Wildcat Quartet Excited for Unique Game
May 13, 2022 | Women's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Kansas State sophomores Serena Sundell, Brylee Glenn and Jaelyn Glenn have played in tournaments together since the sixth grade. Once, they won a 17-and-under tournament together in Chicago. This past season, they helped the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament. But the game is about to change, literally, as they head east with junior center Taylor Lauterbach to compete in a different type of tournament Friday.
They'll represent K-State in the 2022 Red Bull USA Basketball 3X Nationals at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts — a 3-on-3 tournament that will feature teams and talent from across the nation.
Instead of playing full court, it's a half-court game; instead of 10-minute quarters, they play a 10-minute game; instead of a 30-second shot clock, they get 12 seconds to attempt a shot. The winning team must reach 21 points — or be the closest to it when time expires.
"We're super excited," Sundell said. "A 3-on-3 tournament is very different. Our chemistry definitely needs to be high. Over the past three weeks of training, we've seen a lot of progress. We're ready to go out there and see what we can do."
K-State opens preliminary rounds against Texafornia on Friday at 3 p.m. The Wildcats then play Stanford on Saturday at 8:10 a.m., followed by a meeting with Seattle Force 10 at 3:10 p.m.
Play-in games from the pool play standings are Saturday night and bracket play for the title begins Sunday morning.
All games will be streamed live on USA Basketball Twitch, USA Basketball 3x3 Twitter and USAB.com/live. Sunday's coverage will be featured on NBA Facebook, NBA YouTube, the NBA App and NBA.com, as well.
Although it's a new venture to Sundell, the Glenn sisters and Lauterbach, it isn't new for K-State. Last year's team of Ayoka Lee, Emilee Ebert, Rachel Ranke and Cymone Goodrich went 2-2 in the 2021 Red Bull USA Basketball 3X Nationals. K-State also won the 2019 Red Bull USA Basketball 3X East Region title.
"It's a fun, fast-paced game," K-State head coach Jeff Mittie said. "We've played a lot of it the last couple years in practice. We see a lot of benefits in this. You could tell a lot about our previous 3-on-3 teams by their preparation prior to the event. They aren't coached by us. We give them resources but it's up to them to do it on their own. It's about organizing themselves. All that can be really beneficial to our team."
Here's part of the reason why it could benefit the Wildcats:
"This is a particularly young team and obviously we have Serena, Brylee and Jaelyn coming off their freshmen years and Taylor has a chance to really get some good minutes," Mittie said. "This group really needs to grow in their leadership area. It becomes a big step for them this summer that they become more comfortable leading and that they become more knowledgeable about the expectations of everything we're doing in our program and in practice and in the weight room — all those things will be beneficial."
Sundell was a unanimous selection to the 2022 Big 12 All-Freshman Team and the first freshman in school history to reach 300 points, 175 assists and 20 blocks in a season. Brylee Glenn was a 2022 Big 12 All-Freshman selection, and Jaelyn was an effective freshman as well.
Lauterbach has played in 55 career games and has recorded 113 rebounds and 30 blocked shots.
On the court, it could be an adjustment, as players at times could be forced to step away from their traditional roles. Sundell, the Wildcats' point guard, could find herself in the post; Brylee and Jaelyn, typically off-guards, could be handling the ball; and Lauterbach, a longer presence inside the paint, could at times find herself along the 3-point line.
"Me, Jaelyn and Serena have been playing together for so long that even though this is a big tournament the nerves are down more," Brylee said. "There's a big comfort level, and Taylor is a hard worker. We all move well together. During this week alone we've seen a lot of improvement in practices.
"I think it's going to be interesting to see what happens because all of us can shoot the 3 and we can all shoot the midrange and drive to the basket. Taylor can also shoot the 3. It'll be interesting to see how we're guarded and how we attack our defenders."
The step-back 3-pointer off-the-dribble 3-pointer have been an emphasis this spring. Sundell and the Glenn sisters regularly put up shots in the gym. Sundell made it a goal to become stronger after the season, and she says that her improved strength has helped her to become a better finisher around the rim.
"We had a good season and Coach Mittie has said multiple times that a part of that is because of how the previous group played well in Massachusetts," Sundell said. "We want to do well in this tournament to prepare for our summer and to go into this season. Coming off our successful season last year, this adds to our confidence."
Games will be played on the Hall of Fame's Jerry Colangelo Court of Dreams, located in the heart of the museum. The event is open to the public with purchase of admission to the Hall of Fame.
Before the tournament begins, K-State players plan to make an important stop.
They want to find Lee's K-State jersey, which hangs in the Hall of Fame after the All-American forward set the Division I scoring record with 61 points against Oklahoma last season.
"We're going to find Yokie's jersey hanging up there somewhere and take a selfie with it," Sundell said. "We have big plans right when we get there."
Kansas State sophomores Serena Sundell, Brylee Glenn and Jaelyn Glenn have played in tournaments together since the sixth grade. Once, they won a 17-and-under tournament together in Chicago. This past season, they helped the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament. But the game is about to change, literally, as they head east with junior center Taylor Lauterbach to compete in a different type of tournament Friday.
They'll represent K-State in the 2022 Red Bull USA Basketball 3X Nationals at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts — a 3-on-3 tournament that will feature teams and talent from across the nation.
Instead of playing full court, it's a half-court game; instead of 10-minute quarters, they play a 10-minute game; instead of a 30-second shot clock, they get 12 seconds to attempt a shot. The winning team must reach 21 points — or be the closest to it when time expires.
"We're super excited," Sundell said. "A 3-on-3 tournament is very different. Our chemistry definitely needs to be high. Over the past three weeks of training, we've seen a lot of progress. We're ready to go out there and see what we can do."
K-State opens preliminary rounds against Texafornia on Friday at 3 p.m. The Wildcats then play Stanford on Saturday at 8:10 a.m., followed by a meeting with Seattle Force 10 at 3:10 p.m.
Play-in games from the pool play standings are Saturday night and bracket play for the title begins Sunday morning.
All games will be streamed live on USA Basketball Twitch, USA Basketball 3x3 Twitter and USAB.com/live. Sunday's coverage will be featured on NBA Facebook, NBA YouTube, the NBA App and NBA.com, as well.
Although it's a new venture to Sundell, the Glenn sisters and Lauterbach, it isn't new for K-State. Last year's team of Ayoka Lee, Emilee Ebert, Rachel Ranke and Cymone Goodrich went 2-2 in the 2021 Red Bull USA Basketball 3X Nationals. K-State also won the 2019 Red Bull USA Basketball 3X East Region title.
"It's a fun, fast-paced game," K-State head coach Jeff Mittie said. "We've played a lot of it the last couple years in practice. We see a lot of benefits in this. You could tell a lot about our previous 3-on-3 teams by their preparation prior to the event. They aren't coached by us. We give them resources but it's up to them to do it on their own. It's about organizing themselves. All that can be really beneficial to our team."
Here's part of the reason why it could benefit the Wildcats:
"This is a particularly young team and obviously we have Serena, Brylee and Jaelyn coming off their freshmen years and Taylor has a chance to really get some good minutes," Mittie said. "This group really needs to grow in their leadership area. It becomes a big step for them this summer that they become more comfortable leading and that they become more knowledgeable about the expectations of everything we're doing in our program and in practice and in the weight room — all those things will be beneficial."
Sundell was a unanimous selection to the 2022 Big 12 All-Freshman Team and the first freshman in school history to reach 300 points, 175 assists and 20 blocks in a season. Brylee Glenn was a 2022 Big 12 All-Freshman selection, and Jaelyn was an effective freshman as well.
Lauterbach has played in 55 career games and has recorded 113 rebounds and 30 blocked shots.
On the court, it could be an adjustment, as players at times could be forced to step away from their traditional roles. Sundell, the Wildcats' point guard, could find herself in the post; Brylee and Jaelyn, typically off-guards, could be handling the ball; and Lauterbach, a longer presence inside the paint, could at times find herself along the 3-point line.
"Me, Jaelyn and Serena have been playing together for so long that even though this is a big tournament the nerves are down more," Brylee said. "There's a big comfort level, and Taylor is a hard worker. We all move well together. During this week alone we've seen a lot of improvement in practices.
"I think it's going to be interesting to see what happens because all of us can shoot the 3 and we can all shoot the midrange and drive to the basket. Taylor can also shoot the 3. It'll be interesting to see how we're guarded and how we attack our defenders."
The step-back 3-pointer off-the-dribble 3-pointer have been an emphasis this spring. Sundell and the Glenn sisters regularly put up shots in the gym. Sundell made it a goal to become stronger after the season, and she says that her improved strength has helped her to become a better finisher around the rim.
"We had a good season and Coach Mittie has said multiple times that a part of that is because of how the previous group played well in Massachusetts," Sundell said. "We want to do well in this tournament to prepare for our summer and to go into this season. Coming off our successful season last year, this adds to our confidence."
Games will be played on the Hall of Fame's Jerry Colangelo Court of Dreams, located in the heart of the museum. The event is open to the public with purchase of admission to the Hall of Fame.
Before the tournament begins, K-State players plan to make an important stop.
They want to find Lee's K-State jersey, which hangs in the Hall of Fame after the All-American forward set the Division I scoring record with 61 points against Oklahoma last season.
"We're going to find Yokie's jersey hanging up there somewhere and take a selfie with it," Sundell said. "We have big plans right when we get there."
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