Kansas State Wildcats
Overall Rank: #40
Conference Rank: #8 Big 12
Kansas State Team Page
For the most part Kansas State struggled down the stretch of the 2011-2012 campaign. They lost three games in a row heading into the Big 12 Tournament. Once there they knocked off Iowa State before falling to Baylor. In the NCAA Tournament they beat Princeton, but did not come close to making a game out of it against Connecticut. Sure the Huskies were, and are, a step or two above the Wildcats, but nobody wants to end their season with a 72-26 whooping. KSU will look to rectify that this season.
2011-12 Record: 20-14, 9-9
2011-12 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Deb Patterson
Coach Record: 320-189 at Kansas State, 320-189 overall
Strengths:
The Wildcats backcourt returns much of their talent. Brittany Chambers is the shooter on the team and averaged 14.0 points per game last year and will be asked to do even more as a senior. For a 5-9 guard, Chambers is an amazing rebounder and actually led Kansas State in that category with 6.2 per contest. That is a big deal on a team that must replace both starters in the frontcourt. While Chambers will take most of her shots from long range on the offensive end, on the other side of the floor she will attack the glass with the best of them. Finding another shooter would be beneficial for Coach Deb Patterson. Wing Chantay Caron is an option but, at 5-11, she may spend more time in the paint than on the perimeter. Ashia Woods is not a shooter either, but the sophomore is another big guard who can hit the glass effectively and score by attacking the basket. That is where the newcomers will come into play. Junior college transfer Kendra Spresser has been in the program for a year and will finally get the chance to show her stuff. She has not proven to be the most consistent shooter, but she is a good scorer. Brianna Craig, Kelly Thomson and point guard Marissa Ellis will look for some minutes as well. If one of them can emerge as a shooter off of the bench, they could make a big impact right away. Senior Mariah White is back to run the show and be a leader on the floor. White has generally left the scoring to her teammates, but she can score when needed. More importantly, she takes care of the ball and plays solid defense.
Weaknesses:
Losing Jalana Childs and Branshea Brown leaves a lot of questions in the frontcourt. There is literally no returning forwards on the roster. Caron is a big wing who can certainly spend some time at the four spot and she may have to this year. On a team that was pretty bad on the glass last season, replacing Childs and Brown could prove to be extremely difficult. Childs was the team’s best scorer and Brown was a good shot blocker who never lacked in hustle.
Final Projection:
The new look frontcourt will have to rely on newcomers. But there are some very good newcomers. Ashlynn Knoll, a junior college transfer, may not score a ton of points, but she is a very versatile forward who can do a bit of everything. She can block shots, hit the glass and is a surprisingly good passer as well. Freshman Stacey Malone is a highly regarded recruit and, at 6-1, has a bit more size than wings like Caron and other options like Knoll. Malone may need a little time to get into the swing of things, but she could be starting sooner or later. Katya Leick is the most experienced option of all the frontcourt players. The 6-1 junior spent two years at Nebraska and played quite well. She can step outside and knock down the long ball and do a little scoring in the paint. Leick will not likely turn into a superstar at Kansas State, but her experience will be huge. As long as Coach Patterson can get some production out of these options in the frontcourt, the Wildcats should make it back to the NCAA Tournament. But beating a team like Connecticut once they get there will not happen any time soon.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
Projected Starting Five:
Mariah White, Senior, Guard, 5.3 points per game
Kendra Spresser, Junior, Guard, DNP last season
Brittany Chambers, Senior, Guard, 14.0 points per game
Chantay Caron, Junior, Guard, 2.9 points per game
Ashlynn Knoll, Junior, Forward, DNP last season
Madness 2012 Women’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#119 Marissa Ellis
#151 Stacey Malone
