SE: Versatile Pippin Ready to Work after Winding Road to K-State
Nov 27, 2020 | Women's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
On all the stops in her basketball journey, Makayla Pippin has never really worried about the "where."
She was born in Indiana, played high school ball in Maryland, and considered D1 offers in Florida and Pennsylvania before deciding to attend junior college in Arizona. This year, she's playing ball in Kansas.
The requirements for Pippin to give you aggressive, get-to-the-rim minutes on a nightly basis?
Put a basketball in her hands and preferably, a White Castle somewhere within driving distance of the gym.
"Even though the burgers hurt your stomach, you have to go to White Castle," she said. "It's a must."
Pippin arrives in Manhattan after two seasons playing at the JUCO level with Central Arizona College, where she left as a Third Team NJCAA All-American.
But heading to a small junior college in the Phoenix suburbs for her first two seasons of college basketball was an experience that Pippin called "humbling."
She began her high school career playing in the lower divisions of Maryland high school hoops, before transferring to a school where she could showcase her game against some of the top teams in the nation.
By the time she started to hear from college programs, Pippin was a top-150 recruit and the No. 19 forward prospect in the nation, according to ESPNW.
She also, Pippin says now, hadn't really been tested.
"In high school, I was well known in Maryland and given a lot. I'm not saying that I wasn't a hard worker, but I didn't really have to work for it," she said. "A lot of Maryland teams play fast-paced and don't really set up in the half court. It's all running and fast breaks."
For a player like Pippin who likes to play aggressive, it was a system where her athletic ability meant she could thrive.
In her mind, there was never really a question of whether she had the talent to play D1 basketball. Pippin started playing the sport in second grade and her mother, brother and sister are all basketball players.
With Power Five offers to consider out high school, going the JUCO route was more about fit than lack of interest.
After two seasons at Central Arizona, Pippin still has the basketball ability that had schools blowing up her phone out of high school. But now, she's a more battle-tested player, after moving across the country to play her favorite sport in a system that challenged her.
"When I got to JUCO, my coach was super traditional, like old school. You get the ball to the point guard and now we're going to set up a play," she said. "I definitely got a diversity of coaching styles and I think that made me a better player."
Pippin might have had the up-tempo skillset to play a few miles down the road for the "seven seconds or less" Phoenix Suns, but the Vacqueras provided her with an education on how to dominate a game in the half court.
Whether it was cardio or just that Maryland high school hoops mindset, it quickly became apparent at Central Arizona that there was only one person who could slow down Pippin.
"My JUCO coach noticed, 'We can run Makayla all day,' but I just loved the game so much. She had to tell me, 'We'll cut minutes off,' because then she knew it was going to change," Pippin said. "She was a very good person to be around, and not just as a coach."
The results speak for themselves: Pippin averaged 17/9/3 during her sophomore season at Central Arizona, just one rebound away from averaging a double-double every night.
Anything but a stat-stuffer, she helped lead the Vacqueras to a regional title in 2020 and a spot in the NJCAA Tournament, before COVID-19 wiped out the end of Pippin's sophomore season.
That was about the time that Pippin was back in touch with a Power Five program: Kansas State and assistant coach Ebony Haliburton.
"She was there for me, it wasn't even just about basketball. It was about my character and the relationship that we built," Pippin said. "Getting through JUCO, you need a certain amount of [academic] credits and she was just on top of me making sure I had all of that taken care of."
Pippin said she was excited about the chance to join a family-oriented program in Manhattan – after playing basketball so far from her own family, the junior was looking for a second home.
Not to mention, her versatile skill set seems tailor-made for the Big 12.
"I'm aggressive and I like to attack the basket," Pippin said. "That's definitely my go-to, but I also like getting to the free-throw line and drawing contact. My sophomore year, I started shooting threes. So, if you try and guard me so I can't get to the basket, then I'll shoot it. If you play me too close up, I'll just drive."
The only problem for Makayla Pippin at K-State might be that White Castle, a restaurant that was founded in Wichita, has mysteriously disappeared from the state.
The nearest location is all the way in Columbia, Missouri. Even that, with the right attitude, seems fitting.
"Shortcuts aren't always the best route," Pippin said. "I always pictured myself going to a D1 school. I just tried to fight for that."
On all the stops in her basketball journey, Makayla Pippin has never really worried about the "where."
She was born in Indiana, played high school ball in Maryland, and considered D1 offers in Florida and Pennsylvania before deciding to attend junior college in Arizona. This year, she's playing ball in Kansas.
The requirements for Pippin to give you aggressive, get-to-the-rim minutes on a nightly basis?
Put a basketball in her hands and preferably, a White Castle somewhere within driving distance of the gym.
"Even though the burgers hurt your stomach, you have to go to White Castle," she said. "It's a must."
Pippin arrives in Manhattan after two seasons playing at the JUCO level with Central Arizona College, where she left as a Third Team NJCAA All-American.
Work hard, make it look easy #KStateWBB x @MakaylaPippin pic.twitter.com/vL2PRPSJbD
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) August 25, 2020
But heading to a small junior college in the Phoenix suburbs for her first two seasons of college basketball was an experience that Pippin called "humbling."
She began her high school career playing in the lower divisions of Maryland high school hoops, before transferring to a school where she could showcase her game against some of the top teams in the nation.
By the time she started to hear from college programs, Pippin was a top-150 recruit and the No. 19 forward prospect in the nation, according to ESPNW.
She also, Pippin says now, hadn't really been tested.
"In high school, I was well known in Maryland and given a lot. I'm not saying that I wasn't a hard worker, but I didn't really have to work for it," she said. "A lot of Maryland teams play fast-paced and don't really set up in the half court. It's all running and fast breaks."
For a player like Pippin who likes to play aggressive, it was a system where her athletic ability meant she could thrive.
In her mind, there was never really a question of whether she had the talent to play D1 basketball. Pippin started playing the sport in second grade and her mother, brother and sister are all basketball players.
With Power Five offers to consider out high school, going the JUCO route was more about fit than lack of interest.
After two seasons at Central Arizona, Pippin still has the basketball ability that had schools blowing up her phone out of high school. But now, she's a more battle-tested player, after moving across the country to play her favorite sport in a system that challenged her.
"When I got to JUCO, my coach was super traditional, like old school. You get the ball to the point guard and now we're going to set up a play," she said. "I definitely got a diversity of coaching styles and I think that made me a better player."
Pippin might have had the up-tempo skillset to play a few miles down the road for the "seven seconds or less" Phoenix Suns, but the Vacqueras provided her with an education on how to dominate a game in the half court.
Whether it was cardio or just that Maryland high school hoops mindset, it quickly became apparent at Central Arizona that there was only one person who could slow down Pippin.
"My JUCO coach noticed, 'We can run Makayla all day,' but I just loved the game so much. She had to tell me, 'We'll cut minutes off,' because then she knew it was going to change," Pippin said. "She was a very good person to be around, and not just as a coach."
The results speak for themselves: Pippin averaged 17/9/3 during her sophomore season at Central Arizona, just one rebound away from averaging a double-double every night.
Anything but a stat-stuffer, she helped lead the Vacqueras to a regional title in 2020 and a spot in the NJCAA Tournament, before COVID-19 wiped out the end of Pippin's sophomore season.
That was about the time that Pippin was back in touch with a Power Five program: Kansas State and assistant coach Ebony Haliburton.
"She was there for me, it wasn't even just about basketball. It was about my character and the relationship that we built," Pippin said. "Getting through JUCO, you need a certain amount of [academic] credits and she was just on top of me making sure I had all of that taken care of."
Pippin said she was excited about the chance to join a family-oriented program in Manhattan – after playing basketball so far from her own family, the junior was looking for a second home.
Not to mention, her versatile skill set seems tailor-made for the Big 12.
"I'm aggressive and I like to attack the basket," Pippin said. "That's definitely my go-to, but I also like getting to the free-throw line and drawing contact. My sophomore year, I started shooting threes. So, if you try and guard me so I can't get to the basket, then I'll shoot it. If you play me too close up, I'll just drive."
The only problem for Makayla Pippin at K-State might be that White Castle, a restaurant that was founded in Wichita, has mysteriously disappeared from the state.
The nearest location is all the way in Columbia, Missouri. Even that, with the right attitude, seems fitting.
"Shortcuts aren't always the best route," Pippin said. "I always pictured myself going to a D1 school. I just tried to fight for that."
Players Mentioned
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