SE: Four Takeaways from Cancun Challenge as K-State WBB Readies for Vanderbilt in SEC/Big 12 Challenge
Nov 29, 2018 | Women's Basketball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Between the time it left Manhattan and returned from Cancun, Mexico, the K-State women's basketball team learned quite a bit, both individually and collectively. Three games in three days, the first two of which were against ranked opponents at the Cancun Challenge, will do that for any team.
Add in the fact that K-State (4-2) holds the program's youngest roster since the 1977-78 season and it's easier to understand just how much the Wildcats' outing south of the border highlighted some growth and spotlighted a few areas in need of it.
"We've got a lot of growing up to do, but I think the trip was beneficial in getting some answers," K-State head coach Jeff Mittie said. "You don't always like the answers, but, hopefully, they're beneficial in one way or the other."
Here are four of the many answers K-State found as it prepares for the SEC/Big 12 Challenge against Vanderbilt in Bramlage Coliseum on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Wildcats Know How to Bounce Back
After consecutive losses to (14/14) Syracuse and (16/16) DePaul, K-State responded on Saturday with an 80-61 win against Princeton. This included outscoring the Tigers, an NCAA Tournament team nine of the last 11 years, 46-19 in the second half.
"That's a big step," senior point guard Kayla Goth said. "When you lose two games like that in a three-game tournament, it's kind of tough to come back from. You get kind of down on yourself, but we were able to go into the locker room on Saturday morning and say, 'We need to come out of this tournament with at least a win,' and I think that's big for a young team."
Goth said junior-transfer Jasauen Beard was the first Wildcat in the locker room to verbalize the message that everyone in the room already had in their minds.
"It was the mentality, but actually hearing it" helped spark the team, Goth said.
More Williams Extremely Valuable for K-State Moving Forward
Last week marked the first all season where Peyton Williams, who also plays volleyball at K-State, was with the basketball team completely.
The result? She averaged a team-leading 15.7 points on 62 percent shooting (18-of-29) and 7.0 rebounds. The 6-foot-4 forward also produced 2.7 assists, 1.3 steals and a block a game en route to being named to the all-tournament team.
"You can just look at the stat sheet and see the value in it," Mittie said of Williams' increased practice time. "Other than (the stats), the things we saw was she's just a very solid, steady force on the floor. Good shots, good communication, intelligence, all those things helped other players."
Williams said the tournament was a step in the right direction for her, especially in terms of her conditioning.
"I'm still getting my legs back underneath me, for sure, and Coach (Chris) Carr always reminds me of that," she said, with a laugh. "It's good to be back with a team. It's obviously different when you're spending time with both and trying to split time, so it's been good to devote a lot of time with just these girls and spend time with them, making connections both on and off the floor."
Wildcats Willing Their Way to Better Rebounding
Last year, rebounding was a liability for K-State. The Wildcats ranked 325thin rebound margin, losing the battle of the boards by an average of more than six a game.
So far this season, the Wildcats have not lost the rebounding battle once. They currently own a plus-4.8 average rebound margin, 104th in the country. Williams has led the way so far, grabbing 8.2 rebounds a game, while Kali Jones (5.5), Rachel Ranke (4.7), Goth (3.8) and Beard (3.8) have also helped strengthen the team's ability to clean the glass.
"It's still not where we need to be, by any means, but we have definitely taken strides there," Goth said. "That was the main focus all of the preseason, all the of the summer, really. I felt like we did rebounding drill after rebounding drill. But it's definitely improved.
"It's an effort thing. You just have to go get them and you have to go every time."
Wildcats Excited for SEC/Big 12 Challenge; Mittie Likes How Next Few Weeks Set Up
On Tuesday, K-State did not know much about Vanderbilt. Most of this week's practices, Mittie said, would be internally focused. That did not negate from the team's excitement to host a Power Five opponent in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, however.
"It's exciting. You play the same teams in the conference every year. You see similar things every year, so the SEC/Big 12 Challenge is something I always look forward to just because it's new competition. Kind of like the Cancun Challenge, you see new people, new styles of play," Goth said. "The SEC/Big 12 Challenge is huge. I'm looking forward to it."
Mittie, however, said he's looking forward to how this next stretch of games lays out. Particularly, he likes how many practices it will allow his team to get in between them.
After Vanderbilt, K-State faces Lamar on Wednesday, December 5, followed by a road game against Little Rock on Saturday, December 8. From there, the Wildcats get more than a week to prepare for its battle with Arizona State in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on Sunday, December 16. K-State finishes its non-conference slate at Bramlage Coliseum against Central Arkansas (December 20) and Northern Iowa (December 29).
"Now it's time to get some practice in," Mittie said. "I like the way our schedule sets up, quite honestly. We do have a stretch here where we can practice. I probably like it a lot more than the players, but I think it's critical for us to get on the floor to address these things."
Between the time it left Manhattan and returned from Cancun, Mexico, the K-State women's basketball team learned quite a bit, both individually and collectively. Three games in three days, the first two of which were against ranked opponents at the Cancun Challenge, will do that for any team.
Add in the fact that K-State (4-2) holds the program's youngest roster since the 1977-78 season and it's easier to understand just how much the Wildcats' outing south of the border highlighted some growth and spotlighted a few areas in need of it.
"We've got a lot of growing up to do, but I think the trip was beneficial in getting some answers," K-State head coach Jeff Mittie said. "You don't always like the answers, but, hopefully, they're beneficial in one way or the other."
Here are four of the many answers K-State found as it prepares for the SEC/Big 12 Challenge against Vanderbilt in Bramlage Coliseum on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Wildcats Know How to Bounce Back
After consecutive losses to (14/14) Syracuse and (16/16) DePaul, K-State responded on Saturday with an 80-61 win against Princeton. This included outscoring the Tigers, an NCAA Tournament team nine of the last 11 years, 46-19 in the second half.
"That's a big step," senior point guard Kayla Goth said. "When you lose two games like that in a three-game tournament, it's kind of tough to come back from. You get kind of down on yourself, but we were able to go into the locker room on Saturday morning and say, 'We need to come out of this tournament with at least a win,' and I think that's big for a young team."
Goth said junior-transfer Jasauen Beard was the first Wildcat in the locker room to verbalize the message that everyone in the room already had in their minds.
"It was the mentality, but actually hearing it" helped spark the team, Goth said.
More Williams Extremely Valuable for K-State Moving Forward
Last week marked the first all season where Peyton Williams, who also plays volleyball at K-State, was with the basketball team completely.
The result? She averaged a team-leading 15.7 points on 62 percent shooting (18-of-29) and 7.0 rebounds. The 6-foot-4 forward also produced 2.7 assists, 1.3 steals and a block a game en route to being named to the all-tournament team.
"You can just look at the stat sheet and see the value in it," Mittie said of Williams' increased practice time. "Other than (the stats), the things we saw was she's just a very solid, steady force on the floor. Good shots, good communication, intelligence, all those things helped other players."
Williams said the tournament was a step in the right direction for her, especially in terms of her conditioning.
"I'm still getting my legs back underneath me, for sure, and Coach (Chris) Carr always reminds me of that," she said, with a laugh. "It's good to be back with a team. It's obviously different when you're spending time with both and trying to split time, so it's been good to devote a lot of time with just these girls and spend time with them, making connections both on and off the floor."
Wildcats Willing Their Way to Better Rebounding
Last year, rebounding was a liability for K-State. The Wildcats ranked 325thin rebound margin, losing the battle of the boards by an average of more than six a game.
So far this season, the Wildcats have not lost the rebounding battle once. They currently own a plus-4.8 average rebound margin, 104th in the country. Williams has led the way so far, grabbing 8.2 rebounds a game, while Kali Jones (5.5), Rachel Ranke (4.7), Goth (3.8) and Beard (3.8) have also helped strengthen the team's ability to clean the glass.
"It's still not where we need to be, by any means, but we have definitely taken strides there," Goth said. "That was the main focus all of the preseason, all the of the summer, really. I felt like we did rebounding drill after rebounding drill. But it's definitely improved.
"It's an effort thing. You just have to go get them and you have to go every time."
Wildcats Excited for SEC/Big 12 Challenge; Mittie Likes How Next Few Weeks Set Up
On Tuesday, K-State did not know much about Vanderbilt. Most of this week's practices, Mittie said, would be internally focused. That did not negate from the team's excitement to host a Power Five opponent in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, however.
"It's exciting. You play the same teams in the conference every year. You see similar things every year, so the SEC/Big 12 Challenge is something I always look forward to just because it's new competition. Kind of like the Cancun Challenge, you see new people, new styles of play," Goth said. "The SEC/Big 12 Challenge is huge. I'm looking forward to it."
Mittie, however, said he's looking forward to how this next stretch of games lays out. Particularly, he likes how many practices it will allow his team to get in between them.
After Vanderbilt, K-State faces Lamar on Wednesday, December 5, followed by a road game against Little Rock on Saturday, December 8. From there, the Wildcats get more than a week to prepare for its battle with Arizona State in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on Sunday, December 16. K-State finishes its non-conference slate at Bramlage Coliseum against Central Arkansas (December 20) and Northern Iowa (December 29).
"Now it's time to get some practice in," Mittie said. "I like the way our schedule sets up, quite honestly. We do have a stretch here where we can practice. I probably like it a lot more than the players, but I think it's critical for us to get on the floor to address these things."
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