Basketball is in Her Blood

By: D. Scott Fritchen

She sits in a gray metal folding chair in the innards of the lower corridor of the T-Mobile Center on Tuesday morning, wearing a radio headset during an interview on News Radio KMAN, and as 19-year-old Izela Arenas speaks to a live radio audience for the first time as a member of the Kansas State women's basketball team, what quickly becomes ever-present is the number stitched onto the back of her purple jersey.

Zero.

And if you've heard of the family, and if you've watched her father, you know it's a nod to the man who, along with her mother, helped basketball dreams come true. Izela is the oldest child of Gilbert Arenas, the former NBA superstar, who shares four children with Laura Govan — Izela, Alijah, Hamiley and Aloni.

Gilbert Arenas was a three-time NBA All-Star who scored more than 11,000 points over a 12-year career with the Golden State Warriors (2001-03), Washington Wizards (2003-10), Orlando Magic (2010-11) and Memphis Grizzlies (2012).

He was nicknamed "Agent Zero" while playing with Washington.

Because he wore jersey number zero.

And his shot was deadly.

"I used to look at old photos in my cute little outfits when I'd see my dad play," she says, "and that was really awesome."

Those are timeworn memories, of course, but the teachings of Gilbert and Laura, who played basketball at New Mexico State from 1999 to 2000, remain alive and well inside the hearts of all their talented basketball-playing children. Izela, a 5-foot-9 guard who entered the transfer portal on March 25 after spending her freshman season at Louisville, signed on with K-State on April 19.

She smiles while speaking at the Big 12 Women's Basketball Media Day event at T-Mobile Center when she says that K-State and Manhattan feel like home.

"It just felt like family coming here," she says. "I knew K-State was the right place for me."

She smiles even wider when talking about her siblings.

"I honestly think my game is similar to my siblings," she says. "My sister is a really good shooter, my little brother is very versatile with a lot of quick moves, and I also take after my other brother, who's very calm. I love that about him. He always has a game face. He's always focused."

When it comes to her parents, she gushes.

"It's kind of cool," she says. "It's not just basketball. My parents grew up around all kinds of sports when I was younger. My mom had me and my siblings play tennis, soccer, golf, volleyball. Just having a sports family is pretty cool, and the fact all my cousins and uncles and aunties all played is really special to me."

There's dad.

"Dad definitely tells me all the nicks and crannies of basketball and what I should do before games and who I should watch during games," Izela says.

There's mom.

"My mom, I definitely talk with her the most about basketball," Izela says. "She's definitely my shoulder to cry on."

And there were tears, plenty of tears, when this basketball story began.

"The story is I wasn't into basketball when I was younger," Arenas says. "I was in love with soccer. Then after my soccer championship, my parents had a basketball jersey and basketball shoes, and said, 'You've had a good run in soccer. Now it's time to play basketball.' I cried the whole way to my first basketball game. That was the first time I picked up a basketball."

That's just the beginning.

"I definitely learned discipline from my parents," she says. "At a very young age, my parents always had me and my siblings at 24-Hour Fitness at 4:00 a.m. getting up shots. Ever since then, it's been an every-day thing, and it hasn't stopped since."

Her years of hard work paid off.

Izela's high school team, Sierra Canyon High School in Chatsworth, California, also featured former two-time NBA All-Star Zach Randolph's daughter, Mackenly Randolph, and then-No. 1 ranked high school player in the country, Juju Watkins. The trio helped Sierra Canyon to an ESPN national championship and four league championships. During Izela's junior season, the team was ranked No. 1 with a 31-1 record.

"It was one of the best times of my life," Arenas says.

So too, was how Izela captured the Overtime Elite Takeover in front of a star-studded audience in Atlanta in May 2023. Playing in front of Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, LSU champs Angel Reese and Flau'jae Johnson, UConn guard Paige Bueckers, and future NBA players Amen and Ausar Thompson, Izela shined in the 1-on-1 showcase that pits some of the top female high school basketball players in the nation. With her father capturing everything on camera, she closed the final round by sinking four straight 3-pointers to earn the Queen of the Court title.

One of the highest-rated women's basketball players in the nation in the Class of 2024, the four-star Arenas became one of seven players to join Louisville as a part of their 2024 recruiting class. She averaged 11.8 minutes while appearing in 29 games off the bench and averaged 4.2 points and 0.9 assists per game. Laura Govan attended her oldest daughter's first game at Louisville and shared her excitement on Instagram with her 1.5 million followers. Govan wrote: "That's my baby."

When Arenas decided to find another basketball home, she thought about moving closer to her hometown in Los Angeles.

Then K-State assistant coach Staci Foss came calling.

"We saw Arenas in high school and in AAU ball," K-State head coach Jeff Mittie says. "When she signed with Louisville, we follow those players, and Staci Foss was in charge of recruiting her out of high school, and you follow those kids because you already have a little bit of a relationship built up with them. Boy, in today's era of college athletics, you don't shut any doors. If you don't get them the first time, you might get them the second or third. We were fortunate to get her."

When Arenas entered the portal, Mittie didn't hesitate.

"Right when she entered the portal (we called)," Mittie says. "It's speed dating. You're on there quickly with them and making decisions in real time. It's not a lengthy recruiting. So, there are a lot of conversations going on. It's a fast-moving process now. We knew it was mutual that she was a player we had a high interest in."

Arenas, at the time, wasn't considering K-State.

"Honestly, it wasn't on my radar," she says. "I wasn't really looking to go to the Big 12. I was more focused on trying to go back home, but one of the coaches, Staci, called me, and I said, 'Why not? Let's give it a try.' When I stepped foot in Manhattan, everything changed. It felt like home, I loved the coaches, and I loved the players.'"

And she loves the practice gym at the Ice Family Basketball Center.

"I've tapped into things I didn't know I could do," she says. "I'm a very versatile player. With my name being 'Arenas,' it's always offense, but honestly, I've tapped into the defense throughout my years in playing with and against boys when I was younger. Definitely defense. This summer I've been working on being a leader and definitely I've been working on my midrange."

Mittie appears pleased with what he's seen out of a potential rising star for the Wildcats.

"She's a quick guard, really plays the ball screen well," Mittie says. "A year ago, she shot the 3 very efficiently. We're going to try to get her to hunt a few more 3s, maybe not the efficiency level, but we definitely want that to be a big part of her game."

The discipline that Izela's parents instilled into her at a young age? It's on display every night…er…morning at the Ice Family Basketball Training Center.

It is believed that Arenas is the first K-State women's basketball player to get up shots at 5:00 a.m. every morning.

"That is a fact," she says. "Every day, Monday through Friday, I wake up at 4:45 a.m., and I'm gone. I don't even brush my teeth."

Her routine has already become legendary.

"Our building is open 24/7, but technically they won't let anyone in there from midnight to 5:00 a.m.," Mittie says. "Twice this summer campus police wanted to know why someone was trying to get in there at 4:45 a.m. That just shows a discipline and work ethic. Let's be honest, to do that, you have to get to bed fairly early to do it — and she was in the gym the night before."

He pauses,

"She's been great," he adds, "and some of that is she witnessed what it takes to be really, really good at the highest level."

Her name is Izela.

Number zero.

Just like her dad.

Kansas State University Athletics

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