SE: Lauterbach Ready to Go After Year as a K-State Commit
Aug 03, 2020 | Women's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
Given everything that's happened since Taylor Lauterbach committed to K-State last summer, it's easy to forget how important her decision was for the Wildcats.
Lauterbach had no way of knowing that her first summer workout at K-State would involve wearing a black mask as she went through practice. Or that she would have to spend two weeks in quarantine before she ever stepped onto a basketball court in Manhattan.
Sure, it's a different world now then on the day Lauterbach decided her basketball future was in the Flint Hills, but K-State is still K-State.
And Lauterbach, a top-100 player in the class of 2020, is still excited about her future with the program.
"I love how this is a family culture. That's really cooI. I want to have that family with me on the court and off the court," she said. "This season, we're talking about honoring the journey."
Lauterbach's journey to K-State began in Wisconsin, a recent pipeline for the Wildcats that has featured All-Big 12 performers Breanna Lewis (2013-17) and Kayla Goth (2015-19).
The Appleton native has all the tools to succeed in one of the most challenging conferences in the country, a 6-6 post presence who averaged nearly a double-double a night in 2019.
An ESPN scout noted that Lauterbach is "mobile in transition" which seems a little unfair given she's also the tallest player on the Wildcats. Her favorite player is both a hometown favorite and a potential basketball blueprint: Giannis Antetokounmpo.
But for all the ability that Lauterbach brings to K-State on the court, her focus after committing to the Wildcats was on a different part of her role as a teammate.
"I think my leadership qualities really helped me grow as a player during my senior year," Lauterbach said. "I was one of two seniors on a really young team, so I think I was able to take all of the young players under my wing and really help them."
With success in the gym as a constant, one of the biggest changes to Lauterbach's routine as a senior in high school was following her future K-State teammates throughout the 2019-20 season.
"My dad and I watched every game that we could. I think just watching them, you pick up on different things like the set plays they're running or what their intentions are," Lauterbach said. "I just think it's cool when you get to say, 'Oh, I'm going to be a part of this' and now when I talk to the coaches, they can tell me, 'Oh yeah, here's what our strategy was in that game.' It's exciting when you get to come in and be that person."
Watching K-State last season, Lauterbach also got to see the rise of Ayoka Lee from a three-star recruit when she arrived from Minnesota into the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2020.
Consider this: There were few players in the Big 12 taller than Lee last season, who is among a handful of 6'5' centers throughout the conference. Lauterbach is listed at 6'6'.
Pairing Lee and Lauterbach – potentially for the next three seasons – should give the Wildcats a frontcourt loaded with potential.
"I think just working with her and having her push me is really going to help me develop as a player," Lauterbach said. "It's going to be really cool to learn from Yokie this year."
Like her new teammate, Lauterbach was a big recruiting win for Jeff Mittie and his staff in the heart of Big Ten country.
Growing up just two hours from Madison, where Wisconsin was among her top two schools, Lauterbach said she and her dad didn't miss a Badgers basketball game when she was a kid.
Though she didn't pick up the sport until middle school, Lauterbach started following Wisconsin women's hoops as she began to focus on preparing for a college basketball career.
"My family were always huge Wisconsin fans," she said. "Being around that basketball culture really helped me."
In choosing K-State over the Badgers (and interest from conference rivals Iowa State) Lauterbach decided to follow a different path than the school she grew up watching.
K-State hasn't missed the postseason since Mittie arrived in 2014 and Lauterbach said that the Wildcats history of success was an important factor for her when she joined the program.
"Coach Mittie told me that he wants me to be a dominant player in the post," Lauterbach said. "He just wants Yokie and I to work well together and for me to develop as a game-changer."
Lauterbach's first few months in Manhattan have been anything but normal, but basketball has already given her a chance to showcase what she could bring to the Wildcats this season.
Mittie named her the program's first "Worker of the Week" during summer workouts and for Lauterbach, the offseason accolades are only the beginning.
"I've got some pretty big shoes to fill," she said. "But, I'm excited to get started."
Given everything that's happened since Taylor Lauterbach committed to K-State last summer, it's easy to forget how important her decision was for the Wildcats.
Lauterbach had no way of knowing that her first summer workout at K-State would involve wearing a black mask as she went through practice. Or that she would have to spend two weeks in quarantine before she ever stepped onto a basketball court in Manhattan.
Sure, it's a different world now then on the day Lauterbach decided her basketball future was in the Flint Hills, but K-State is still K-State.
And Lauterbach, a top-100 player in the class of 2020, is still excited about her future with the program.
"I love how this is a family culture. That's really cooI. I want to have that family with me on the court and off the court," she said. "This season, we're talking about honoring the journey."
Lauterbach's journey to K-State began in Wisconsin, a recent pipeline for the Wildcats that has featured All-Big 12 performers Breanna Lewis (2013-17) and Kayla Goth (2015-19).
The Appleton native has all the tools to succeed in one of the most challenging conferences in the country, a 6-6 post presence who averaged nearly a double-double a night in 2019.
An ESPN scout noted that Lauterbach is "mobile in transition" which seems a little unfair given she's also the tallest player on the Wildcats. Her favorite player is both a hometown favorite and a potential basketball blueprint: Giannis Antetokounmpo.
But for all the ability that Lauterbach brings to K-State on the court, her focus after committing to the Wildcats was on a different part of her role as a teammate.
"I think my leadership qualities really helped me grow as a player during my senior year," Lauterbach said. "I was one of two seniors on a really young team, so I think I was able to take all of the young players under my wing and really help them."
Lauterbach has also gotten stronger and added more variety to a game that led ESPNW Hoopgurlz to rank her among the top 15 centers in the 2020 recruiting class.tw-align-centerPut in the work
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) July 24, 2020
⭐️ @tlauterbach41#KStateWBB x Week 1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/R7zHlN1sG1
With success in the gym as a constant, one of the biggest changes to Lauterbach's routine as a senior in high school was following her future K-State teammates throughout the 2019-20 season.
"My dad and I watched every game that we could. I think just watching them, you pick up on different things like the set plays they're running or what their intentions are," Lauterbach said. "I just think it's cool when you get to say, 'Oh, I'm going to be a part of this' and now when I talk to the coaches, they can tell me, 'Oh yeah, here's what our strategy was in that game.' It's exciting when you get to come in and be that person."
Watching K-State last season, Lauterbach also got to see the rise of Ayoka Lee from a three-star recruit when she arrived from Minnesota into the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2020.
Consider this: There were few players in the Big 12 taller than Lee last season, who is among a handful of 6'5' centers throughout the conference. Lauterbach is listed at 6'6'.
Pairing Lee and Lauterbach – potentially for the next three seasons – should give the Wildcats a frontcourt loaded with potential.
"I think just working with her and having her push me is really going to help me develop as a player," Lauterbach said. "It's going to be really cool to learn from Yokie this year."
Like her new teammate, Lauterbach was a big recruiting win for Jeff Mittie and his staff in the heart of Big Ten country.
Growing up just two hours from Madison, where Wisconsin was among her top two schools, Lauterbach said she and her dad didn't miss a Badgers basketball game when she was a kid.
Though she didn't pick up the sport until middle school, Lauterbach started following Wisconsin women's hoops as she began to focus on preparing for a college basketball career.
"My family were always huge Wisconsin fans," she said. "Being around that basketball culture really helped me."
In choosing K-State over the Badgers (and interest from conference rivals Iowa State) Lauterbach decided to follow a different path than the school she grew up watching.
K-State hasn't missed the postseason since Mittie arrived in 2014 and Lauterbach said that the Wildcats history of success was an important factor for her when she joined the program.
"Coach Mittie told me that he wants me to be a dominant player in the post," Lauterbach said. "He just wants Yokie and I to work well together and for me to develop as a game-changer."
Lauterbach's first few months in Manhattan have been anything but normal, but basketball has already given her a chance to showcase what she could bring to the Wildcats this season.
Mittie named her the program's first "Worker of the Week" during summer workouts and for Lauterbach, the offseason accolades are only the beginning.
"I've got some pretty big shoes to fill," she said. "But, I'm excited to get started."
Players Mentioned
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