Promoting the Game and Paying it Forward
Dec 14, 2023 | Women's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Missy Heidrick is enthused. A former Kansas State shooting guard in the 1990s, Heidrick serves as a basketball analyst for television and radio, a contributing correspondent for The Next, and a Women's Basketball Naismith Award board of selectors member.
Is she busy? Yes. October through April is her busy time, as she and Jay, her husband (and former K-State men's basketball player) balance careers with family (they have two children), but she wouldn't have it any other way.
The one-time intern with the K-State athletics department,
Heidrick has spent more than 20 years building herself into a prominent regional face for college women's basketball through hard-hitting analysis, and she continues to expand her duties as a columnist and podcast host for The Next, a website dedicated to college, international and WNBA basketball.
"I enjoy promoting the game and paying it forward and telling the stories because there are so many outstanding stories within women's college basketball — amazing stories," she says. "It's a lot of fun being able to tell them."
D. Scott Fritchen spoke with Heidrick about her beginnings at K-State and her accomplished career for K-State Sports Extra:
D. Scott Fritchen: When was the first time you visited K-State?
Missy Heidrick: I was born and raised in Minnesota. My first visit to K-State was on my recruiting trip in the fall of 1992. That was actually my first-ever plane ride. When I was young, our family always travelled by car for road trips. So, I boarded an airplane in Minneapolis, flew to Kansas City, and took the smaller plane, the puddle-jumper, to Manhattan. I was familiar with Manhattan because of the coaching staff. I'd had exposure to the Big Eight and that type of campus because my sister, who's five years older than me, played at Iowa State in the 1980s and 1990s. I was exposed to college towns, so when I arrived in Manhattan, I really liked it, and I felt like it was a place that I could call home.
Fritchen: Had you heard much about K-State prior to your visit to Manhattan?
Heidrick: Not really. Being in Minnesota, you're in Big Ten country, and at the time the only Division I institution in the state was the University of Minnesota. Everything was about the Golden Gophers. That's what you knew. Everybody grew up a Twins fan and a Vikings fan. I was a North Stars fan before it disappeared for a while and came back. But until my sister attended Iowa State, I didn't know much about the Big Eight or Kansas State. When Kansas State started to recruit me, some of those things started to click, but I didn't know much about Kansas State or Manhattan back then.
Fritchen: What did you enjoy most about your basketball experience at K-State?
Heidrick: For me, I went to Kansas State because — and this might sound corny — but I went to Kansas State because of the people, the people that I met, and the people who convinced me this was going to be a great place for me. They told me about the opportunities and what they were building as an institution and as an athletic department. When you're a recruit and you sit in the office of Jon Wefald, and he tells you about all the things and the vision that they have for the institution, it's a great selling point. Obviously, a big part of the experience is what you experience with other people, and I'm very fortunate to still call some of my former teammates my very best friends. I met Jay, my husband, at Kansas State, and I started my professional career outside of basketball there. Those are things that stand out the most.
On the court, as a senior, we made it all the way to the finals of the first-ever Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, and Kansas State went to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 10 years. Those are the kinds of things you can hang your hat on. Those are pretty cool things. There are a lot of people who go their entire collegiate career as a Division I, Division II or Division III level and never make it to a postseason tournament.
Fritchen: What was your major at K-State? What interested you?
Heidrick: I was a marketing and international business major. I didn't exactly know what I wanted to do for a career, but my fifth year of school, following my playing career, I served as an intern in the athletic department. My first job upon graduation was as the assistant marketing director for the Kansas State athletic department, and that got me going on a 20-plus year career in higher education.
Fritchen: It seems like you do so much for the game of women's basketball. Exactly how would you describe your current occupation?
Heidrick: Currently, I'd say I'm a freelance basketball analyst and journalist. A few years ago, I went into a consulting business for small-business consulting, marketing and strategic planning, but over the last few years I've really dove into working as an analyst for both women's and men's basketball, and I've been able to hook on with an outstanding group of people at The Next, which is a 24-7, 365-day women's platform. It's actually one of the fastest-growing women's basketball platforms in the nation, covering college, international and WNBA basketball. I kind of live and breathe in that college basketball space, so I've enjoyed the opportunity to write and do feature articles. Now I write a weekly column for The Next and host a podcast. It has given me a whole host of opportunities to connect with people. I enjoy promoting the game and paying it forward and telling the stories because there are so many outstanding stories within women's college basketball — amazing stories. It's a lot of fun being able to tell them.
Fritchen: When did you become interested in sports broadcasting?
Heidrick: I was working at the University of Kansas while Jay, my husband, was in law school. We were living in Lawrence, and I was asked to do some women's basketball broadcasts. I started in radio and didn't have any professional training, which was very obvious in the very beginning, but my hope was that I could explain basketball simplistically for somebody listening and watching. Sometimes you have to give somebody a really simple idea of what's going on or what they're seeing. It morphed into television and doing a little bit more. Once I had kids, to be honest, being on the road all the time doing radio was really hard, so doing TV gave me an opportunity to be able to set my schedule and pick and choose to have that flexibility. It's been a lot of fun.
Fritchen: Were you instantly hooked when you became a sports broadcaster?
Heidrick: I've always seen the game a little bit different than most people because I'm a coach's kid — my dad would still say he's a coach even though he is retired — so I grew up around the game, and I was a point guard, so you tend to see the game a little bit differently, and so for me analyzing the game is second nature. I applaud the people who have the ability to analyze multiple sports. I'd have to do a lot of research and dedicate a lot of time if somebody asked me to serve as analyst for volleyball or soccer. But basketball comes naturally to me. My goal is to always share what I see, and what I see is something very different than what somebody else might see. I think players just have a different perspective. Serving as an analyst is a great way to stay engaged in the game in a different way. I didn't see myself as a high school or college coach, so this is just a great way for me to keep my fingers in the game and to be a part of it.
I'm very fortunate in the way that our family unit is set up that I have the flexibility to be able to pursue additional opportunities. I always look at the basketball season from mid-October to April as my busy time because I'm not only now doing games and not just at Kansas State but for other conferences and on other networks. Plus, the work that I've done with The Next and those things, I just think that for me it's always been about making the most of these opportunities and hopefully growing as an analyst and journalist and that people might take notice. I've had people help me with breaks along the way and open doors, but you have to be the one willing to do the work.
Fritchen: What are the challenges in balancing work, family and sports?
Heidrick: Just like any other working parent, you're trying to balance when you're gone and the time you need to spend on work. You might be working from 9 to midnight on some nights or until 9 to 5 during the day. It just depends. In my family, Jay and I have done a really good job creating a balance and respecting both of our careers and choices that we make and supporting those, and our kids have been super supportive. They thought it was cool to see mom on TV. That was kind of fun. I applaud that. Again, it's just like anything, it kind of takes a village and you figure it out like all working parents do. I've also been fortunate because of my flexibility. During the summers when my kids are on the travel softball circuit or travel basketball and baseball, I can be there, which I really do enjoy.
Fritchen: Do you consider the Heidrick household to be a K-State family?
Heidrick: Absolutely. It's engrained. It's your roots. That's where it all started. But my oldest isn't at K-State and she's a student-athlete herself and plays softball at Lindenwood University, so we're a Lindenwood family now. But there is a lot of purple in our house and it's something that we pride ourselves on. I always think that K-State gave me a ton of opportunities and you just try to pay it forward, but there's a lot of purple and white in our house for sure.
Fritchen: You've been around the business for 20-plus years. What have you learned most about yourself during your journey?
Heidrick: I'm pretty resilient. We all get knocked down a little bit at times professionally, and I think my time as a student-athlete taught me that the most: you have to be willing to put the work in and willing to get back up when you get knocked down. I think I've found myself to have a little bit more resiliency than I thought I did when I was younger. As any working parent will tell you, we can all operate on a lot less sleep than we ever thought we could, but that's why they make coffee, and Starbucks can be your best friend. But I've also learned that when you have a really great support system around you — family and friends and professionals — it goes a long way. When you have a network and a circle of people around you in and out of your professional life that makes a big difference. I've always been kind of picky and choosy about the people I surround myself with sometimes by design. Because of that, I feel incredibly confident in the work that I'm able to do and I've put together in 49 years, and we'll see where the rest of it takes me.
Missy Heidrick is enthused. A former Kansas State shooting guard in the 1990s, Heidrick serves as a basketball analyst for television and radio, a contributing correspondent for The Next, and a Women's Basketball Naismith Award board of selectors member.
Is she busy? Yes. October through April is her busy time, as she and Jay, her husband (and former K-State men's basketball player) balance careers with family (they have two children), but she wouldn't have it any other way.
The one-time intern with the K-State athletics department,
Heidrick has spent more than 20 years building herself into a prominent regional face for college women's basketball through hard-hitting analysis, and she continues to expand her duties as a columnist and podcast host for The Next, a website dedicated to college, international and WNBA basketball.
"I enjoy promoting the game and paying it forward and telling the stories because there are so many outstanding stories within women's college basketball — amazing stories," she says. "It's a lot of fun being able to tell them."
D. Scott Fritchen spoke with Heidrick about her beginnings at K-State and her accomplished career for K-State Sports Extra:
D. Scott Fritchen: When was the first time you visited K-State?
Missy Heidrick: I was born and raised in Minnesota. My first visit to K-State was on my recruiting trip in the fall of 1992. That was actually my first-ever plane ride. When I was young, our family always travelled by car for road trips. So, I boarded an airplane in Minneapolis, flew to Kansas City, and took the smaller plane, the puddle-jumper, to Manhattan. I was familiar with Manhattan because of the coaching staff. I'd had exposure to the Big Eight and that type of campus because my sister, who's five years older than me, played at Iowa State in the 1980s and 1990s. I was exposed to college towns, so when I arrived in Manhattan, I really liked it, and I felt like it was a place that I could call home.
Fritchen: Had you heard much about K-State prior to your visit to Manhattan?
Heidrick: Not really. Being in Minnesota, you're in Big Ten country, and at the time the only Division I institution in the state was the University of Minnesota. Everything was about the Golden Gophers. That's what you knew. Everybody grew up a Twins fan and a Vikings fan. I was a North Stars fan before it disappeared for a while and came back. But until my sister attended Iowa State, I didn't know much about the Big Eight or Kansas State. When Kansas State started to recruit me, some of those things started to click, but I didn't know much about Kansas State or Manhattan back then.
Fritchen: What did you enjoy most about your basketball experience at K-State?
Heidrick: For me, I went to Kansas State because — and this might sound corny — but I went to Kansas State because of the people, the people that I met, and the people who convinced me this was going to be a great place for me. They told me about the opportunities and what they were building as an institution and as an athletic department. When you're a recruit and you sit in the office of Jon Wefald, and he tells you about all the things and the vision that they have for the institution, it's a great selling point. Obviously, a big part of the experience is what you experience with other people, and I'm very fortunate to still call some of my former teammates my very best friends. I met Jay, my husband, at Kansas State, and I started my professional career outside of basketball there. Those are things that stand out the most.
On the court, as a senior, we made it all the way to the finals of the first-ever Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, and Kansas State went to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 10 years. Those are the kinds of things you can hang your hat on. Those are pretty cool things. There are a lot of people who go their entire collegiate career as a Division I, Division II or Division III level and never make it to a postseason tournament.
Fritchen: What was your major at K-State? What interested you?
Heidrick: I was a marketing and international business major. I didn't exactly know what I wanted to do for a career, but my fifth year of school, following my playing career, I served as an intern in the athletic department. My first job upon graduation was as the assistant marketing director for the Kansas State athletic department, and that got me going on a 20-plus year career in higher education.
Fritchen: It seems like you do so much for the game of women's basketball. Exactly how would you describe your current occupation?
Heidrick: Currently, I'd say I'm a freelance basketball analyst and journalist. A few years ago, I went into a consulting business for small-business consulting, marketing and strategic planning, but over the last few years I've really dove into working as an analyst for both women's and men's basketball, and I've been able to hook on with an outstanding group of people at The Next, which is a 24-7, 365-day women's platform. It's actually one of the fastest-growing women's basketball platforms in the nation, covering college, international and WNBA basketball. I kind of live and breathe in that college basketball space, so I've enjoyed the opportunity to write and do feature articles. Now I write a weekly column for The Next and host a podcast. It has given me a whole host of opportunities to connect with people. I enjoy promoting the game and paying it forward and telling the stories because there are so many outstanding stories within women's college basketball — amazing stories. It's a lot of fun being able to tell them.
Fritchen: When did you become interested in sports broadcasting?
Heidrick: I was working at the University of Kansas while Jay, my husband, was in law school. We were living in Lawrence, and I was asked to do some women's basketball broadcasts. I started in radio and didn't have any professional training, which was very obvious in the very beginning, but my hope was that I could explain basketball simplistically for somebody listening and watching. Sometimes you have to give somebody a really simple idea of what's going on or what they're seeing. It morphed into television and doing a little bit more. Once I had kids, to be honest, being on the road all the time doing radio was really hard, so doing TV gave me an opportunity to be able to set my schedule and pick and choose to have that flexibility. It's been a lot of fun.
Fritchen: Were you instantly hooked when you became a sports broadcaster?
Heidrick: I've always seen the game a little bit different than most people because I'm a coach's kid — my dad would still say he's a coach even though he is retired — so I grew up around the game, and I was a point guard, so you tend to see the game a little bit differently, and so for me analyzing the game is second nature. I applaud the people who have the ability to analyze multiple sports. I'd have to do a lot of research and dedicate a lot of time if somebody asked me to serve as analyst for volleyball or soccer. But basketball comes naturally to me. My goal is to always share what I see, and what I see is something very different than what somebody else might see. I think players just have a different perspective. Serving as an analyst is a great way to stay engaged in the game in a different way. I didn't see myself as a high school or college coach, so this is just a great way for me to keep my fingers in the game and to be a part of it.
I'm very fortunate in the way that our family unit is set up that I have the flexibility to be able to pursue additional opportunities. I always look at the basketball season from mid-October to April as my busy time because I'm not only now doing games and not just at Kansas State but for other conferences and on other networks. Plus, the work that I've done with The Next and those things, I just think that for me it's always been about making the most of these opportunities and hopefully growing as an analyst and journalist and that people might take notice. I've had people help me with breaks along the way and open doors, but you have to be the one willing to do the work.
Fritchen: What are the challenges in balancing work, family and sports?
Heidrick: Just like any other working parent, you're trying to balance when you're gone and the time you need to spend on work. You might be working from 9 to midnight on some nights or until 9 to 5 during the day. It just depends. In my family, Jay and I have done a really good job creating a balance and respecting both of our careers and choices that we make and supporting those, and our kids have been super supportive. They thought it was cool to see mom on TV. That was kind of fun. I applaud that. Again, it's just like anything, it kind of takes a village and you figure it out like all working parents do. I've also been fortunate because of my flexibility. During the summers when my kids are on the travel softball circuit or travel basketball and baseball, I can be there, which I really do enjoy.
Fritchen: Do you consider the Heidrick household to be a K-State family?
Heidrick: Absolutely. It's engrained. It's your roots. That's where it all started. But my oldest isn't at K-State and she's a student-athlete herself and plays softball at Lindenwood University, so we're a Lindenwood family now. But there is a lot of purple in our house and it's something that we pride ourselves on. I always think that K-State gave me a ton of opportunities and you just try to pay it forward, but there's a lot of purple and white in our house for sure.
Fritchen: You've been around the business for 20-plus years. What have you learned most about yourself during your journey?
Heidrick: I'm pretty resilient. We all get knocked down a little bit at times professionally, and I think my time as a student-athlete taught me that the most: you have to be willing to put the work in and willing to get back up when you get knocked down. I think I've found myself to have a little bit more resiliency than I thought I did when I was younger. As any working parent will tell you, we can all operate on a lot less sleep than we ever thought we could, but that's why they make coffee, and Starbucks can be your best friend. But I've also learned that when you have a really great support system around you — family and friends and professionals — it goes a long way. When you have a network and a circle of people around you in and out of your professional life that makes a big difference. I've always been kind of picky and choosy about the people I surround myself with sometimes by design. Because of that, I feel incredibly confident in the work that I'm able to do and I've put together in 49 years, and we'll see where the rest of it takes me.
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