SE: Goth Eager for Trip Back to Home State of Wisconsin to Face (17/19) Arizona State on Sunday
Dec 14, 2018 | Women's Basketball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Kayla Goth grew up in Wisconsin and gained interest from Big Ten schools as one of the state's standout players, but she had watched Big 12 basketball closely. She gravitated toward the league's pace and athleticism.
"I knew I wanted to play in the Big 12," she said. "K-State gave me that opportunity."
K-State's coaching staff also gave her a promise: If she came to Manhattan, they would try to get a game scheduled close to her hometown of DeForest before her career ended.
This weekend, four-plus years later, that promise will be fulfilled. The Wildcats (7-2) take on (17/19) Arizona State on Sunday in the Battle by the Bluff in La Crosse, Wisconsin, about two hours from where Goth grew up.
"It's awesome. It says a lot about the coaching staff here," Goth said. "It was definitely something that was big for me coming down here. I wanted to get close to home, periodically, and the fact that they were able to keep that promise was huge."
Getting players games close to home is a normal selling point for any program. Sunday's game on the campus of UW-La Crosse is not exactly typical, however.
It was put together by K-State associate head coach Brian Ostermann, whose duties include creating the Wildcats' non-conference schedule. At first, he tried to get a team in the region scheduled. When that did not pan out, he came across Arizona State, which was looking to fill a non-conference game and has a few players from the region on its roster.
"We've kind of made it a unique event," K-State head coach Jeff Mittie said of the weekend, which will also include a clinic for coaches and kids on Saturday. "Coach O's put a lot of work into this one."
No one appreciates it more than Goth. She has not played in her home state since tearing her ACL late in her senior season at DeForest High School, a fact she's not focused on this time around.
"I've had plenty of other injuries since I've been here," she laughed.
Instead, K-State's senior said her return home to play in front of more than 100 family, friends, former teammates and coaches creates a full-circle type of feeling for a few reasons.
To start, she was a point guard throughout her high school career but was moved to the two for her first two years at K-State, only to switch back last year. Now, she's one of the best point guards in the country, averaging 11.3 points, 6.3 assists and 1.8 steals. Between her scores and assists, she has accounted for 43.0 percent of K-State's made fields this season, best in the Big 12.
"Everyone's looking at me now like they were then," Goth, named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday, said. "It's definitely come full circle."
Within that development, Goth said she's overcome a habit she could not in high school. She used to be unselfish to a fault. Her high school coach, she recalled, would tell her the team would win more games if she would be a little more selfish with the ball.
At K-State, she's found a healthier balance of getting her teammates involved and utilizing her scoring abilities.
"Coach Mittie has gotten that out of me," she said. "It's kind of been a necessity for me to score. I'm definitely being more willing to do whatever my teammates need me to do."
Former teammates started blowing up Goth with text messages when Sunday's game was announced with K-State's full non-conference schedule in June. She even received some pictures from the year she helped lead her team to the WIAA Division 2 state championship game.
All of it adds a nostalgic factor to Sunday's game.
Her mother bought 100-plus tickets for it. They went fast. On top of friends, family, former coaches and teammates, Goth said her high school's current team and multiple teams in its league are coming to see her.
"It's cool to get a lot of those people involved," she said. "Even people I wasn't exactly friends with in high school are coming, so it's really cool to be able bring everyone back."
If all goes well, Goth hopes to bring back a personal tradition from her home state. She wants to eat at Culver's, a fast food chain based out of Wisconsin. She has her go-to order memorized to this day.
"ButterBurger, only cheese, ketchup and pickles; cheese curds instead of fries; and a chocolate chip milkshake," she said. "Same thing every time."
Kayla Goth grew up in Wisconsin and gained interest from Big Ten schools as one of the state's standout players, but she had watched Big 12 basketball closely. She gravitated toward the league's pace and athleticism.
"I knew I wanted to play in the Big 12," she said. "K-State gave me that opportunity."
K-State's coaching staff also gave her a promise: If she came to Manhattan, they would try to get a game scheduled close to her hometown of DeForest before her career ended.
This weekend, four-plus years later, that promise will be fulfilled. The Wildcats (7-2) take on (17/19) Arizona State on Sunday in the Battle by the Bluff in La Crosse, Wisconsin, about two hours from where Goth grew up.
"It's awesome. It says a lot about the coaching staff here," Goth said. "It was definitely something that was big for me coming down here. I wanted to get close to home, periodically, and the fact that they were able to keep that promise was huge."
Getting players games close to home is a normal selling point for any program. Sunday's game on the campus of UW-La Crosse is not exactly typical, however.
It was put together by K-State associate head coach Brian Ostermann, whose duties include creating the Wildcats' non-conference schedule. At first, he tried to get a team in the region scheduled. When that did not pan out, he came across Arizona State, which was looking to fill a non-conference game and has a few players from the region on its roster.
"We've kind of made it a unique event," K-State head coach Jeff Mittie said of the weekend, which will also include a clinic for coaches and kids on Saturday. "Coach O's put a lot of work into this one."
No one appreciates it more than Goth. She has not played in her home state since tearing her ACL late in her senior season at DeForest High School, a fact she's not focused on this time around.
"I've had plenty of other injuries since I've been here," she laughed.
Instead, K-State's senior said her return home to play in front of more than 100 family, friends, former teammates and coaches creates a full-circle type of feeling for a few reasons.
To start, she was a point guard throughout her high school career but was moved to the two for her first two years at K-State, only to switch back last year. Now, she's one of the best point guards in the country, averaging 11.3 points, 6.3 assists and 1.8 steals. Between her scores and assists, she has accounted for 43.0 percent of K-State's made fields this season, best in the Big 12.
"Everyone's looking at me now like they were then," Goth, named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday, said. "It's definitely come full circle."
Within that development, Goth said she's overcome a habit she could not in high school. She used to be unselfish to a fault. Her high school coach, she recalled, would tell her the team would win more games if she would be a little more selfish with the ball.
At K-State, she's found a healthier balance of getting her teammates involved and utilizing her scoring abilities.
"Coach Mittie has gotten that out of me," she said. "It's kind of been a necessity for me to score. I'm definitely being more willing to do whatever my teammates need me to do."
Former teammates started blowing up Goth with text messages when Sunday's game was announced with K-State's full non-conference schedule in June. She even received some pictures from the year she helped lead her team to the WIAA Division 2 state championship game.
All of it adds a nostalgic factor to Sunday's game.
Her mother bought 100-plus tickets for it. They went fast. On top of friends, family, former coaches and teammates, Goth said her high school's current team and multiple teams in its league are coming to see her.
"It's cool to get a lot of those people involved," she said. "Even people I wasn't exactly friends with in high school are coming, so it's really cool to be able bring everyone back."
If all goes well, Goth hopes to bring back a personal tradition from her home state. She wants to eat at Culver's, a fast food chain based out of Wisconsin. She has her go-to order memorized to this day.
"ButterBurger, only cheese, ketchup and pickles; cheese curds instead of fries; and a chocolate chip milkshake," she said. "Same thing every time."
Players Mentioned
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