LAWRENCE, Kan. –&nbsp;Kansas football head coach Lance Leipold announced Saturday that Jim Zebrowski has been elevated to Offensive Coordinator. Zebrowski previously served as Co-Offensive Coordinator for the 2024 season.

“Jim and I have worked together for more than 10 years and he has a great knowledge of the game and our offense,” head coach Lance Leipold said. “Jim has been instrumental in our success and will continue to push our program forward. He is a quality mentor to our student-athletes and takes pride in being a Jayhawk.”

Zebrowski has served on Leipold’s staff for the past seven seasons, while their connection dates back to Zebrowski joining Leipold as an assistant coach at UW-Whitewater in 2007. Zebrowski came to Kansas in 2021, initially as the quarterbacks coach, before being promoted to Co-Offensive Coordinator in 2023 and Offensive Coordinator in 2024.

“I’m thankful to Coach Leipold and the University of Kansas for the opportunity to serve as offensive coordinator,” Zebrowski said. “I’m so excited for this opportunity to continue to work with our staff in developing our student-athletes and moving the Kansas football program forward. Let’s go, Rock Chalk!”

In his role, Zebrowski has coached quarterbacks Jalon Daniels and Jason Bean to breakout campaigns, as Kansas reached bowl eligibility in back-to-back seasons in 2022 and 2023 for the second time in program history. In 2023, Zebrowski was Kansas’ nomination for the Broyles Award - awarded to the best assistant coach in college football.

This past season, Zebrowski coached Daniels back from injury as the redshirt junior completed 171-of-300 passing for 2,454 yards and 14 touchdowns along with 439 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Kansas’ offense propelled the Jayhawks to three-straight wins over ranked opponents for the first time in Kansas football history and went over the 500-yard mark of total offense three times in 2024. Kansas also led the Big 12 Conference in third down conversions at 52.4%.

Following the 2024 season, Daniels was named one of 12 semifinalists for the Comeback Player of the Year Award and six Jayhawks on offense earned All-Big 12 recognition. Daniels was also named the Big 12 Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year.

In 2023, Zebrowski’s leadership helped Bean step into the starting role after Daniels’ injury, as Bean led Kansas to a signature victory over No. 6 Oklahoma and road wins at Iowa State and Cincinnati. Kansas’ offense passed for 2,672 yards this season along with 18 touchdowns and a 163.2 passing efficiency, which ranked second in the Big 12 Conference in 2023.

In 2022, Zebrowski mentored Daniels to a breakout campaign and Second Team All-Big 12 honors. During the season, Daniels threw for 2,014 yards and 18 touchdowns on 152-of-230 with a total QBR of 90.0, which led all of college football. In the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Arkansas, Daniels went 37-of-55 for 544 yards, setting the school record for passing yards in a single game. Daniels’ six passing touchdowns also set a Liberty Bowl record. Daniels was named the Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year entering the 2023 season.

LAWRENCE, Kan. –&nbsp;Kansas football head coach Lance Leipold announced Saturday that Jim Zebrowski has been elevated to Offensive Coordinator. Zebrowski previously served as Co-Offensive Coordinator for the 2024 season.“Jim and I have worked together for more than 10 years and he has a great knowledge of the game and our offense,” head coach Lance Leipold said. “Jim has been instrumental in our success and will continue to push our program forward. He is a quality mentor to our student-athletes and takes pride in being a Jayhawk.”Zebrowski has served on Leipold’s staff for the past seven seasons, while their connection dates back to Zebrowski joining Leipold as an assistant coach at UW-Whitewater in 2007. Zebrowski came to Kansas in 2021, initially as the quarterbacks coach, before being promoted to Co-Offensive Coordinator in 2023 and Offensive Coordinator in 2024.“I’m thankful to Coach Leipold and the University of Kansas for the opportunity to serve as offensive coordinator,” Zebrowski said. “I’m so excited for this opportunity to continue to work with our staff in developing our student-athletes and moving the Kansas football program forward. Let’s go, Rock Chalk!”In his role, Zebrowski has coached quarterbacks Jalon Daniels and Jason Bean to breakout campaigns, as Kansas reached bowl eligibility in back-to-back seasons in 2022 and 2023 for the second time in program history. In 2023, Zebrowski was Kansas’ nomination for the Broyles Award - awarded to the best assistant coach in college football.This past season, Zebrowski coached Daniels back from injury as the redshirt junior completed 171-of-300 passing for 2,454 yards and 14 touchdowns along with 439 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Kansas’ offense propelled the Jayhawks to three-straight wins over ranked opponents for the first time in Kansas football history and went over the 500-yard mark of total offense three times in 2024. Kansas also led the Big 12 Conference in third down conversions at 52.4%.Following the 2024 season, Daniels was named one of 12 semifinalists for the Comeback Player of the Year Award and six Jayhawks on offense earned All-Big 12 recognition. Daniels was also named the Big 12 Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year.In 2023, Zebrowski’s leadership helped Bean step into the starting role after Daniels’ injury, as Bean led Kansas to a signature victory over No. 6 Oklahoma and road wins at Iowa State and Cincinnati. Kansas’ offense passed for 2,672 yards this season along with 18 touchdowns and a 163.2 passing efficiency, which ranked second in the Big 12 Conference in 2023.In 2022, Zebrowski mentored Daniels to a breakout campaign and Second Team All-Big 12 honors. During the season, Daniels threw for 2,014 yards and 18 touchdowns on 152-of-230 with a total QBR of 90.0, which led all of college football. In the AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Arkansas, Daniels went 37-of-55 for 544 yards, setting the school record for passing yards in a single game. Daniels’ six passing touchdowns also set a Liberty Bowl record. Daniels was named the Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year entering the 2023 season.

Jim Zebrowski Named Kansas Football Offensive Coordinator

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post

On Friday night, the Southeast of Saline basketball teams welcomed in a pair of state-ranked Hesston teams to open their 2024-25 seasons.

SES battled, but the Swathers walked away with a pair of wins by final scores of 67-39 on the girl’s side, and 54-38 on the boy’s side.

Both Hesston teams move to 1-0, while both Southeast squads fall to 0-1.

Girls: #1 Hesston 67, SE of Saline 39

Led by the high-octane duo of Kendal Brueggen and Abby Proctor the No. 1-ranked Lady Swathers made a statement out of the gate, scoring 25 first-quarter points before pulling away in the second.

Southeast matched that pace for a quarter, trailing by just 8 points at the end of the first, but a five-point second and third quarter would ultimately doom the Lady Trojans.

Brueggen and Proctor each scored 25 points in this contest, combining for 50 of the Lady Swather’s 67 on the night.

“Hesston looked the part of a #1 team and their kids did a good job of moving the ball, getting it to those two, and scoring well in the first half,” SES head coach Shauna Smith said.

It’s important to put this result in the context of a Lady Trojan team that graduated a good chunk of its scoring from last year, and which has just two seniors and two returning starters back from that team.

“I wasn’t disappointed in us at all,” Smith said. “I could only think of a few times where we didn’t box out and try to rebound well. I knew we were going to have to get into the 60s to compete with them and I knew that would be hard for us. We had two freshmen play a lot of minutes for us and they’re only going to get better. We want to be playing our best basketball in February not in December.”

Southeast was led in scoring by Aba Pearson with 11 points on a night where seven Lady Trojans scored at least one bucket.

Boys: #5 Hesston 54, #7 SE of Saline 38

Likely still nursing the scrapes and bruises from a state football championship game the week before, the Southeast boy’s team started well, but struggled in a second quarter that saw them score just five points, allowing Hesston to pull away.

The Swathers found strength in numbers, with just one player scoring in double digits (Ty Unruh with 13) but nine different players adding at least one bucket.

Owen Bailey led all scorers with 18 points, and was joined in double figures by Gannon Jacobson, but beyond an eight-point performance from Sam Knopf the rest of the team chipped in just two points the entire night.

Hesston also outpaced Southeast at the free throw line, taking 11 shots from the charity stripe to the Trojan’s 4.

Both SES teams will be back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Abilene to tangle with the Cowboys and Cowgirls.

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter - Salina PostOn Friday night, the Southeast of Saline basketball teams welcomed in a pair of state-ranked Hesston teams to open their 2024-25 seasons.SES battled, but the Swathers walked away with a pair of wins by final scores of 67-39 on the girl’s side, and 54-38 on the boy’s side.Both Hesston teams move to 1-0, while both Southeast squads fall to 0-1.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715807615208.jpeg" alt="Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here." />
 <figcaption>Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here.</figcaption>
 </figure>Girls: #1 Hesston 67, SE of Saline 39Led by the high-octane duo of Kendal Brueggen and Abby Proctor the No. 1-ranked Lady Swathers made a statement out of the gate, scoring 25 first-quarter points before pulling away in the second.Southeast matched that pace for a quarter, trailing by just 8 points at the end of the first, but a five-point second and third quarter would ultimately doom the Lady Trojans.Brueggen and Proctor each scored 25 points in this contest, combining for 50 of the Lady Swather’s 67 on the night.“Hesston looked the part of a #1 team and their kids did a good job of moving the ball, getting it to those two, and scoring well in the first half,” SES head coach Shauna Smith said.It’s important to put this result in the context of a Lady Trojan team that graduated a good chunk of its scoring from last year, and which has just two seniors and two returning starters back from that team.“I wasn’t disappointed in us at all,” Smith said. “I could only think of a few times where we didn’t box out and try to rebound well. I knew we were going to have to get into the 60s to compete with them and I knew that would be hard for us. We had two freshmen play a lot of minutes for us and they’re only going to get better. We want to be playing our best basketball in February not in December.”Southeast was led in scoring by Aba Pearson with 11 points on a night where seven Lady Trojans scored at least one bucket.Boys: #5 Hesston 54, #7 SE of Saline 38Likely still nursing the scrapes and bruises from a state football championship game the week before, the Southeast boy’s team started well, but struggled in a second quarter that saw them score just five points, allowing Hesston to pull away.The Swathers found strength in numbers, with just one player scoring in double digits (Ty Unruh with 13) but nine different players adding at least one bucket.Owen Bailey led all scorers with 18 points, and was joined in double figures by Gannon Jacobson, but beyond an eight-point performance from Sam Knopf the rest of the team chipped in just two points the entire night.Hesston also outpaced Southeast at the free throw line, taking 11 shots from the charity stripe to the Trojan’s 4.Both SES teams will be back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Abilene to tangle with the Cowboys and Cowgirls.

Southeast swept by Swathers on opening night

By ADAM COULTER Salina Post Contributor

The Sacred Heart boys and girls welcomed Clifton-Clyde to Salina Friday night to begin the new basketball season. With several new faces, the Lady Knights fell by a score of 51-38 while the boys won their game 60-49.

In the opener, the Knights and Eagles were tied three times in the opening quarter with neither team getting a significant lead. Although, with the score 9-9, Clifton-Clyde scored the next four points and would remain ahead from that point forward.

With the Lady Knights down 13-10 to start the second quarter, they were held to only five additional points before halftime as the Lady Eagles led 28-15 at the intermission.&nbsp;

Sacred Heart (0-1, 0-0) was looking up at a 40-24 deficit after three quarters, but after being down by as many as 18 points, they were able to close the gap to as few as eight early in the final period.

Clifton-Clyde (1-0, 0-0) answered that run and went on for a 13-point win on the road. Skylar Douglas led the Lady Knights with 21 points.

The boys game followed with Sacred Heart having lost all five starters from one season ago. Despite that, the Knights and Eagles had a back-and-forth first quarter with Clifton-Clyde on top 10-8.

The second quarter was also close as the Knights scored the final four points before halftime to take a 20-17 lead. To that point, neither team led by more than two possessions.&nbsp;

Sacred Heart (1-0, 0-0) extended its advantage to start the third quarter and would be on top for the remainder of the game. The Knights exploded for 23 points in the period and built a 43-26 cushion heading into the final frame.

Clifton-Clyde (0-1, 0-0) matched that run with one of its own in the final quarter. Trailing by as many as 20 points, it was the Eagles' Jack Skocny trying to claw his team back into the game by scoring every one of their 23 fourth-quarter points.

The Eagles were within eight, but that was as close as they got as the Knights held on for an 11-point opening-night win. Will Tuttle led Sacred Heart with 16 points.

The Sacred Heart boys and girls will now turn their attention to Chapman and the Irish Classic next week. The Knights face the Irish Tuesday night to begin the round-robin tournament.

Tipoff for the girls game is set for 6pm with the boys to follow. Audio and video of the games will be streamed online at <a href="http://salinapost.com/">salinapost.com</a>.

By ADAM COULTER Salina Post ContributorThe Sacred Heart boys and girls welcomed Clifton-Clyde to Salina Friday night to begin the new basketball season. With several new faces, the Lady Knights fell by a score of 51-38 while the boys won their game 60-49.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715807615208.jpeg" alt="Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here." />
 <figcaption>Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here.</figcaption>
 </figure>In the opener, the Knights and Eagles were tied three times in the opening quarter with neither team getting a significant lead. Although, with the score 9-9, Clifton-Clyde scored the next four points and would remain ahead from that point forward.With the Lady Knights down 13-10 to start the second quarter, they were held to only five additional points before halftime as the Lady Eagles led 28-15 at the intermission.&nbsp;Sacred Heart (0-1, 0-0) was looking up at a 40-24 deficit after three quarters, but after being down by as many as 18 points, they were able to close the gap to as few as eight early in the final period.Clifton-Clyde (1-0, 0-0) answered that run and went on for a 13-point win on the road. Skylar Douglas led the Lady Knights with 21 points.The boys game followed with Sacred Heart having lost all five starters from one season ago. Despite that, the Knights and Eagles had a back-and-forth first quarter with Clifton-Clyde on top 10-8.The second quarter was also close as the Knights scored the final four points before halftime to take a 20-17 lead. To that point, neither team led by more than two possessions.&nbsp;Sacred Heart (1-0, 0-0) extended its advantage to start the third quarter and would be on top for the remainder of the game. The Knights exploded for 23 points in the period and built a 43-26 cushion heading into the final frame.Clifton-Clyde (0-1, 0-0) matched that run with one of its own in the final quarter. Trailing by as many as 20 points, it was the Eagles' Jack Skocny trying to claw his team back into the game by scoring every one of their 23 fourth-quarter points.The Eagles were within eight, but that was as close as they got as the Knights held on for an 11-point opening-night win. Will Tuttle led Sacred Heart with 16 points.The Sacred Heart boys and girls will now turn their attention to Chapman and the Irish Classic next week. The Knights face the Irish Tuesday night to begin the round-robin tournament.Tipoff for the girls game is set for 6pm with the boys to follow. Audio and video of the games will be streamed online at <a href="http://salinapost.com/">salinapost.com</a>.

Sacred Heart splits with Clifton-Clyde to begin new season

Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid Quotes

OPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“Alright, as far as the injuries go, Mecole Hardman is the only one, his knee locked up on him and so we’re evaluating it right now. This was after – right after our meeting so – before we got on the field. So, we’ll just see where he’s at with that. Look forward to the challenge of playing the Chargers, good football team, we understand that but we look forward to bringing (them) here to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. With that, time’s yours.”

Q: What’s the plan for D.J. Humphries?

REID:&nbsp;“I’m just going to evaluate – I’m going to stick with what I told you before, that he (D.J. Humphries) took some reps but let’s just see how he ends up after today and then we’ll go from there. We’ve kind of rotated guys in there but it’s – he did take some reps, and he made it through yesterday good so we’ll see how it went today.”

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, Jawaan (Taylor) practiced today.”

Q: Tamba Hali is being inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame on Sunday. What was it like coaching him?

REID:&nbsp;“It was a pleasure. One hundred miles an hour every play, practice, game, that’s how he (Tamba Hali) rolled. I got him when he was a little bit older but he was something, boy, what a motor, great player.”

Q: Any update on Mecole Hardman? Any chance he could play?

REID:&nbsp;“I don’t know that. I mean they’re literally evaluating (him), so we’ll just see where it goes.”

Q: News broke yesterday that Eric Bieniemy was fired. He was around the team quite a bit last year during the playoffs. Would you do that again this year?

Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid QuotesDecember 6, 2024HEAD COACH ANDY REIDOPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“Alright, as far as the injuries go, Mecole Hardman is the only one, his knee locked up on him and so we’re evaluating it right now. This was after – right after our meeting so – before we got on the field. So, we’ll just see where he’s at with that. Look forward to the challenge of playing the Chargers, good football team, we understand that but we look forward to bringing (them) here to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. With that, time’s yours.”Q: What’s the plan for D.J. Humphries?REID:&nbsp;“I’m just going to evaluate – I’m going to stick with what I told you before, that he (D.J. Humphries) took some reps but let’s just see how he ends up after today and then we’ll go from there. We’ve kind of rotated guys in there but it’s – he did take some reps, and he made it through yesterday good so we’ll see how it went today.”Q: On Jawaan Taylor.REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, Jawaan (Taylor) practiced today.”Q: Tamba Hali is being inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame on Sunday. What was it like coaching him?REID:&nbsp;“It was a pleasure. One hundred miles an hour every play, practice, game, that’s how he (Tamba Hali) rolled. I got him when he was a little bit older but he was something, boy, what a motor, great player.”Q: Any update on Mecole Hardman? Any chance he could play?REID:&nbsp;“I don’t know that. I mean they’re literally evaluating (him), so we’ll just see where it goes.”Q: News broke yesterday that Eric Bieniemy was fired. He was around the team quite a bit last year during the playoffs. Would you do that again this year?

Chiefs Quotes: 12-6-24

On the heels of their sixth-straight winning season (15-6), the Southeast of Saline girl’s basketball team will look to reload and run things back when their season gets underway on Friday.

Shauna Smith returns for her ninth season in Gypsum leading the Lady Trojans.

SES will have to overcome the loss of their big senior trio from a year ago, but should have more than enough talent to get the job done this season.

The starting lineup will be anchored by a long senior in Adyson Rohr, a pair of juniors in Abigail Pearson and Suttyn Douglas, and a sophomore in Regan Duran.

The Lady Trojans will also look to the bench for big minutes out of senior Sarah Feldman, juniors Charlotte Knopf and Elliana Smith, sophomore Annabelle Villalaz, and a pair of impact freshmen in Reese Heinrich and Kyiah Samuelson.

We had a chance to catch up with Coach Smith before the start of the new season on Friday.

Q: What excites you most about the state of your program right now at SES?

A: I’m excited by our consistency. We know that every year we’re going to be competitive, we’re going to reload and that’s what we’re doing here again. We lost some people, but we know we’ve got more kids ready to come in. We always seem to get good kids out who are dependable, hard workers.

Q: What are some things you feel you can rely on as your younger players settle in?

A: We have some veterans that we can lean on, and Sarah Feldman and Adyson Rohr are great leaders. This is also Abigail Pearson's third year, and she has a lot of varsity minutes. Our veterans know where to be defensively and how to help and get back.

Q: What are the biggest question marks that you still have before the first game?

A: We have a lot of kids that will get playing time early but I don’t know who will get that time as the season goes on. I’m also wondering where our scoring is going to come from. We got a lot of that from our three seniors last year and we’re going to have to rely on other players to score.

Q: What are the biggest goals or expectations that this team has set out to achieve this year?

A: We’re super young, so our priority is getting to where we need to be by February. We’re going to have some tough nights with our youth but our goal is to be the best team we can be by February.

The Lady Trojans open their season at home, hosting the Hesston Swathers in Gypsum on Friday night.

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter - Salina PostOn the heels of their sixth-straight winning season (15-6), the Southeast of Saline girl’s basketball team will look to reload and run things back when their season gets underway on Friday.Shauna Smith returns for her ninth season in Gypsum leading the Lady Trojans.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715807615208.jpeg" alt="Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here." />
 <figcaption>Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here.</figcaption>
 </figure>SES will have to overcome the loss of their big senior trio from a year ago, but should have more than enough talent to get the job done this season.The starting lineup will be anchored by a long senior in Adyson Rohr, a pair of juniors in Abigail Pearson and Suttyn Douglas, and a sophomore in Regan Duran.The Lady Trojans will also look to the bench for big minutes out of senior Sarah Feldman, juniors Charlotte Knopf and Elliana Smith, sophomore Annabelle Villalaz, and a pair of impact freshmen in Reese Heinrich and Kyiah Samuelson.We had a chance to catch up with Coach Smith before the start of the new season on Friday.Q: What excites you most about the state of your program right now at SES?A: I’m excited by our consistency. We know that every year we’re going to be competitive, we’re going to reload and that’s what we’re doing here again. We lost some people, but we know we’ve got more kids ready to come in. We always seem to get good kids out who are dependable, hard workers.Q: What are some things you feel you can rely on as your younger players settle in?A: We have some veterans that we can lean on, and Sarah Feldman and Adyson Rohr are great leaders. This is also Abigail Pearson's third year, and she has a lot of varsity minutes. Our veterans know where to be defensively and how to help and get back.Q: What are the biggest question marks that you still have before the first game?A: We have a lot of kids that will get playing time early but I don’t know who will get that time as the season goes on. I’m also wondering where our scoring is going to come from. We got a lot of that from our three seniors last year and we’re going to have to rely on other players to score.Q: What are the biggest goals or expectations that this team has set out to achieve this year?A: We’re super young, so our priority is getting to where we need to be by February. We’re going to have some tough nights with our youth but our goal is to be the best team we can be by February.The Lady Trojans open their season at home, hosting the Hesston Swathers in Gypsum on Friday night.

2024-25 preseason profile: SES girls basketball

After an 8-13 finish a season ago, the Chapman girl’s basketball team is eager to get back on the floor when the new campaign gets underway on Friday.

Michael Wahlmeier returns to the helm for his fourth season leading the Lady Irish.

While the Chapman roster does not contain a single senior, this year’s Lady Irish returns a great deal of talent, with a starting lineup that will feature juniors Avery Baer, Adelynn Kirkpatrick and Abigail Gaston, and sophomore Jai Rodgers.

Chapman will also look for big minutes off the bench from junior Ivy Beck, sophomores Josie Baer and Cora Merritt, and freshman Callie Cook.

We had a chance to catch up with Coach Wahlmeier and get his thoughts on this year’s team before the Irish Classic.

Q: What lessons do you feel this team took from last year that they can take into this year?

A: I think we learned that we need to play better defense. We focused on our offense and didn’t quite live up to the billing we needed to have on defense. We lost a lot of offense to graduation so we know we’ll have to defend.

Q: What feels like the biggest strength of this team going into the season?

A: These are good kids, and they play hard. That’s a win from a coaching standpoint. If you have to be a cheerleader on the sidelines to get kids to play hard you’re fighting an uphill battle, but these kids are hungry for wins and they’re hungry for playing time. It’s a very competitive team.

Q: What are the biggest question marks you still have for this team?

A: We need to focus on rebounding because we don’t have a lot of height. We have to block out and go and get rebounds, or we’re going to give teams a lot of second chances, and we can’t afford that.

Q: What are the biggest goals or expectations that this team wants to achieve this year?

A: We’ve got the Irish Classic and we always want to have a good showing in our home tournament and be prepared to give ourselves a chance to win that. We also want to win more games than we lose, that’s important to view as a long-term goal.

The Lady Irish open the new year at home when the Irish Classic gets underway on Friday night.

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter - Salina PostAfter an 8-13 finish a season ago, the Chapman girl’s basketball team is eager to get back on the floor when the new campaign gets underway on Friday.Michael Wahlmeier returns to the helm for his fourth season leading the Lady Irish.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715807615208.jpeg" alt="Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here." />
 <figcaption>Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here.</figcaption>
 </figure>While the Chapman roster does not contain a single senior, this year’s Lady Irish returns a great deal of talent, with a starting lineup that will feature juniors Avery Baer, Adelynn Kirkpatrick and Abigail Gaston, and sophomore Jai Rodgers.Chapman will also look for big minutes off the bench from junior Ivy Beck, sophomores Josie Baer and Cora Merritt, and freshman Callie Cook.We had a chance to catch up with Coach Wahlmeier and get his thoughts on this year’s team before the Irish Classic.Q: What lessons do you feel this team took from last year that they can take into this year?A: I think we learned that we need to play better defense. We focused on our offense and didn’t quite live up to the billing we needed to have on defense. We lost a lot of offense to graduation so we know we’ll have to defend.Q: What feels like the biggest strength of this team going into the season?A: These are good kids, and they play hard. That’s a win from a coaching standpoint. If you have to be a cheerleader on the sidelines to get kids to play hard you’re fighting an uphill battle, but these kids are hungry for wins and they’re hungry for playing time. It’s a very competitive team.Q: What are the biggest question marks you still have for this team?A: We need to focus on rebounding because we don’t have a lot of height. We have to block out and go and get rebounds, or we’re going to give teams a lot of second chances, and we can’t afford that.Q: What are the biggest goals or expectations that this team wants to achieve this year?A: We’ve got the Irish Classic and we always want to have a good showing in our home tournament and be prepared to give ourselves a chance to win that. We also want to win more games than we lose, that’s important to view as a long-term goal.The Lady Irish open the new year at home when the Irish Classic gets underway on Friday night.

2024-25 preseason profile: Chapman girls basketball

On the heels of a 10-11 season and graduating a huge senior class, the Salina Central girl’s basketball team will look to take the next step this year with a fresh-faced squad and new leadership.

With long-time head coach Chris Fear sliding over to coach the boys, Paige Talbott will take the reigns of the girls' program at Central ahead of the new campaign.

Five seniors will headline this year’s team with big contributions expected out of Finley Jones, Remi Myers, Charlize Waltman, Tahlia Morris and Tessa Snyder.

The Lady Mustangs will also get big minutes from a core of four juniors that includes Lexi Guerrero, Macy O’Hara, Brooke Banninger, and Addison Hansen, as well as a few impact sophomores that should develop well throughout the season.

We had a chance to catch up with Coach Talbott ahead of the 2024-25 season to get her thoughts on this year’s Lady Mustangs.

Q: What is your vision for the culture of girl's basketball here at Salina Central?

A: There’s already a culture of excellence here around this program and I’m really grateful that the coaches before me have engrained that into our Lady Mustangs. We have a great group here, and we’re going to continue to have good character on and off the court. Each of our players is held to a very high standard, but they push each other and they’re all taking accountability to sustain our culture.

Q: What feels like the biggest known strength of this team ahead of the new season?

A: I know this team is going to work hard, and these girls have the kind of effort that you can’t coach. They fight on the floor for those 50-50 balls and we work hard on the glass. Any play that takes willpower and desire I believe that we’ll come out on top and that character and work ethic is great to see.&nbsp;

Q: What are some of the biggest question marks that you’ll be looking for answers for in these first few games?

A: These girls have played together for the last couple of years and they do have good team chemistry. They’ve had an incredible record at the JV level, and they know how to win, but I think they know that we’ll have to pick it up to play at the next level. This is a level of competition that they haven’t seen before, and we’ll have to be physical with the teams we play. We’ll have to find some more ways to score, and we’ll need to share the ball well and play within our roles.

Q: What are the biggest goals or expectations this team is looking to achieve this year?

A: We’ve talked about our goals as a team. Obviously we want to be above .500 and we want to be playing our best basketball and make a run at the end of the season but they know we have a lot to learn at the beginning of the season and we’ll have to learn game by game to improve every single day.

The Lady Mustangs will open the new year on the road at Andover Central on Friday, December 6th.

By TYLER HENRY Lead Sportswriter - Salina PostOn the heels of a 10-11 season and graduating a huge senior class, the Salina Central girl’s basketball team will look to take the next step this year with a fresh-faced squad and new leadership.With long-time head coach Chris Fear sliding over to coach the boys, Paige Talbott will take the reigns of the girls' program at Central ahead of the new campaign.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715807615208.jpeg" alt="Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here." />
 <figcaption>Salina Regional Orthopedic &amp; Sports Medicine- Your home-field advantage starts here.</figcaption>
 </figure>Five seniors will headline this year’s team with big contributions expected out of Finley Jones, Remi Myers, Charlize Waltman, Tahlia Morris and Tessa Snyder.The Lady Mustangs will also get big minutes from a core of four juniors that includes Lexi Guerrero, Macy O’Hara, Brooke Banninger, and Addison Hansen, as well as a few impact sophomores that should develop well throughout the season.We had a chance to catch up with Coach Talbott ahead of the 2024-25 season to get her thoughts on this year’s Lady Mustangs.Q: What is your vision for the culture of girl's basketball here at Salina Central?A: There’s already a culture of excellence here around this program and I’m really grateful that the coaches before me have engrained that into our Lady Mustangs. We have a great group here, and we’re going to continue to have good character on and off the court. Each of our players is held to a very high standard, but they push each other and they’re all taking accountability to sustain our culture.Q: What feels like the biggest known strength of this team ahead of the new season?A: I know this team is going to work hard, and these girls have the kind of effort that you can’t coach. They fight on the floor for those 50-50 balls and we work hard on the glass. Any play that takes willpower and desire I believe that we’ll come out on top and that character and work ethic is great to see.&nbsp;Q: What are some of the biggest question marks that you’ll be looking for answers for in these first few games?A: These girls have played together for the last couple of years and they do have good team chemistry. They’ve had an incredible record at the JV level, and they know how to win, but I think they know that we’ll have to pick it up to play at the next level. This is a level of competition that they haven’t seen before, and we’ll have to be physical with the teams we play. We’ll have to find some more ways to score, and we’ll need to share the ball well and play within our roles.Q: What are the biggest goals or expectations this team is looking to achieve this year?A: We’ve talked about our goals as a team. Obviously we want to be above .500 and we want to be playing our best basketball and make a run at the end of the season but they know we have a lot to learn at the beginning of the season and we’ll have to learn game by game to improve every single day.The Lady Mustangs will open the new year on the road at Andover Central on Friday, December 6th.

2024-25 preseason profile: Salina Central girls basketball

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– For the first time in 15 years, a K-State women’s basketball player recorded a triple-double as Serena Sundell earned the distinction during a 110-24 win over USC Upstate on Thursday night at Bramlage Coliseum.

The 86-point margin of victory was the largest in program history, while this marks the 110 or more points in two games in the same season.

Sundell filled her stat line with 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting and a 6-of-7 effort from the foul line, a career-high and school record-tying 13 assists, 10 rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot. Sundell becomes the fifth K-State player to record a triple-double and the first since Shalee Lehning carded a triple-double at Colorado on March 7, 2009.

Sundell’s 26 points were the most points in a K-State triple-double and her 13 assists were the most helpers in a K-State triple-double.

Joining Sundell in double figures were Taryn Sides with a career-high 23 points with a career-high seven 3-pointers. The sophomore from Phillipsburg, Kansas, added five rebounds, three assists and two steals to her line. Sides is the first Wildcat to make seven or more 3-pointers in a game since Rachel Ranke made eight at Oklahoma on Feb. 10, 2019.

Senior Temira Poindexter tallied 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-4 from distance.

Senior Eliza Maupin tallied 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Senior Kennedy Taylor notched 11 points and six rebounds.

- K-State (9-1) held USC Upstate (2-9) to one made field goal (1-of-15; .067) in the first quarter and won the frame, 27-2. The two points allowed tied the school record for the fewest points allowed in a quarter since the advent of the quarter system at the start of the 2015-16 season.

- The Wildcats would win the second quarter, 23-11, shooting 52.9 percent (9-of-17) in the stanza. K-State would hold a 50-13 lead at halftime.

- In the first half, Poindexter led K-State with 14 points, while Sundell filled her stat line with 11 points, seven assists, five rebounds, a block and a steal.

- K-State held USC Upstate to two made field goals in the third quarter (2-of-7), allowing the first made field goal with 3:42 to play in the stanza. The Wildcats opened the quarter on a 16-0 run and won the frame, 31-9.

- In the fourth quarter, Sundell secured the triple-double with her 10th&nbsp;rebound at the 2:01 mark of the fourth quarter. She was immediately subbed out to a loud ovation from the K-State faithful.

- For the second quarter of the night, K-State held USC Upstate to just two points in a quarter as the Wildcats won the frame 29-2. K-State held the Spartans to 1-of-9 (.111) shooting in the fourth quarter with the lone points coming at 8:07 of the frame. This was the first time K-State has held a opponent to two or fewer points in two quarters in the same game.

- K-State shot 57.6 percent (38-of-66) from the field including 46.4 percent (13-of-28) from 3-point range. The Wildcats dished out 28 assists on the 38 made field goals.

- K-State and USC Upstate met for the first time. The Wildcats are 2-1 against current members of the Big South Conference.

- K-State is 404-156 (.721) in its 37-season history inside Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats own a 237-30 (.888) record against non-conference opponents inside Bramlage.

- K-State head coach Jeff Mittie owns a career record of 653-371 (.638). During his time in Manhattan, Mittie has collected a mark of 199-136 (.594). Mittie is 408-113 (.783) in games played in his home venue, including a 134-48 (.736) mark in Bramlage Coliseum.

- K-State owns a record of 257-96 (.728) as an AP ranked team. K-State is 19-3 (.864) all-time when ranked 13th in the nation.

- The Wildcats are 247-103 (.706) in games played in the month of December, including an active 10-game winning streak dating back to the start of December 2023. Under Mittie, K-State is 46-18 (.719) in games during the 12th&nbsp;month.

- K-State's starting five consisted of guards: Zyanna Walker, Jaelyn Glenn and Serena Sundell; forward Temira Poindexter and forward Kennedy Taylor. This was the second time this lineup has been used this season. This was the 113th career start for Sundell, the 109th career start for Jaelyn Glenn, the 97th career collegiate start and ninth at K-State for Poindexter, the 43rd career start for Taylor and her second at K-State and the 10th career start for Walker.

- K-State improves to 61-0 in the Jeff Mittie era when holding an opponent to 49 points or less. During the last four seasons, K-State is 53-3 (.946) when holding foes to 60 points or less.

- The Wildcats held a 50-13 lead at halftime on Thursday. Under Mittie, K-State is 159-19 (.893) when leading at halftime. The Wildcats have led at the half in nine games this season (9-0).

- K-State has scored 20-or more points in a quarter 26 times this season, including all four quarters on Thursday. Since the start of the quarter-system in 2015-16, the Wildcats are 141-62 (.695) when scoring 20 or more points in any quarter of a game.

- K-State shot 50.0 percent or better in a quarter in all four quarters. The Wildcats have 25 quarters this season of 50.0 percent or better shooting.

- Over the last four seasons, K-State is 51-3 (.944) when holding the advantage on the glass.

- K-State improved to 100-8 (.926) when handing out 20 or more assists in a game. The Wildcats have dished out 20 or more assists in eight games this season (8-0).

- Sundell notched her 78th career game with 10 or more points. Sundell owns 1,390 career points and remains in 14th&nbsp;on the K-State career scoring list. This was a season-high for Sundell and was her 16th&nbsp;career game with 20 or more and her first since Feb.14, 2024 at Iowa State. This was the 26th&nbsp;time in Sundell’s career that she has lead K-State in scoring.

- Sundell’s 13 assists on Thursday improved her career total to 615. She tied the school record of 13 assists held by four other players. This was her sixth career game with 10 or more assists and her 72nd career game with five or more assists.

- Sides reached double figures for points for the sixth time in the last seven games and for the ninth time in her career. This was her first career game with 20 or more points.

- Sides connected on seven 3-point field goals on Tuesday. This marks her 16th&nbsp;career game with two or more connections from long range. This was her third career game with four or more connections from distance.

- Poindexter tallied her 86th&nbsp;career game with 10 or more points and her sixth this season. Her career collegiate point total stands at 1,673.

- Poindexter connected on three 3-pointers on Thursday. This was her fifth game with two or more connections from long range and the 59th&nbsp;of her career.

- Taylor notched her sixth game this season and the 49th&nbsp;of her career with 10 or more points.

- Taylor recorded her eighth game this season and the 61st of her career with five or more rebounds.

- Maupin tallied a personal season-high 15 points. This was her second game this season and the 11th&nbsp;of her career with 10 or more points.

- Maupin pulled in five rebounds, her third game this season with five or more boards and the 15th&nbsp;of her career.

- With her eight points on Tuesday, Glenn improved her career total to 950 points. She needs 50 points to become the 46th&nbsp;player in program history to score 1,000 or more career points at K-State.

On Serena Sundell getting a triple-double…

"I think if a kid gets that close, you try to give them a chance within reason. With the short bench tonight, we were giving her a chance while rotating players through. She's a heck of a player, and she's come close before. She fills up the stat line, and she’s the kind of player that has that ability.”

On what kind of accomplishment, a triple-double is for Serena…

"It tells you how hard it is to get when the last one was in 2009, right? It's not easy, and it usually comes from a player like her who has the ability to do a lot of things. It's great for her, she's had a really good week and a strong start to the season. I think she's doing a lot for our team."

On what has allowed for Taryn Sides to play well the last few games…

"I think our ball movement is really solid. Taryn put in the work this summer. As I've said many times, we saw it all summer against our practice squad guys, and against really good practice competition. I wanted her to hunt more, and I think she has the right mentality now. I think she knows that if it's the right shot, I want her to shoot it, make or miss, and she has that confidence right now. I'm a big believer that when players put the work in, there's a confidence that comes with it. I was asked earlier about the growth of a player, specifically from the first year to the second, and we're seeing that with both [Zyanna] Walker and Sides. The commonality between them is they put the work in, and if you do that, you have a really good chance for good things to happen."

On Imani Lester having 6 steals…

"It's a little out of the blue, but I'll say this about Imani, her effort is much better than it was. She's making plays, but like many high school centers, and I considered her a high school center last year, they often only want to play in certain areas of the floor. As I’ve told our centers, when you get here, you're a basketball player. Stop saying, 'This is my area,' because in today’s game, you have to defend pick-and-pop shooters, higher ball screens, and different actions compared to the game 10–15 years ago. I think Imani has grown into that. You saw her block the three-pointer with four seconds left. She’s just learned to play a lot harder."

On Eliza Maupin’s big performance…

"I think her activity is better, and she's running the floor much harder than she was two weeks ago. She's getting involved offensively quicker. With [Gisela] Sanchez unavailable right now, she's getting more opportunities. If she keeps doing those things, that’s what we know she’s capable of, right? When she steps on the floor, she’s already one of the top athletes out there every night. But she’s been inconsistent in her commitment to running the floor the way we want her to. When she does, good things tend to happen for Eliza."

On how Serena has grown since she was originally recruited…

"When she stepped on campus, she was ready in many ways; competitive in nature, coachable, and obviously skilled. She needed to get in the weight room, learn to play through contact, and, as a big guard, handle pressure defense. But looking back at her freshman year, she led that team. Yes, [Ayoka] Lee was the leader, but as a point guard, you have to lead, and she did. She helped take that team to the NCAA tournament, earning a first-round victory and doing a lot of great things. Where she’s grown the most is in all the vocal areas, the awareness a player needs to have. When players are younger, they’re usually only aware of their immediate surroundings. Let’s be honest, that’s typical for this age group. But as they grow, they start understanding how one thing impacts another. Serena is a great example of that. She’s incredibly coachable, a fantastic teammate, and clearly very talented. You’re seeing all those qualities continue to improve."

On how Sundell compares to other top guards in the country…

"I think Serena is very underrated nationally, but when people see her, they gain a greater appreciation for her. I can tell you those are the conversations we hear, whether it’s TV commentators seeing her for the first or second time, WNBA scouts who have her on their radar, you see her pop up on mock drafts, or other coaches watching more film. They all say, ‘Wow, this is a player who impacts every area.’ We’ve seen that from day one, but now it’s even more evident. The growth of [Taryn] Sides, the growth of [Zyanna] Walker, and the continued play of Jaelyn Glenn have allowed Serena to move all over the floor, which has been a big benefit to both her and the team."

K-State Senior Guard Serena Sundell

On recording her first career triple-double…

“It feels pretty good and it’s exciting. I don't think I've had one in my career, but my teammates were probably the most fun part about it, just seeing how excited they were, they all knew about it before me. I told Taryn [Sides], and she told everybody, “we have to let her get these rebounds.” People on the bench were like, go get the rebound. Everyone was so excited for me and supporting me. That was just really special to be a part of.”

On if she got nervous she wasn’t going to be able to record the triple-double…

“Not really, I wasn't nervous. I was just having fun.”

On when she knew she was getting close to recording the triple-double…

“There was a media time out in the fourth quarter that Mikayla [Parks] told me I needed three rebounds, and then coach Staci [Gregorio Foss] said, Go get some rebounds.”

On how it feels to be in the same conversation as K-State legend Shalee Lehning…

“She was a great player, and I hear her name all the time, and throughout this week, I've heard her name a lot just with the whole assist record. That's just super special to be even in the same conversation as her.”

On K-State reaching 110 points in two games this season…

"It's a big deal. It's just a testament to our team and the work that we've put in. Especially over the summer just with our shot tracker numbers, and everybody getting in the gym on their own. Handling that team by that margin just shows our shot making ability. So yeah, hopefully that just is a confidence boost going further into the season."

On the confidence of this team after a game like this…

“That's just fun basketball. That feeling you get when everything is going well is kind of the reason that you play. I couldn't do it without my teammates and them knocking down shots, being in the right spots, rebounding, and giving me good passes. I mean, Taryn [Sides] threw me several good passes tonight, just finding me in transition, and everybody's just kind of on the same page. It just gives our whole team a confidence boost going further when these games start to pick up here that we need to try to stay in those spots.”

K-State Sophomore Guard Taryn Sides

On how she felt watching Serena Sundell record a triple-double…

“I feel just so happy for her. She deserves it. She just does everything the right way. She plays the game the right way, finds her teammates and is aggressive for herself, and just makes everyone better around her. Not a lot of girls can do that, so that's something special about her, and I'm just so happy and proud of her."

On hitting seven threes tonight…

“I'm pretty confident. A lot of them were passes from Serena [Sundell]. I think that's just us playing well together, and my teammates finding me when I'm open and I'm just shooting it with a lot of confidence. Every time I shoot, I think it's going in.&nbsp; Which is the main thing about being a shooter, is you gotta have the confidence in yourself and believe it's going in every time. And right now, I do have that.”

K-State will play its fourth game in a week, as the Wildcats visit College Station, Texas, to face Texas A&amp;M on Sunday at 3 p.m.

MANHATTAN, Kan.&nbsp;– For the first time in 15 years, a K-State women’s basketball player recorded a triple-double as Serena Sundell earned the distinction during a 110-24 win over USC Upstate on Thursday night at Bramlage Coliseum.The 86-point margin of victory was the largest in program history, while this marks the 110 or more points in two games in the same season.Sundell filled her stat line with 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting and a 6-of-7 effort from the foul line, a career-high and school record-tying 13 assists, 10 rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot. Sundell becomes the fifth K-State player to record a triple-double and the first since Shalee Lehning carded a triple-double at Colorado on March 7, 2009.Sundell’s 26 points were the most points in a K-State triple-double and her 13 assists were the most helpers in a K-State triple-double.Joining Sundell in double figures were Taryn Sides with a career-high 23 points with a career-high seven 3-pointers. The sophomore from Phillipsburg, Kansas, added five rebounds, three assists and two steals to her line. Sides is the first Wildcat to make seven or more 3-pointers in a game since Rachel Ranke made eight at Oklahoma on Feb. 10, 2019.Senior Temira Poindexter tallied 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-4 from distance.Senior Eliza Maupin tallied 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.Senior Kennedy Taylor notched 11 points and six rebounds.HOW IT HAPPENED- K-State (9-1) held USC Upstate (2-9) to one made field goal (1-of-15; .067) in the first quarter and won the frame, 27-2. The two points allowed tied the school record for the fewest points allowed in a quarter since the advent of the quarter system at the start of the 2015-16 season.- The Wildcats would win the second quarter, 23-11, shooting 52.9 percent (9-of-17) in the stanza. K-State would hold a 50-13 lead at halftime.- In the first half, Poindexter led K-State with 14 points, while Sundell filled her stat line with 11 points, seven assists, five rebounds, a block and a steal.- K-State held USC Upstate to two made field goals in the third quarter (2-of-7), allowing the first made field goal with 3:42 to play in the stanza. The Wildcats opened the quarter on a 16-0 run and won the frame, 31-9.- In the fourth quarter, Sundell secured the triple-double with her 10th&nbsp;rebound at the 2:01 mark of the fourth quarter. She was immediately subbed out to a loud ovation from the K-State faithful.- For the second quarter of the night, K-State held USC Upstate to just two points in a quarter as the Wildcats won the frame 29-2. K-State held the Spartans to 1-of-9 (.111) shooting in the fourth quarter with the lone points coming at 8:07 of the frame. This was the first time K-State has held a opponent to two or fewer points in two quarters in the same game.- K-State shot 57.6 percent (38-of-66) from the field including 46.4 percent (13-of-28) from 3-point range. The Wildcats dished out 28 assists on the 38 made field goals.QUICK FACTS- K-State and USC Upstate met for the first time. The Wildcats are 2-1 against current members of the Big South Conference.- K-State is 404-156 (.721) in its 37-season history inside Bramlage Coliseum. The Wildcats own a 237-30 (.888) record against non-conference opponents inside Bramlage.- K-State head coach Jeff Mittie owns a career record of 653-371 (.638). During his time in Manhattan, Mittie has collected a mark of 199-136 (.594). Mittie is 408-113 (.783) in games played in his home venue, including a 134-48 (.736) mark in Bramlage Coliseum.- K-State owns a record of 257-96 (.728) as an AP ranked team. K-State is 19-3 (.864) all-time when ranked 13th in the nation.- The Wildcats are 247-103 (.706) in games played in the month of December, including an active 10-game winning streak dating back to the start of December 2023. Under Mittie, K-State is 46-18 (.719) in games during the 12th&nbsp;month.TEAM NOTES- K-State's starting five consisted of guards: Zyanna Walker, Jaelyn Glenn and Serena Sundell; forward Temira Poindexter and forward Kennedy Taylor. This was the second time this lineup has been used this season. This was the 113th career start for Sundell, the 109th career start for Jaelyn Glenn, the 97th career collegiate start and ninth at K-State for Poindexter, the 43rd career start for Taylor and her second at K-State and the 10th career start for Walker.- K-State improves to 61-0 in the Jeff Mittie era when holding an opponent to 49 points or less. During the last four seasons, K-State is 53-3 (.946) when holding foes to 60 points or less.- The Wildcats held a 50-13 lead at halftime on Thursday. Under Mittie, K-State is 159-19 (.893) when leading at halftime. The Wildcats have led at the half in nine games this season (9-0).- K-State has scored 20-or more points in a quarter 26 times this season, including all four quarters on Thursday. Since the start of the quarter-system in 2015-16, the Wildcats are 141-62 (.695) when scoring 20 or more points in any quarter of a game.- K-State shot 50.0 percent or better in a quarter in all four quarters. The Wildcats have 25 quarters this season of 50.0 percent or better shooting.- Over the last four seasons, K-State is 51-3 (.944) when holding the advantage on the glass.- K-State improved to 100-8 (.926) when handing out 20 or more assists in a game. The Wildcats have dished out 20 or more assists in eight games this season (8-0).PLAYER NOTES- Sundell notched her 78th career game with 10 or more points. Sundell owns 1,390 career points and remains in 14th&nbsp;on the K-State career scoring list. This was a season-high for Sundell and was her 16th&nbsp;career game with 20 or more and her first since Feb.14, 2024 at Iowa State. This was the 26th&nbsp;time in Sundell’s career that she has lead K-State in scoring.- Sundell’s 13 assists on Thursday improved her career total to 615. She tied the school record of 13 assists held by four other players. This was her sixth career game with 10 or more assists and her 72nd career game with five or more assists.- Sides reached double figures for points for the sixth time in the last seven games and for the ninth time in her career. This was her first career game with 20 or more points.- Sides connected on seven 3-point field goals on Tuesday. This marks her 16th&nbsp;career game with two or more connections from long range. This was her third career game with four or more connections from distance.- Poindexter tallied her 86th&nbsp;career game with 10 or more points and her sixth this season. Her career collegiate point total stands at 1,673.- Poindexter connected on three 3-pointers on Thursday. This was her fifth game with two or more connections from long range and the 59th&nbsp;of her career.- Taylor notched her sixth game this season and the 49th&nbsp;of her career with 10 or more points.- Taylor recorded her eighth game this season and the 61st of her career with five or more rebounds.- Maupin tallied a personal season-high 15 points. This was her second game this season and the 11th&nbsp;of her career with 10 or more points.- Maupin pulled in five rebounds, her third game this season with five or more boards and the 15th&nbsp;of her career.- With her eight points on Tuesday, Glenn improved her career total to 950 points. She needs 50 points to become the 46th&nbsp;player in program history to score 1,000 or more career points at K-State.FROM THE HEAD COACHK-State Head Coach Jeff MittieOn Serena Sundell getting a triple-double…"I think if a kid gets that close, you try to give them a chance within reason. With the short bench tonight, we were giving her a chance while rotating players through. She's a heck of a player, and she's come close before. She fills up the stat line, and she’s the kind of player that has that ability.”On what kind of accomplishment, a triple-double is for Serena…"It tells you how hard it is to get when the last one was in 2009, right? It's not easy, and it usually comes from a player like her who has the ability to do a lot of things. It's great for her, she's had a really good week and a strong start to the season. I think she's doing a lot for our team."On what has allowed for Taryn Sides to play well the last few games…"I think our ball movement is really solid. Taryn put in the work this summer. As I've said many times, we saw it all summer against our practice squad guys, and against really good practice competition. I wanted her to hunt more, and I think she has the right mentality now. I think she knows that if it's the right shot, I want her to shoot it, make or miss, and she has that confidence right now. I'm a big believer that when players put the work in, there's a confidence that comes with it. I was asked earlier about the growth of a player, specifically from the first year to the second, and we're seeing that with both [Zyanna] Walker and Sides. The commonality between them is they put the work in, and if you do that, you have a really good chance for good things to happen."On Imani Lester having 6 steals…"It's a little out of the blue, but I'll say this about Imani, her effort is much better than it was. She's making plays, but like many high school centers, and I considered her a high school center last year, they often only want to play in certain areas of the floor. As I’ve told our centers, when you get here, you're a basketball player. Stop saying, 'This is my area,' because in today’s game, you have to defend pick-and-pop shooters, higher ball screens, and different actions compared to the game 10–15 years ago. I think Imani has grown into that. You saw her block the three-pointer with four seconds left. She’s just learned to play a lot harder."On Eliza Maupin’s big performance…"I think her activity is better, and she's running the floor much harder than she was two weeks ago. She's getting involved offensively quicker. With [Gisela] Sanchez unavailable right now, she's getting more opportunities. If she keeps doing those things, that’s what we know she’s capable of, right? When she steps on the floor, she’s already one of the top athletes out there every night. But she’s been inconsistent in her commitment to running the floor the way we want her to. When she does, good things tend to happen for Eliza."On how Serena has grown since she was originally recruited…"When she stepped on campus, she was ready in many ways; competitive in nature, coachable, and obviously skilled. She needed to get in the weight room, learn to play through contact, and, as a big guard, handle pressure defense. But looking back at her freshman year, she led that team. Yes, [Ayoka] Lee was the leader, but as a point guard, you have to lead, and she did. She helped take that team to the NCAA tournament, earning a first-round victory and doing a lot of great things. Where she’s grown the most is in all the vocal areas, the awareness a player needs to have. When players are younger, they’re usually only aware of their immediate surroundings. Let’s be honest, that’s typical for this age group. But as they grow, they start understanding how one thing impacts another. Serena is a great example of that. She’s incredibly coachable, a fantastic teammate, and clearly very talented. You’re seeing all those qualities continue to improve."On how Sundell compares to other top guards in the country…"I think Serena is very underrated nationally, but when people see her, they gain a greater appreciation for her. I can tell you those are the conversations we hear, whether it’s TV commentators seeing her for the first or second time, WNBA scouts who have her on their radar, you see her pop up on mock drafts, or other coaches watching more film. They all say, ‘Wow, this is a player who impacts every area.’ We’ve seen that from day one, but now it’s even more evident. The growth of [Taryn] Sides, the growth of [Zyanna] Walker, and the continued play of Jaelyn Glenn have allowed Serena to move all over the floor, which has been a big benefit to both her and the team."FROM THE FLOORK-State Senior Guard Serena SundellOn recording her first career triple-double…“It feels pretty good and it’s exciting. I don't think I've had one in my career, but my teammates were probably the most fun part about it, just seeing how excited they were, they all knew about it before me. I told Taryn [Sides], and she told everybody, “we have to let her get these rebounds.” People on the bench were like, go get the rebound. Everyone was so excited for me and supporting me. That was just really special to be a part of.”On if she got nervous she wasn’t going to be able to record the triple-double…“Not really, I wasn't nervous. I was just having fun.”On when she knew she was getting close to recording the triple-double…“There was a media time out in the fourth quarter that Mikayla [Parks] told me I needed three rebounds, and then coach Staci [Gregorio Foss] said, Go get some rebounds.”On how it feels to be in the same conversation as K-State legend Shalee Lehning…“She was a great player, and I hear her name all the time, and throughout this week, I've heard her name a lot just with the whole assist record. That's just super special to be even in the same conversation as her.”On K-State reaching 110 points in two games this season…"It's a big deal. It's just a testament to our team and the work that we've put in. Especially over the summer just with our shot tracker numbers, and everybody getting in the gym on their own. Handling that team by that margin just shows our shot making ability. So yeah, hopefully that just is a confidence boost going further into the season."On the confidence of this team after a game like this…“That's just fun basketball. That feeling you get when everything is going well is kind of the reason that you play. I couldn't do it without my teammates and them knocking down shots, being in the right spots, rebounding, and giving me good passes. I mean, Taryn [Sides] threw me several good passes tonight, just finding me in transition, and everybody's just kind of on the same page. It just gives our whole team a confidence boost going further when these games start to pick up here that we need to try to stay in those spots.”K-State Sophomore Guard Taryn SidesOn how she felt watching Serena Sundell record a triple-double…“I feel just so happy for her. She deserves it. She just does everything the right way. She plays the game the right way, finds her teammates and is aggressive for herself, and just makes everyone better around her. Not a lot of girls can do that, so that's something special about her, and I'm just so happy and proud of her."On hitting seven threes tonight…“I'm pretty confident. A lot of them were passes from Serena [Sundell]. I think that's just us playing well together, and my teammates finding me when I'm open and I'm just shooting it with a lot of confidence. Every time I shoot, I think it's going in.&nbsp; Which is the main thing about being a shooter, is you gotta have the confidence in yourself and believe it's going in every time. And right now, I do have that.”UP NEXTK-State will play its fourth game in a week, as the Wildcats visit College Station, Texas, to face Texas A&amp;M on Sunday at 3 p.m.

Sundell Registers Triple-Double in K-State WBB Win

ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE TOUB

Q: What has it been like this past month working through the kicker situations?

TOUB: “It’s been – it’s an adventure, really. I mean a lot of credit goes to our long snapper (James Winchester) and our holder, Matt Araiza. Getting those guys and spending the time and figuring them out exactly how he wants – how the kicker wants the holds because it’s different for each kicker. He’s done a really good job with that. It says a lot about them and their professionalism.”&nbsp;

Q: Matt Araiza doesn’t have a lot of experience being a holder anyways, that couldn’t have been easy for him, right?

TOUB: “He (Matt Araiza) doesn’t but he’s – obviously he’s a quick learner. (Harrison) Butker really trained him well and he’s able to take these guys and just adjust. He’s just a good football player – and a good tackler too (laughter).”

Q: What are you seeing from the Chargers special teams unit?

TOUB: “They’re really good and I feel like I say this every week but they’re a top five unit right now. Derius Davis, the returner, number 12 – dynamite, he’s a blazer. He sticks his foot in the ground, he gets north and south as a punt returner and he’s also back there on kick return so he’s very, very dangerous. (Chargers P) J.K. Scott, the punter, excellent directional kicker – hangs it up well, hard to get returns on him. I think they only give up like 30 percent of his punts are returnable so that’s a challenge. (Chargers K Cameron) Dicker the kicker is solid. He hits the ball high, he’s another high ball hitter. Hard to get a block on him, gets it off quick and he has great leg strength.”

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR STEVE SPAGNUOLO

OPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“Well, we’re just ready to play a divisional game so I’ll just open it up (to questions).”

Q:&nbsp;You moved to Joshua Williams in the middle of the Raiders game, how do you think he did, and do you plan on sticking with him as the starter going forward?

SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“Yeah, we’ll see where we’re at. Listen, we’re going to need everybody down the stretch. I mean, we’re in December, it’s December football – (we) need everybody to be healthy (and) stay healthy. We’re going to need all of these guys to win. Both of those guys (Joshua Williams and Nazeeh Johnson) will probably play. We’ll see where we’re at as far as who goes first.”

Q:&nbsp;What did you see from Charles Omenihu in his return?

SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“Well, it was good to get Charles (Omenihu) out there. He actually probably played more snaps than we anticipated, but I thought he was solid. There are a couple things in there – if you happen to talk to Charles he’ll tell you (that) he wished he had done a little bit differently, but I thought he was solid for going out there for the first time. An ACL (injury) is not easy to (recover from), you guys (the media) all know – to go out there and kind of have that confidence in, but credit to the trainers and (Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance) Rick (Burkholder) and his staff for getting Charles ready midseason here.”

Q:&nbsp;How much changes when you face a team a second time during the season?

SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“Well, we did play them (the Chargers) fairly early. I think they’re – and with a new staff and a new team, I think it takes them a while to figure out who they are. I think they have figured that out and you can kind of see that. You can see the thread of what they want to do, what they would like to try to do (and) how they go about winning games. I think they have a great formula. I mean, I have a lot of respect for (Chargers Head Coach) Jim (Harbaugh) and (Chargers Offensive Coordinator) Greg (Roman) with the way they do things. It’s still going to come back to – I mean, when we have a wrinkle that’s a little bit different then the first time – absolutely, we always think that way. Can we get into those wrinkles? We’ll see because sometimes they’re dictated by the situation, but I think they’re a little bit different in – I mean, the biggest thing that will be different for us is that when we played them last time, (Chargers QB) Justin (Herbert) had a bum ankle and wasn’t running as much. I mean, he gutted it out in that game. He’s running pretty good now. That in and of itself will be different for us.”

Q: What is your impression of D.J. Humphries so far?

NAGY:&nbsp;“As far as the person – like I said a few weeks ago, (I) love the person. I love his (D.J. Humphries) energy. It’s a contagious, infectious personality that he has, with a lot of confidence but he also has to learn the lingo and how we do things and he’s been able to do that the last couple weeks. He’s been doing a really good job in practice of being able to show us with the opportunities he’s getting, and I think that’s half (of) the battle. It’s just the experience and the confidence and now, if he gets that opportunity and that’s the way we go, we’ll see on gameday if that’s the case.”

Q: If D.J. Humphries does get the opportunity to start and he needs help, how much does it help to have Joe Thuney next to him?

NAGY:&nbsp;“(It) helps a lot. You look there and you see – the one thing that jumps off to me, in regard to D.J. (Humphries) is just he’s had a lot of reps so that confidence is there. Then, you watch the reps in practice, and you see the mechanics and the techniques that he uses – the basic foundation of fundamentals. If there is something schematically that there might be a question with protection or in the run game, etcetera, Joe’s (Thuney) right there. I think it just really helps out a lot.”

Q: How did you assess Isiah Pacheco’s first game back overall?

Chiefs Coordinator QuotesDecember 5, 2024ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE TOUBQ: What has it been like this past month working through the kicker situations?TOUB: “It’s been – it’s an adventure, really. I mean a lot of credit goes to our long snapper (James Winchester) and our holder, Matt Araiza. Getting those guys and spending the time and figuring them out exactly how he wants – how the kicker wants the holds because it’s different for each kicker. He’s done a really good job with that. It says a lot about them and their professionalism.”&nbsp;Q: Matt Araiza doesn’t have a lot of experience being a holder anyways, that couldn’t have been easy for him, right?TOUB: “He (Matt Araiza) doesn’t but he’s – obviously he’s a quick learner. (Harrison) Butker really trained him well and he’s able to take these guys and just adjust. He’s just a good football player – and a good tackler too (laughter).”Q: What are you seeing from the Chargers special teams unit?TOUB: “They’re really good and I feel like I say this every week but they’re a top five unit right now. Derius Davis, the returner, number 12 – dynamite, he’s a blazer. He sticks his foot in the ground, he gets north and south as a punt returner and he’s also back there on kick return so he’s very, very dangerous. (Chargers P) J.K. Scott, the punter, excellent directional kicker – hangs it up well, hard to get returns on him. I think they only give up like 30 percent of his punts are returnable so that’s a challenge. (Chargers K Cameron) Dicker the kicker is solid. He hits the ball high, he’s another high ball hitter. Hard to get a block on him, gets it off quick and he has great leg strength.”DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR STEVE SPAGNUOLOOPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“Well, we’re just ready to play a divisional game so I’ll just open it up (to questions).”Q:&nbsp;You moved to Joshua Williams in the middle of the Raiders game, how do you think he did, and do you plan on sticking with him as the starter going forward?SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“Yeah, we’ll see where we’re at. Listen, we’re going to need everybody down the stretch. I mean, we’re in December, it’s December football – (we) need everybody to be healthy (and) stay healthy. We’re going to need all of these guys to win. Both of those guys (Joshua Williams and Nazeeh Johnson) will probably play. We’ll see where we’re at as far as who goes first.”Q:&nbsp;What did you see from Charles Omenihu in his return?SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“Well, it was good to get Charles (Omenihu) out there. He actually probably played more snaps than we anticipated, but I thought he was solid. There are a couple things in there – if you happen to talk to Charles he’ll tell you (that) he wished he had done a little bit differently, but I thought he was solid for going out there for the first time. An ACL (injury) is not easy to (recover from), you guys (the media) all know – to go out there and kind of have that confidence in, but credit to the trainers and (Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance) Rick (Burkholder) and his staff for getting Charles ready midseason here.”Q:&nbsp;How much changes when you face a team a second time during the season?SPAGNUOLO:&nbsp;“Well, we did play them (the Chargers) fairly early. I think they’re – and with a new staff and a new team, I think it takes them a while to figure out who they are. I think they have figured that out and you can kind of see that. You can see the thread of what they want to do, what they would like to try to do (and) how they go about winning games. I think they have a great formula. I mean, I have a lot of respect for (Chargers Head Coach) Jim (Harbaugh) and (Chargers Offensive Coordinator) Greg (Roman) with the way they do things. It’s still going to come back to – I mean, when we have a wrinkle that’s a little bit different then the first time – absolutely, we always think that way. Can we get into those wrinkles? We’ll see because sometimes they’re dictated by the situation, but I think they’re a little bit different in – I mean, the biggest thing that will be different for us is that when we played them last time, (Chargers QB) Justin (Herbert) had a bum ankle and wasn’t running as much. I mean, he gutted it out in that game. He’s running pretty good now. That in and of itself will be different for us.”OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR MATT NAGYQ: What is your impression of D.J. Humphries so far?NAGY:&nbsp;“As far as the person – like I said a few weeks ago, (I) love the person. I love his (D.J. Humphries) energy. It’s a contagious, infectious personality that he has, with a lot of confidence but he also has to learn the lingo and how we do things and he’s been able to do that the last couple weeks. He’s been doing a really good job in practice of being able to show us with the opportunities he’s getting, and I think that’s half (of) the battle. It’s just the experience and the confidence and now, if he gets that opportunity and that’s the way we go, we’ll see on gameday if that’s the case.”Q: If D.J. Humphries does get the opportunity to start and he needs help, how much does it help to have Joe Thuney next to him?NAGY:&nbsp;“(It) helps a lot. You look there and you see – the one thing that jumps off to me, in regard to D.J. (Humphries) is just he’s had a lot of reps so that confidence is there. Then, you watch the reps in practice, and you see the mechanics and the techniques that he uses – the basic foundation of fundamentals. If there is something schematically that there might be a question with protection or in the run game, etcetera, Joe’s (Thuney) right there. I think it just really helps out a lot.”Q: How did you assess Isiah Pacheco’s first game back overall?