 |
| Kansas State coach Deb Patterson reacts to a call during a game last season. The Wildcats will face the task of moving on without an experienced starting lineup this season. Mercury file photo. |
Gone is Danielle Zanotti.
And gone is Shalee Lehning.
Three vital pieces to the puzzle shaped around a Big 12 title two years ago and back-to-back trips to the NCAA tournament are all gone. The Wildcats now must forge ahead with a small handful of familiar faces in somewhat new roles — all while adding more youth to a starting lineup than they have seen in some time.
"I look at this season as a process toward a place we want to get to, as opposed to a year ago when we were in a place we felt pretty solid in when we started with the first game," KSU coach Deb Patterson said Wednesday during Big 12 media days at the Sprint Center.
Only senior forward Ashley Sweat and fourth-year guard Kari Kincaid return from a K-State team that finished 25-8 overall and advanced to the second round of the NCAAs last season.
While Sweat is the clear-cut offensive leader for the Wildcats after coming off a season in which she averaged 16.9 points and 5.5 rebounds a game, beyond that, the point distribution becomes dramatically more challenging to identify.
Kincaid, who has primarily been a spot-up perimeter shooter for this team, chipped in 7.1 points a game last season. Nobody else that remains scored more than 3.2 points a game though, leaving a lot of production to be decided as the Cats prepare for their season opener against Indiana State on Nov. 14.
But even Sweat's success rides on her supporting cast as K-State tries to find a new point guard to replace Lehning, one of the most prolific passers in Big 12 history.
"Everything is going to be different," Kincaid said. "Ashley's role will change too because a lot of her shots came off of Shalee Lehning assists. She's going to be our go-to, obviously. But we just need to find ways to get her the ball."
Enter Mariah White and Brittany Chambers, a pair of freshmen who are likely to contend for the starting spot with junior Kelsey Hill, who has just 57 minutes of action over the past two seasons.
While the point guard position is key, so is the play of the other players in the post, who are expected to help take some of the pressure off Sweat — most notably in Jalana Childs and Branshea Brown. The two sophomores came off the bench in reserve roles a year ago, but will be looked for to help pick up the production lost by Gipson inside. How they play could go a long way in dictating how Sweat can play, a player with the ability to play both inside and on the outside.
"It's a good challenge. I believe she's up for it and has the skills to handle it and excel with it," Patterson said of Sweat. "There is no question that the game will be harder for her this year than it was a year ago because who you're surrounded by on every possession determines what the game is like for you."
Sweat, who was a first team All-Big 12 selection a year ago, is prepared for anything, but understands the importance of this season's Wildcats identifying their strengths and then playing to them.
"I'm sure I'll have to work much harder to get open," said Sweat, who ranks 15th in KSU history in points scored. "There are things that I realize I have to bring to the floor, but there are things our other players are going to do to help take some of that pressure off.
"We're a young team. We have a lot of new faces and they've been working so hard. They all bring something different to the court, maybe even stuff that we haven't seen before. We have slashers and people who can kick the ball out.
"You can't replace Marlies and Shalee, but we could still surprise people."
If there's one thing that didn't change much its where the Wildcats were picked by the league's coaches — eighth. A year ago, K-State was selected seventh, and that's with four returning starters.
"I have a great deal of confidence in my players and my team and our program. I know we will compete hard every game," Patterson said. "If everyone is better than us, that will be revealed. But we will be a team that everybody has to come to play and play well."
Sweat isn't concerned about being ranked toward the bottom half of the league. After all, the last time the Wildcats were picked eighth they won the regular season Big 12 title.
"Never ever count K-State out," said Sweat. "You can look at our past… Don't ever count us out because the girls that the coaches bring into the program have a certain amount of fight. That's what won us a Big 12 championship two years ago."
