October might be the best time of year to be a college basketball coach.
Every team is in first place and a little bit of "coach speak" is understandable – maybe even expected – as you talk about what might happen once the season begins.
Unless you're Jeff Mittie and you're talking about sophomore center Ayoka Lee.
"I think Yokie is one of the best players in the country," he said. "I want that message out there that we have one of the top players in the country. You would be buying low on stock right now."
It's an endorsement that comes after a season when Lee went from a three-star recruit to No. 2 on ESPN's list of the top freshmen in women's college basketball.
And it came on the same day when K-State debuted at No. 4 in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll, the highest preseason ranking for the program since Mittie arrived in Manhattan.
#️⃣4️⃣ in the @Big12Conference
WBB Preseason Coaches Poll.Highest preseason ranking since 2004-05 for #KStateWBB.
Details -> https://t.co/zrRVQf6TRD#HonortheJourney pic.twitter.com/8ogqwFe634
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) October 22, 2020
One month before tip-off, the secret is out on the Wildcats.
"This has been the most unique situation, but I'm sure you've heard that from every coach," Mittie said. "The players probably feel like they've been practicing for a while. We haven't played since March 11 and coming back in the summer, we weren't allowed to get our entire team in there. So, it's really just been the build back."
The last time K-State fans had a chance to watch the Wildcats, Mittie and his team were heading to Kansas City for the Big 12 Championship and were firmly on the postseason bubble.
That was before COVID-19 changed everything.
The task for the Wildcats heading into 2020-21 is a familiar one, as the team must replace three starters from a season ago in Peyton Williams, Angela Harris and Jasauen Beard.
One reasons expectations are so high? Unlike almost every other team in the country, K-State will swap experience for experience.
Getting Rachel Ranke back after a season-ending injury in 2019 should be huge for the Wildcats. When she's on the court, Ranke is the kind of 3-and-D weapon that every successful basketball program needs and was named an All-Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention earlier this month.
Full year, full alert. #KStateWBB x @Big12Conference
Details -> https://t.co/GeCZ21pwld pic.twitter.com/esFh0P9mhk
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) October 21, 2020
"We've got to shoot the basketball better to get more space for our centers," Mittie said. "When we lost Rachel, we lost one of the best three-point shooters in the league."
Lee was K-State's leader in scoring and rebounds a season ago, and it wouldn't be a surprise if the Big 12 Freshman of the Year manages to repeat that feat in 2020.
"Right now, the big emphasis is adding to the mid-range game and being more aggressive in our offense," Lee said. "Going through contact better than I did last year."
If she graduated tomorrow, Lee would already be among the top 10 Wildcats in school history in blocks (91) and double-doubles (19). She has played less than 30 games.
As she prepares for her sophomore season, Lee will look to build on a breakout freshman year that earned her a spot on the Preseason All-Big 12 team along with Ranke.
u·nan·i·mous /yo͞oˈnanəməs/ : fully in agreement#KStateWBB x @Big12Conference
Details -> https://t.co/GeCZ21pwld pic.twitter.com/FU4STUz4x9
— K-State Women's Basketball (@KStateWBB) October 21, 2020
"I thought it was really cool to have two of us on it," Lee said. "Especially with Rachel not able to play last year, I think that honor was really cool and made me excited for her this season."
Lee's head coach certainly wasn't surprised. In fact, Mittie said that in a recent WNBA Mock Draft, three Big 12 players were listed as potential first round picks.
"I would put her right up there with that crew and certainly I think she has a chance to have a big year," he said. "But she's got to keep working hard…otherwise I'm going to call you guys back and tell you to forget everything I said because I'm mad at her today."
A full season with Ranke and Lee would be enough to raise expectations in Manhattan, but the Wildcats didn't stop there.
The team went out and got one of the top transfers of the summer in Texas Tech guard Sydney Goodson, who started 47 games during her time with the Lady Raiders.
"She's a unifier," Mittie said. "A player that I knew a lot about because she's been in the league, she's from Fort Worth, I recruited her out of high school, so I know the family. I was very comfortable knowing the kind of person and player that we were getting."
He added that Lee and Goodson have emerged as two of the leaders on this K-State team, more important than ever as the Wildcats find a way to win without Peyton Williams.
The two-sport superstar earned a spot in just about every top-10 list the program keeps tracks of during her K-State career, from points (9th) to blocks (5th) to rebounds (3rd).
The trick, according to Mittie, isn't to focus on trying to replace her – because you can't.
It's about what each player on the roster can do to make sure their stock keeps rising.
"I think Rachel Ranke can get two more rebounds a game…I think Yokie can add points and rebounds," Mittie said. "We don't have a player that's going to put up 16 and 11 to replace [Peyton]. I do think we have a group of players that can elevate their game."
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