MANHATTAN – K-State women’s basketball head coach Jeff Mittie has added some size to the frontline, as Gisela Sanchez has joined the Wildcat roster for the 2022-23 season.
Sanchez will have three seasons of eligibility with K-State.
Sanchez, a 6’3” forward from Barcelona, Spain, joins previous K-State signees: Michayla Gatewood (Glenn Heights, Texas), Gabby Gregory (Tulsa, Oklahoma), Ja’Mia Harris (Lancaster, Texas), Eliza Maupin (Webster Groves, Missouri) and Mikayla Parks (Norman, Oklahoma) for the 2022-23 season.
“We are thrilled to add Gisela to our team,” stated Mittie about the international forward. “I have watched her for a number of years on the international stage including the 2019 U16 Euros in Lithuania. She is very talented on both ends of the floor and uses her length to her advantage. She is able to stretch defenses with her shooting ability and can disrupt opposing offenses with her athleticism.”
Sanchez played the 2021-22 season at Arizona and appeared in 20 games, averaging 7.2 minutes per game in her true freshman season. She averaged 2.9 points (58 points) on a .439 field goal percentage (25-of-57), including a three-point field goal percentage of 43.8 (7 of 16). She also hauled in 1.4 rebounds per game (28 rebounds), while dishing out seven assists and pocketing three steals.
She tallied a season-high 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting and four rebounds in a win over Rutgers on November 27. She pulled in a season-high five rebounds in win at Washington on February 18.
Before joining Arizona, Sanchez played for club team Segle XXI in Spain and also represented Spain at several international tournaments. She averaged 10.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game during the 2020-21 season with Segle XXI.
In the summer of 2021, Sanchez played for Spain in the 2021 FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Hungary. She averaged 6.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists. She notched 10 points, two rebounds and a block in 11 minutes against South Korea in the opening game of the group stage. She carded 13 points and three assists in 25 minutes against the United States in the quarterfinals. She capped her play in the event with 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal in 22 minutes against Russia.
Sanchez helped Spain win a bronze medal at the 2019 U16 European Championships by averaging 7.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
K-State completed its 54th season of action with a 20-13 overall record, its 17th NCAA Tournament appearance and advanced to the second round for the third time in four NCAA Tournament bids under head coach Jeff Mittie.
The Wildcats will enter the 2022-23 season led by All-American center Ayoka Lee and are two wins shy of 1,000 in its history. Mittie needs one victory to reach 600 in his coaching career and five wins to reach 150 during his time in Manhattan.
Kansas State 2022 Signees
Name, Position, Hometown, School
Michayla Gatewood, Guard, Glenn Heights, Texas, Desoto High School
Gabby Gregory, Guard, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Oklahoma (Holland Hall Prep)
Ja’Mia Harris, Guard, Lancaster, Texas, Desoto High School
Eliza Maupin, Forward, Webster Groves, Missouri, Webster Groves High School
Mikayla Parks, Guard, Norman, Oklahoma, Norman High School
Gisela Sanchez, Forward, Barcelona, Spain, Arizona (Segle XXI)