrissy [Carr] open for chances for the three ball as well. Kayla [Goth] with her driving attack - they are all going to cram in on her. She will have us open for the three. Once they figure out we have more than me as a shooter it is going to be over with. Everyone in our lineup can shoot. Everyone on this team can shoot the three ball besides our centers. Hopefully they will get to that point. Having everyone be a well-rounded shooter is going to be beneficial for us."
On being more comfortable this year…
"I did not know what to expect coming in as a freshman. Having just that one year of experience under my belt I feel like I am not a sophomore. I feel like I am almost older than a sophomore. I have that veteran role and being a leader has been a big part. Even though I am still young I feel like I have taken over that role pretty well."
On the upcoming season…
"I am really excited. It is a new season. I think this team has a lot of potential for lots of success this year. We do not want to be good. We want to be great. That is exactly what we have been working on."
K-State sophomore guard Sarah Bates
On choosing K-State…
"I had a couple options but I was kind of choosing mainly between here and Tulane. It was either go to another mid-major which is really successful - they have had a great coach and they play in a great conference - or go to a big-time athletic school which has always been my dream. Even though it is in Kansas it is not in a big city so they are really opposite. My old school, Santa Barbara, is obviously by the beach so I am used to the big city environment. I went to K-State on my visit, I went straight from here to Tulane and they were complete different worlds. I chose K-State right when I got on the plane back from Tulane because I knew that I was going to be in a great coaching environment. Coach Mittie has coached all of the players who kind of play like me - shooters that go off the dribble. So I knew that I could play in this kind of system. All of the girls here are great and the coaches are great. I feel like they develop players and I have always wanted to play in the best conference just so I can prove myself. I feel like everything is perfect and ever since I have been here I have loved it."
On having to sit out for a year...
"It actually is not that hard at all. Some people struggle with it but I am really trying to get better this year and take this year to get better, stronger and faster. It is really important for me to develop mentally and physically so I can come into the best position I can next year."
On the biggest difference in being here…
"It was 72 degrees year round in Santa Barbara so this is a little different. I have not even experienced cold weather yet so I do not even know how that is going to be. How much they take in athletics and how much it is a family environment here is really important to me. I have never been at a really big school like this and I have never been where we have resources for everything. Honestly, there is no other place to have a great season and to have a great four years."
On adjusting to K-State…
"People are a lot bigger. I am used to being little and playing fast. Everyone is bigger and people are longer so I am having to get used to playing under people and playing to the best of my abilities. These are honestly my best friends. I have not been here that long but I have never been on such a family-oriented team and with coaches who really care about getting us better."
K-State freshman guard Christianna Carr
On being at K-State...
"It has been awesome. It has been an amazing experience to finally be able to touch the court with these awesome ladies and be able to get to know coach Mittie as an actual coach. I have kind of seen him just watching the games. I am really excited to start the season here in a month or so."
On noticing a difference at the college level…
"It is definitely a lot faster. The pace definitely picks up and coach Mittie makes it known that we need to be in shape. We are definitely trying to play a lot faster than we were last year. The pace and the physicality are a lot different from high school but it is nothing that I cannot get used to."
On having her dad as a coach…
"It has been good actually. When we are here it is more of just coaching and whenever I have questions I usually talk to one of the other coaches to kind of separate the whole 'Dad' and 'Coach'. It has been awesome to be able to have my dad here supporting me through basketball and simply him being proud of me for being his kid."
On not communicating differently with her dad…
"He has been my coach my freshman year of high school so we have kind of established that the beginning of that year. So going into my freshman year of college he sat me down and said, 'It is kind of going to be the same thing but on a bigger stage.' It helps me not being home so we do not have those long talks in the kitchen. He always makes sure that whenever I need him he is always a phone call away and whenever I need him here I am always welcome up into his office. It actually has not been that bad because we have been through it before."
On transitioning from high school to college with her dad…
"It is definitely a lot different because he does a really good job of making sure that coach Mittie is the head coach. He makes sure that coach Mittie is making me grow as a player rather than him. It is always good to hear from a different perspective about what I need to do because he can always tell me that I need to work on my shot, do more sprints. But when you hear coach Mittie say it you really need to do it. It has been amazing. It has been awesome to be able to play under coach Mittie. It has been awesome to be able to have my dad here because not a lot of people get that opportunity."
On being from Manhattan…
"I feel like playing here in high school definitely made it able for me to build more of a connection with the town. I definitely would not want to be anywhere else. One thing that I was looking at coming to this college is I did not want to be just dropped anywhere. I had to build a relationship with people that I did not really know in an unfamiliar area. I am so happy that I am familiar with this space and familiar with people around town. There is not a better feeling than whenever you see Wildcat fans and they know who I am without even meeting them before. That is just one thing that I love about this college town - how much they support women's basketball. That is one of the main reasons why I came here. When they say family they really do mean it."
K-State freshman forward Laura Macke
On practices so far…
"It was a great experience for me. We had four-hour practices for four days so we grinded it out. We are getting better each day as a team and learning to work together. It is a good experience and a good start."
On being regarded as a basketball junkie…
"I come in and shoot a lot on my own. I just like to do that I guess. Having full time access definitely helps. It is really convenient and makes it easy for me to get working and get better."
On if being from Kansas impacted her decision to attend K-State…
"A lot of my family goes here. I grew up going to some games but not a ton. It is definitely the college my family would choose."
On adjusting from the high school level…
"The intensity is something that is completely different from high school but it is something I really like. Having the coaches tell you things to improve on all the time and just being able to take what they say to improve your game is something I really like."
K-State freshman guard Savannah Simmons
On adjusting to the college life and practices…
"At first it was a little hectic but the coaches did a really good job bringing us in and getting us adjusted quickly. It only took me a couple weeks to get adjusted. The school work, we had classes in the summer so that got me prepared for now. They eased us into the workouts they kept the freshmen separate from the rest of the team so that was very helpful. When they threw us in we were prepared."
On whether the adjustment was more physical or mental…
"I would say physical. I tried to change my body a little bit. So getting extra work with A.J.(Kloss) and coming in on my own to try to change my body. Mentally I think I was okay trying to balance it out. I am pretty O.C.D so I do not think that was really a problem for me."
On being part of the freshmen class…
"It is amazing. There was a lot of hype for us coming in. I think we have lived up to it. We have played good so far and coach Mittie is pleased with that. All four of us are really close so I hope we can do something really special this year."
On her skill set…
"I would say I am a pass first point guard that can score when I need to. I like to distribute a lot so take my man off the dribble get inside and get my teammates involved to get open shots. If we need a bucket at the end of the day I can do that as well."
The following quotes are from Mittie's press conference, as well as selected quotes from K-State student-athletes.
K-State head coach Jeff Mittie
Opening statement...
"We just finished up four days of what we kind of looked at as a mini-camp. Pretty positive with that group - it was a grind, it was unique, we hadn't done that before. The way the NCAA has moved things back, everyone is trying to figure out how to do certain things. When I looked at it awhile back I wanted to do a weekend where we almost sequestered them in. We were four hours on Friday, four hours on Saturday, pretty much four hours yesterday and then a little bit shorter today, but they handled the grind pretty well. They handled the intensive information that they were getting, especially for a young group, they had their ups and downs, but all in all a pretty successful weekend. We'll get in to a little more normal practice schedule as we go forward, however, one of the reasons I also wanted to do this was to give them an opportunity on the weekend to go back home right before the season. October 8 for us is actually the day we're targeting as our first practice, although we will have five of these in by then and by NCAA rule we'll have five practices in at that point."
On returning production making the job any easier...
"We return our top three scorers, that was a group that had a very good year last year. Peyton (Williams) is with volleyball, so that makes it a little more challenging, but we dealt with that last year some. Albeit, this year is easier because last year we really didn't know where Peyton could get to production-wise - she was coming off a year where she averaged four or five points a game and last year she had such a tremendous year. Anytime you have a number of points coming back it's really good where you know where some offense can come from. Last year at this time, we had no idea where the offense was coming from. We had some injuries - you know (Karyla) Middlebrook at this time, we were still hopeful she would've been our leading returning scorer. From an offensive standpoint, from my standpoint of a vision for this group, that does make things better at this point."
On a talented freshman class adjusting to this level so far…
"Never where you'd like them to be, no, but probably where they should be. They've all competed very well. Laura Macke came in and really from the get-go, really competed hard. She's getting lots of reps at the four-spot with Peyton over at volleyball - that's the advantage for Laura, she's getting a ton of reps that way. She's had highs and lows but she's pretty steady. Chrissy (Carr) has come in and worked extremely hard, she has an opportunity to really stretch the defense, really shoot the ball well, particularly in transition, but she's also got the ability to clear a shot for herself. This group may have the most ability to clear themselves for shots, get their own shots, than we've had here. (Savannah) Simmons has been a little bit banged up, so she hasn't quite had the reps, and Yokie (Ayoka Lee) has not able to practice since she's been here, she had an injury in high school. She may be, if you're an optimist today, four weeks from going full, if you're a pessimist it might be as much as eight."
On managing Peyton Williams' volleyball duties a second time around…
"The one advantage to last year was we had Europe (trip). We were able to get some things done in Europe that we didn't have that same advantage this year. Peyton picks up things very quickly, so that won't be the issue for her. The issue will be getting up enough shots, expanding her game as we wanted to be able to shoot the three, to be able to play better in transition, to be able to be out on the floor. Those are things that take time and when you're splitting time those are challenging. We've got a good vision of where we'd utilize her. Peyton certainly has a good vision, we've talked about that. We'll get her in practice some next week, we have not had her in September, she's been solely with volleyball. We'll get her at practice a little bit next week."
On what he's seen from Chrissy Carr at this point…
"I like her competitiveness, I like her ability to get shots early. For a young player, she has the confidence to launch shots but also to attack the basket. Like I mentioned, clearing herself for shots, she has the ability to have a mid-range game that can get up above people and score. All those things are areas that we've needed to improve. She's certainly done things fairly solid for a freshman."
On how important improving rebounding will be…
"Every practice has started with a huge number of rebounding drills. One of the things that I would say that I have committed myself to doing, and I've told them this numerous times, I'm going to be insane about rebounding. Being insane about rebounding means that there are going to be a lot of days where you're not going to understand how passionate I'm going to be and I have been. The first four days, I put in a skill correction segment at the end of practice, which is basically a manager stands next to me and I just tell them, this person, this person, this person didn't box out, this person didn't box out, this person didn't box out. If you didn't box out 23 times during practice, you're going to not only box out 23 times, but you're going to run before you box out 23 times. I still am not quite convinced they understand that everybody is going to have to rebound better, but hopefully they're getting that message day by day."
On Kayla Goth's professional playing prospects…
"I think she's talented enough. I think she's got some upside enough to do that. I think she'd have to continue on the same path that she was on. One of the things KG did such a good job of last year, if you go back to this time, she was learning to score from the point guard spot. She was learning to get her own shot while also getting everybody else involved. If you go back to the first scrimmage last year against our guys team, I think she had 10 or 12 turnovers. Now, look at the progress she made - I think she ended up with 226 assists - she made progress in that area, but she's still got to make a lot of progress in that area."
On next steps for Kayla Goth this season…
"You mentioned rebounding, this is a player that could get - when you look at past K-State players, a player like Shalee Lehning who averaged seven rebounds per game, Goth has the potential to do that. She's got the jumping ability to do that, she's got the wingspan to do it. She has not been committed enough to do it. I pulled her aside and said if you're not a better rebounder, then this will be a really disappointing year for you. When you talk about next steps, she's done the points, she's done the assists, what she hasn't done is consistent rebounding. If she can up her production on the glass to six or seven and three of those are defensive rebounds, our fastbreak will be much better. She can just take it off the glass and go, so that'll be a big emphasis for her to improve for this year."
On last year's team collecting high numbers of points off turnovers…
"We were decent at that, I don't think we were great. We got better as the year went on. That has been a little bit of a problem for us in we were getting turnovers but our production at the end of that wasn't positive. We've got more team speed this year. Last year we really emphasized that even though maybe we didn't have the team speed, we really emphasized trying to get out, get wide, go score. I think this year's team has more capabilities than that. One of the players we picked up late, has really picked things up quickly is Jasauen Beard. Beard's going to give us an athletic perimeter defender and she's going to give us a player that's active to the glass. When you're talking about a scoop in score, not in football, we're talking about a scoop and score in basketball, we have more ability this year than we had a year ago and we're emphasizing it more. We're emphasizing how quickly can we score out of a turnover, how can we take it off the glass quicker. We definitely have more team speed than we had a year ago. The areas where we're not very good, in our youth and inexperience, our spacing up the floor is really crowded right now, so we're not playing great in those spaces."
On the differences coaching a local star vs. others…
"Previous places that I've coached, because of the talent pool, I had a lot of local players. Generally the players are fine, it's the parents that are a pain in the rear. Fortunately one of them is up in my office so I can pull him aside anytime I want to and talk to him. I think it's great, I wish we had a ton of local players. It doesn't always work out that way talent-wise and it doesn't always work out that way interest-wise. She's an exciting player, she's a hard worker. Those weren't things I ever questioned. She's been in the gym, obviously with Chris, working hard when she was in high school, and she worked out with my youngest daughter quite a bit. I knew what kind of a worker Chrissy was, so none of that surprised me. Super competitive, I think it will be exciting for our fans to get excited about players that maybe they've followed earlier than being here at Kansas State. All those things will be really positive."
On the strength of the non-conference schedule…
"It's the best non-conference we've had since I've been here, at least on paper going into the year. It would appear that it has a lot of teams that, for example Syracuse, DePaul, Princeton, all have seven of their top eight scorers back. Syracuse had multiple players sitting out last year, they signed some of the best players from France last year that didn't necessarily get eligible and sat out last year. Arizona State has a good portion of their scoring back. The mid-majors on this schedule are some of the top mid-majors - Little Rock won 25 or 26 games, Northern Iowa has given us fits over the last couple years. It's a really, really strong schedule. I'm concerned that we've got to grow up quickly, that's one of my big concerns. We have to grow up quickly in preparation for that schedule. It'll be a schedule that I'm sure will expose us some, but it will also prepare us some and we'll have to have some success in it. If you look at two years ago, that was a different team in terms of veteran experience, but it was still a team that was trying to grow. We went out and won the Virgin Islands Tournament, beat NC State, we beat LSU, we beat UTEP, we came home in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge and beat Auburn - that was a big stretch for that team. We've got similar stretches in this schedule."
On scoring production increasing every year…
"I think we've expected that since we got here in terms of the roster. We needed more scoring immediately, we needed to develop more scoring. That's been an area, it's been the natural progression if our recruiting was good. I believe this team can be a high scoring team. I believe it can play at a faster pace. I think that right now we're developing some decent depth, I think this can be a deep team. We'll see how that progresses through practice. I did not think they could get through the grind of this four days as young team. I don't know what happened Saturday morning, but they came in - I ran them more on Friday than I have any team here and I thought that 8 a.m., practice on Saturday that there was no way they were going to come in and have legs and have an attitude to compete and they impressed me. Sunday was average, it was just OK. This morning, you could tell their intention was good, they wanted to go, but they just couldn't quite go, their legs were zapped it wasn't a lack of wanting to do it. I felt really good coming out of today. Talking about the scoring, we want to play faster. I'd like to have 10 more possessions a game. That hasn't been where we've been as a program or as a depth situation where I think 10 more possessions would've been positive for us. More possessions can be positive for us."
On Rachel Ranke's impact and development and Savannah Simmons helping out...
"Savvy has been hurt so she hasn't been full go yet. That has been difficult to assess. Ranke, overall I think her game is much better than it was a year ago. She's such a great shooter, I didn't want her to get labeled as a shooter. Her and I had multiple conversations about I think there's more to your game than just shooting the basketball from the perimeter. She has worked hard to develop the other parts of her game. She had an excellent controlled scrimmage yesterday where she really showed off a pretty good arsenal, both at the arc and inside the arc, which you didn't see a year ago."
On Kayla Goth's leadership development…
"Her temperament is so much better as a leader. When she was younger, her tolerance level for mistakes and things was not very good. She'd become too emotional about things during games. I joked last year that she'd come over just ranting and raving, and I'd watch her in the huddle, watch her temperature lower, then I could go in and have an adult conversation with her to some extent. She's competitive, you love that part of her fire. She's competitive, it matters to her, she takes pride in her craft and I love that about her. She's learned to control those emotions better and she's learned to do it with her teammates much, much better. Because she's been a little limited early in the fall - we were limiting her just so she could recover a little bit from some knee things, nothing serious - but because she was a little limited in the fall she got to see it from the sidelines a little bit, and she's really taken this team - even from this mini-camp, you can see her influence on this group. She has a much better demeanor to her conversations with her teammates. I think she's got a real chance to be a special leader. She sees all the plays, she's competitive enough to do it, she's not afraid to jump somebody when they need to be jumped. She's had those special leadership skills since she got here."
On what has stood out most about Jasauen Beard…
"Fearless, competitive. When she first got here, we got into some drills and you could see right away she just competed naturally, it was part of her DNA. She had a little bit of information overload this weekend, but I've actually kind of forgotten that she wasn't here this summer. She's naturally competitive, had a really good workout today. She hit the wall mentally towards the end of Saturday's workout, Sunday's workout was a little rough on her brain as we implemented some things, but she came back today had a really active workout. She can be quick to the ball rebounding. This is a player that we felt like, when we were recruiting her, that she could really help our rebounding. Everybody talks about rebounding in terms of size, it's also being quick to the ball. That was an area where we just were not quick to the ball. We've got a chance to be quicker to the ball this year than we've been."
K-State senior guard Kayla Goth
On team mini-camp…
"It was four hours for four days. It was long but it was good. We got a lot accomplished. We got most of our defenses put in and we started getting our offense in. We have been working a lot in transition offense and trying to play faster to get that pace up. I would say today we were tired which would be expected but the first three days were really good."
On how the freshmen have handled practices…
"Surprisingly, better than I thought they were going to. They are very talented so we can rely on that a little bit through fatigue. So trying to put them in situations where they are tired and not expecting x, y, z to happen. I thought they did very well. Laura (Macke) made all of her lines she did not miss one. It was really good. Overall, they did a really good job."
On starting her senior season…
"It is crazy, my mom said it for the first time the other day and I was like dang. It just goes by so fast. When you are going through it, it feels like it is taking forever but now that it is here it went by so fast. I am excited for it and excited to get going. Preseason is fun but I am ready to play some games."
On senior leadership…
"When I stepped in to the leadership role I said I will lead by example. Everything I did was lead by example. I went first on all the reps to show how it is supposed to be. When I stepped into that leadership role last year I was kind of forced to start leading vocally and start talking to people and communicating. It is not something I was super happy about and was very willing to do but it is something I have gotten a lot better at."
K-State sophomore guard Rachel Ranke
On her offseason…
"It has been really successful. I feel like I have gotten better at shot fakes and shooting off the dribble. I have expanded more to mid-range jumpers, pull-up jumpers and getting to the paint. I have been trying to finish in a wide variety of ways. I think this offseason has been very beneficial for me. I have been getting in the gym a lot more as well, too."
On getting inside the arc more…
"Back in high school I was a three-level scorer and then once I got here I was like, 'They do not really know I am a shooter yet.' I kind of was just one-dimensional last year. I pretty much stayed outside on the three-point line but this year I definitely want to score on all three levels."
On using her size to play inside…
"When we have been working on some of our offensive sets I have been getting inside with hook shots over the top of our guys, who are a lot more physical inside. It has been helpful to have them push on us and it has allowed me to become more aggressive and physical with them, as well, finishing either over the top of them or getting around for an up-and-under finish."
On the weapons they bring back…
"Me being guarded will leave Chrissy [Carr] open for chances for the three ball as well. Kayla [Goth] with her driving attack - they are all going to cram in on her. She will have us open for the three. Once they figure out we have more than me as a shooter it is going to be over with. Everyone in our lineup can shoot. Everyone on this team can shoot the three ball besides our centers. Hopefully they will get to that point. Having everyone be a well-rounded shooter is going to be beneficial for us."
On being more comfortable this year…
"I did not know what to expect coming in as a freshman. Having just that one year of experience under my belt I feel like I am not a sophomore. I feel like I am almost older than a sophomore. I have that veteran role and being a leader has been a big part. Even though I am still young I feel like I have taken over that role pretty well."
On the upcoming season…
"I am really excited. It is a new season. I think this team has a lot of potential for lots of success this year. We do not want to be good. We want to be great. That is exactly what we have been working on."
K-State sophomore guard Sarah Bates
On choosing K-State…
"I had a couple options but I was kind of choosing mainly between here and Tulane. It was either go to another mid-major which is really successful - they have had a great coach and they play in a great conference - or go to a big-time athletic school which has always been my dream. Even though it is in Kansas it is not in a big city so they are really opposite. My old school, Santa Barbara, is obviously by the beach so I am used to the big city environment. I went to K-State on my visit, I went straight from here to Tulane and they were complete different worlds. I chose K-State right when I got on the plane back from Tulane because I knew that I was going to be in a great coaching environment. Coach Mittie has coached all of the players who kind of play like me - shooters that go off the dribble. So I knew that I could play in this kind of system. All of the girls here are great and the coaches are great. I feel like they develop players and I have always wanted to play in the best conference just so I can prove myself. I feel like everything is perfect and ever since I have been here I have loved it."
On having to sit out for a year...
"It actually is not that hard at all. Some people struggle with it but I am really trying to get better this year and take this year to get better, stronger and faster. It is really important for me to develop mentally and physically so I can come into the best position I can next year."
On the biggest difference in being here…
"It was 72 degrees year round in Santa Barbara so this is a little different. I have not even experienced cold weather yet so I do not even know how that is going to be. How much they take in athletics and how much it is a family environment here is really important to me. I have never been at a really big school like this and I have never been where we have resources for everything. Honestly, there is no other place to have a great season and to have a great four years."
On adjusting to K-State…
"People are a lot bigger. I am used to being little and playing fast. Everyone is bigger and people are longer so I am having to get used to playing under people and playing to the best of my abilities. These are honestly my best friends. I have not been here that long but I have never been on such a family-oriented team and with coaches who really care about getting us better."
K-State freshman guard Christianna Carr
On being at K-State...
"It has been awesome. It has been an amazing experience to finally be able to touch the court with these awesome ladies and be able to get to know coach Mittie as an actual coach. I have kind of seen him just watching the games. I am really excited to start the season here in a month or so."
On noticing a difference at the college level…
"It is definitely a lot faster. The pace definitely picks up and coach Mittie makes it known that we need to be in shape. We are definitely trying to play a lot faster than we were last year. The pace and the physicality are a lot different from high school but it is nothing that I cannot get used to."
On having her dad as a coach…
"It has been good actually. When we are here it is more of just coaching and whenever I have questions I usually talk to one of the other coaches to kind of separate the whole 'Dad' and 'Coach'. It has been awesome to be able to have my dad here supporting me through basketball and simply him being proud of me for being his kid."
On not communicating differently with her dad…
"He has been my coach my freshman year of high school so we have kind of established that the beginning of that year. So going into my freshman year of college he sat me down and said, 'It is kind of going to be the same thing but on a bigger stage.' It helps me not being home so we do not have those long talks in the kitchen. He always makes sure that whenever I need him he is always a phone call away and whenever I need him here I am always welcome up into his office. It actually has not been that bad because we have been through it before."
On transitioning from high school to college with her dad…
"It is definitely a lot different because he does a really good job of making sure that coach Mittie is the head coach. He makes sure that coach Mittie is making me grow as a player rather than him. It is always good to hear from a different perspective about what I need to do because he can always tell me that I need to work on my shot, do more sprints. But when you hear coach Mittie say it you really need to do it. It has been amazing. It has been awesome to be able to play under coach Mittie. It has been awesome to be able to have my dad here because not a lot of people get that opportunity."
On being from Manhattan…
"I feel like playing here in high school definitely made it able for me to build more of a connection with the town. I definitely would not want to be anywhere else. One thing that I was looking at coming to this college is I did not want to be just dropped anywhere. I had to build a relationship with people that I did not really know in an unfamiliar area. I am so happy that I am familiar with this space and familiar with people around town. There is not a better feeling than whenever you see Wildcat fans and they know who I am without even meeting them before. That is just one thing that I love about this college town - how much they support women's basketball. That is one of the main reasons why I came here. When they say family they really do mean it."
K-State freshman forward Laura Macke
On practices so far…
"It was a great experience for me. We had four-hour practices for four days so we grinded it out. We are getting better each day as a team and learning to work together. It is a good experience and a good start."
On being regarded as a basketball junkie…
"I come in and shoot a lot on my own. I just like to do that I guess. Having full time access definitely helps. It is really convenient and makes it easy for me to get working and get better."
On if being from Kansas impacted her decision to attend K-State…
"A lot of my family goes here. I grew up going to some games but not a ton. It is definitely the college my family would choose."
On adjusting from the high school level…
"The intensity is something that is completely different from high school but it is something I really like. Having the coaches tell you things to improve on all the time and just being able to take what they say to improve your game is something I really like."
K-State freshman guard Savannah Simmons
On adjusting to the college life and practices…
"At first it was a little hectic but the coaches did a really good job bringing us in and getting us adjusted quickly. It only took me a couple weeks to get adjusted. The school work, we had classes in the summer so that got me prepared for now. They eased us into the workouts they kept the freshmen separate from the rest of the team so that was very helpful. When they threw us in we were prepared."
On whether the adjustment was more physical or mental…
"I would say physical. I tried to change my body a little bit. So getting extra work with A.J.(Kloss) and coming in on my own to try to change my body. Mentally I think I was okay trying to balance it out. I am pretty O.C.D so I do not think that was really a problem for me."
On being part of the freshmen class…
"It is amazing. There was a lot of hype for us coming in. I think we have lived up to it. We have played good so far and coach Mittie is pleased with that. All four of us are really close so I hope we can do something really special this year."
On her skill set…
"I would say I am a pass first point guard that can score when I need to. I like to distribute a lot so take my man off the dribble get inside and get my teammates involved to get open shots. If we need a bucket at the end of the day I can do that as well."
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/ Women's BasketballK-State Women's Basketball | Tess Heal Senior Video
Sunday, February 22
K-State Women's Basketball | Mikayla Parks Senior Video
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K-State Women's Basketball | Senior Night Ceremony 2025 - 2026 Season
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K-State Women's Basketball | Coach Mittie Press Conference vs Kansas
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