SE: Kindred Wesemann Applying Lessons from K-State as Coach at UMKC
Nov 20, 2018 | Women's Basketball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
The angle was different, but the play was the same.
Kindred Wesemann had run it hundreds of times as K-State's point guard. This time, however, she was watching her team run it — a designed backdoor play — from the opposing team's bench in Bramlage Coliseum as a second-year assistant coach for UMKC on Sunday.
When it worked, Wesemann immediately looked down the sideline at K-State head coach Jeff Mittie, whom she played for in three of her four seasons as a Wildcat (2013-17). He was less than pleased.
"I was not happy," Mittie said after K-State's 61-50 win, adding that his teams have used that play "forever."
"It's a good play," Wesemann said of it, before slyly adding: "Everybody steals from everybody."
To be clear, Mittie was not upset Wesemann, along with his former assistant and now UMKC head coach Jacie Hoyt, borrowed the play — only that it worked. He was happy to see his former team captain in her new role, helping build another program. Likewise, Wesemann relished the opportunity to return to her alma mater.
"It was surreal," Wesemann said of her return. "To me, if you played at K-State, there's nothing like going back and being able to be on the floor. Whether it's playing, coaching or officiating, there's nothing like going back and seeing your home.
"It was a great experience."
That play, she said, represents a drop in the bucket of what she took from her experience as a Wildcat. As a coach, she's now trying to give some of those same things to her players.
"It's my turn to help other high school kids and college kids attain their dreams of playing college basketball. It's the best time of your life," Wesemann said. "The four years I had at K-State were the best years of my life, and I have lifelong friends from it. I really just want to be able to help high school kids and the current college kids to have the same feeling that I had and the same experience."
That includes building a successful program.
Wesemann was on the ground floor of K-State's turnaround. She won 11 games as a freshman and 61 after Mittie took over for her final three seasons, capped with a pair of NCAA Tournament bids.
"I think the biggest thing is just buy-in. That was one of the biggest things Coach Mittie preached to us. I remember whenever he came in and talked to our whole team, it was just, 'You have to trust me,'" Wesemann said. "The buy in and trust are the biggest things I took from the turnaround at K-State. It's going to be huge here at UMKC, to get everybody to buy in."
While in her second season removed from K-State and her playing days, Wesemann said she still finds herself learning from K-State's coaching staff. Honestly, she added, she's "trying to learn as much as I can from as many people as I can."
Much of these absorbing conversations occur on the road recruiting. She's run into just about every K-State coach at least once. Usually, she said she'll pick their brains about something, whether it be zone defense from associate head coach Brian Ostermann, recruiting lessons with assistant coach Chris Carr or talking anything basketball related with Mittie.
"It's awesome to see familiar faces on the road whenever you're just gone for a long period of time, and just being able to see people that you've been around," she said. "It's been really awesome just to be able to talk to them and be able to relate."
Wesemann can now relate to the joys of coaching, as well as its frustrations. Her first year, she said, was a series of "welcome-to-coaching moments." Mostly, they were figuring out the behind-the-scenes responsibilities she never really thought of as a player, like organizing training table meals or equipment.
"Some people probably just think it's us being on the court, just coaching and getting up and down with the kids," she said, "but, unfortunately, that's only a little piece of it."
The native of Pleasant Hill, Missouri, said coaching was always a goal of hers. At K-State, she played the part of a coach on the floor, especially as a senior. It felt right, she said, to continue it on the sidelines.
So, after her final season ended, Wesemann started looking for coaching openings. She saw UMKC, near where she grew up, had some early in her search. She then approached Hoyt for advice on putting together a resume and, unbeknownst to Wesemann, Hoyt was a finalist for the job at the time. Hoyt then told Wesemann and let her know she would be one of the first people she would come to if she got the job.
"It means a lot. Her and I have had this really unique relationship from player-to-coach and now it's coach-to-coach. The things we talk about have changed but the relationship and the bond that we had, it's even stronger now," Wesemann said. "I don't really know how to put it into words. It's an awesome feeling going into work every day knowing exactly what you're going to get from your boss, and her knowing exactly what she's going to get from you. I can't thank her enough for the opportunity that she gave me."
Hoyt, Wesemann said, has also given her a strong example to follow on how to live on and off the basketball court.
"Her take on life and how she lives her life, living it to the fullest and living in the present, not really looking forward or looking backward, just saying, 'This is where I'm at right now and we're going to make the most of it,'" Wesemann said of Hoyt. "That's kind of something we both took from K-State and Coach Mittie, not really worrying about the past or the future because neither one of those are real in the moment."
Add in Hoyt and Wesemann's matching levels of competitiveness, and it's no wonder UMKC, with seven freshmen and one senior on its roster, stayed within single digits of K-State for most of Sunday's game.
"She wants to win in everything," Wesemann said, who lives the same way. "We race going down the hallway. We both want to win so bad. That's just how it's always been."
The angle was different, but the play was the same.
Kindred Wesemann had run it hundreds of times as K-State's point guard. This time, however, she was watching her team run it — a designed backdoor play — from the opposing team's bench in Bramlage Coliseum as a second-year assistant coach for UMKC on Sunday.
When it worked, Wesemann immediately looked down the sideline at K-State head coach Jeff Mittie, whom she played for in three of her four seasons as a Wildcat (2013-17). He was less than pleased.
"I was not happy," Mittie said after K-State's 61-50 win, adding that his teams have used that play "forever."
"It's a good play," Wesemann said of it, before slyly adding: "Everybody steals from everybody."
To be clear, Mittie was not upset Wesemann, along with his former assistant and now UMKC head coach Jacie Hoyt, borrowed the play — only that it worked. He was happy to see his former team captain in her new role, helping build another program. Likewise, Wesemann relished the opportunity to return to her alma mater.
"It was surreal," Wesemann said of her return. "To me, if you played at K-State, there's nothing like going back and being able to be on the floor. Whether it's playing, coaching or officiating, there's nothing like going back and seeing your home.
"It was a great experience."
That play, she said, represents a drop in the bucket of what she took from her experience as a Wildcat. As a coach, she's now trying to give some of those same things to her players.
"It's my turn to help other high school kids and college kids attain their dreams of playing college basketball. It's the best time of your life," Wesemann said. "The four years I had at K-State were the best years of my life, and I have lifelong friends from it. I really just want to be able to help high school kids and the current college kids to have the same feeling that I had and the same experience."
That includes building a successful program.
Wesemann was on the ground floor of K-State's turnaround. She won 11 games as a freshman and 61 after Mittie took over for her final three seasons, capped with a pair of NCAA Tournament bids.
"I think the biggest thing is just buy-in. That was one of the biggest things Coach Mittie preached to us. I remember whenever he came in and talked to our whole team, it was just, 'You have to trust me,'" Wesemann said. "The buy in and trust are the biggest things I took from the turnaround at K-State. It's going to be huge here at UMKC, to get everybody to buy in."
While in her second season removed from K-State and her playing days, Wesemann said she still finds herself learning from K-State's coaching staff. Honestly, she added, she's "trying to learn as much as I can from as many people as I can."
Much of these absorbing conversations occur on the road recruiting. She's run into just about every K-State coach at least once. Usually, she said she'll pick their brains about something, whether it be zone defense from associate head coach Brian Ostermann, recruiting lessons with assistant coach Chris Carr or talking anything basketball related with Mittie.
"It's awesome to see familiar faces on the road whenever you're just gone for a long period of time, and just being able to see people that you've been around," she said. "It's been really awesome just to be able to talk to them and be able to relate."
Wesemann can now relate to the joys of coaching, as well as its frustrations. Her first year, she said, was a series of "welcome-to-coaching moments." Mostly, they were figuring out the behind-the-scenes responsibilities she never really thought of as a player, like organizing training table meals or equipment.
"Some people probably just think it's us being on the court, just coaching and getting up and down with the kids," she said, "but, unfortunately, that's only a little piece of it."
The native of Pleasant Hill, Missouri, said coaching was always a goal of hers. At K-State, she played the part of a coach on the floor, especially as a senior. It felt right, she said, to continue it on the sidelines.
So, after her final season ended, Wesemann started looking for coaching openings. She saw UMKC, near where she grew up, had some early in her search. She then approached Hoyt for advice on putting together a resume and, unbeknownst to Wesemann, Hoyt was a finalist for the job at the time. Hoyt then told Wesemann and let her know she would be one of the first people she would come to if she got the job.
"It means a lot. Her and I have had this really unique relationship from player-to-coach and now it's coach-to-coach. The things we talk about have changed but the relationship and the bond that we had, it's even stronger now," Wesemann said. "I don't really know how to put it into words. It's an awesome feeling going into work every day knowing exactly what you're going to get from your boss, and her knowing exactly what she's going to get from you. I can't thank her enough for the opportunity that she gave me."
Hoyt, Wesemann said, has also given her a strong example to follow on how to live on and off the basketball court.
"Her take on life and how she lives her life, living it to the fullest and living in the present, not really looking forward or looking backward, just saying, 'This is where I'm at right now and we're going to make the most of it,'" Wesemann said of Hoyt. "That's kind of something we both took from K-State and Coach Mittie, not really worrying about the past or the future because neither one of those are real in the moment."
Add in Hoyt and Wesemann's matching levels of competitiveness, and it's no wonder UMKC, with seven freshmen and one senior on its roster, stayed within single digits of K-State for most of Sunday's game.
"She wants to win in everything," Wesemann said, who lives the same way. "We race going down the hallway. We both want to win so bad. That's just how it's always been."
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