wbb minutia ...
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tmcats
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Re: wbb minutia ...
gabby rockin' cooper. now wouldn't that be a pair?
Why is there something rather than nothing?
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tmcats
- Posts: 23827
- Joined: September 3rd, 2013, 1:09 pm
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TODAY'S SPORTS EXTRA
A New Chapter in Her Story
April 29, 2024
By D. Scott Fritchen
Past, present and future intertwine as Temira Poindexter sits in front of her computer screen on a Zoom call shortly after the All-American from Tulsa, the seventh leading scorer in Division I hoops, commits to play at Kansas State for her final season of eligibility. For 20 minutes now, the native of Sapulpa, Oklahoma, has detailed her visit to Manhattan — everything down to eating pasta and side dishes inside the home of K-State head coach Jeff Mittie, and playing games at Serena Sundell’s apartment, and meeting All-American Ayoka Lee for the first time. They’re all recent memories that cause her to smile.
But now Poindexter pauses as she has passed the proverbial crossroads of a decorated three-year college career, one in which she earned 2024 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and 2022 AAC Freshman of the Year honors, and as she embarks upon a new chapter in the Little Apple. She contemplates all that she has learned along the way.
“I’ve just learned that, honestly, what I tell myself is that everybody’s journey is different, and you shouldn’t compare journeys, because everybody’s story is different,” she says. “Your story is your story.”
Soon after Poindexter opted to depart Tulsa she was contacted by K-State coaches for the first time. She considered five schools. K-State was at the top. The Wildcats, who finished No. 19 in the AP Top 25 Poll and came off a NCAA Tournament appearance, needed a versatile scoring threat to replace departed fifth-year senior guard Gabby Gregory.
Poindexter, who phoned Mittie with her commitment on April 21, just two days after her visit to Manhattan, is the perfect fit.
With her length and athleticism, the 6-foot-1 Poindexter averaged 21.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.5 blocks. Poindexter brings versatility to a K-State offense that ranked sixth in the Big 12 Conference in scoring offense (71.1). She joined USC’s JuJu Watkins and UConn’s Paige Bueckers as the only players in the nation with 700 points and 50 blocks this past season.
“I think I do a good job reading the defense and taking what the defense gives me,” she says. “If they want to put a small guard on me, I’ll go inside, but if they put a bigger post on me, I can bring them out and take what the defense gives me. I read that really well.”
As for her favorite shot?
“Honestly, I think the 3-pointer,” she says. “I like to put up a lot of shots. I know it’s probably a bit too much, but I like to put up the ball behind the 3-point line.”
While Poindexter aspires to take her game to the WNBA, she focuses on the now. She’s grateful for the opportunity.
“It’s Coach Mittie’s belief in me and his honesty with me,” she says. “He’s very open and honest, and I really love that about him. This is my last senior year. I know I’m coming in here for a reason, and that’s what I have to be locked in on. This is what I’m coming here to do, and he’s going to help me and lead me toward that.
“I’m here to help build this team even more. I know they finished well last year. (I must) replace the scoring of Gabby Gregory. I know she was a key player last year. I know I have to pick up the load on that.”
Poindexter seeks to reach a NCAA Tournament for the first time in her career.
“I think we can go far,” she says. “I’ve never been to the NCAA Tournament. That’s the main thing I came here for. I want to feel that. I want to make it there. I want to go far.”
She wants to experience what her father, Ray Poindexter, was fortunate to experience when he starred on a pair of NCAA Tournament teams at Tulsa in 1994-96. Ray Poindexter, a Sapulpa basketball legend, rarely misses a game. He and wife Susie drove Temira to her visit in Manhattan, and, oh, how the memories flooded back — how Temira grew up with the basketball in her hands, how she first realized her skill level was in a different universe than other girls her age, how she played varsity basketball as a freshman, and how she guided Sapulpa High School to the 2021 Class 5A state title.
“I feel like we would’ve also won state my junior year, but COVID shut everything down,” Poindexter says. “When we finally got to come back and play basketball, we won state, and that was the best. I will never forget that moment.”
She signed with Tulsa out of high school.
“Obviously, I wanted to follow in my dad’s footsteps,” she says. “I thought it would be cool.”
And it was cool, and Poindexter heated up: 12.3 points as a freshman, 16.1 points as a sophomore, and 20.1 points as a junior. In three seasons, she recorded 1,560 points and averaged 16.8 points in 93 games with 87 starts. She finished third in Tulsa history in career points and fifth in career scoring average.
“I’m always in the gym, extra shots, extra film, always just asking for more, asking, ‘What can I do better?’” she says. “I ask my teammates to be honest with me — ‘How can I be a better teammate? Do I do stuff you don’t like?’ I try to figure out how I can be my best.”
She’ll get some help from her K-State teammates, including center Ayoka Lee, who is returning for her sixth and final season.
“I’m really excited for that,” Poindexter says. “Playing with a big like her is just going to open up so much. I’ve never played with anybody as big as her, like a big center, and that’s what makes me so excited. I’m ready to see what that can bring.”
After recounting her glorious past and basking in the present, Poindexter looks to the future, which will include a full slate of Big 12 games. She’s eager to get started.
“I’m very excited,” she says. “This is crazy for me, because I just remember watching all these games and being like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ watching all these players play. It’s the Big 12. Now that I’m in it, it’s crazy, honestly. It still is kind of hard to believe right now.”
Everybody’s story is different.
Poindexter is eager to write her next chapter.
A New Chapter in Her Story
April 29, 2024
By D. Scott Fritchen
Past, present and future intertwine as Temira Poindexter sits in front of her computer screen on a Zoom call shortly after the All-American from Tulsa, the seventh leading scorer in Division I hoops, commits to play at Kansas State for her final season of eligibility. For 20 minutes now, the native of Sapulpa, Oklahoma, has detailed her visit to Manhattan — everything down to eating pasta and side dishes inside the home of K-State head coach Jeff Mittie, and playing games at Serena Sundell’s apartment, and meeting All-American Ayoka Lee for the first time. They’re all recent memories that cause her to smile.
But now Poindexter pauses as she has passed the proverbial crossroads of a decorated three-year college career, one in which she earned 2024 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and 2022 AAC Freshman of the Year honors, and as she embarks upon a new chapter in the Little Apple. She contemplates all that she has learned along the way.
“I’ve just learned that, honestly, what I tell myself is that everybody’s journey is different, and you shouldn’t compare journeys, because everybody’s story is different,” she says. “Your story is your story.”
Soon after Poindexter opted to depart Tulsa she was contacted by K-State coaches for the first time. She considered five schools. K-State was at the top. The Wildcats, who finished No. 19 in the AP Top 25 Poll and came off a NCAA Tournament appearance, needed a versatile scoring threat to replace departed fifth-year senior guard Gabby Gregory.
Poindexter, who phoned Mittie with her commitment on April 21, just two days after her visit to Manhattan, is the perfect fit.
With her length and athleticism, the 6-foot-1 Poindexter averaged 21.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.5 blocks. Poindexter brings versatility to a K-State offense that ranked sixth in the Big 12 Conference in scoring offense (71.1). She joined USC’s JuJu Watkins and UConn’s Paige Bueckers as the only players in the nation with 700 points and 50 blocks this past season.
“I think I do a good job reading the defense and taking what the defense gives me,” she says. “If they want to put a small guard on me, I’ll go inside, but if they put a bigger post on me, I can bring them out and take what the defense gives me. I read that really well.”
As for her favorite shot?
“Honestly, I think the 3-pointer,” she says. “I like to put up a lot of shots. I know it’s probably a bit too much, but I like to put up the ball behind the 3-point line.”
While Poindexter aspires to take her game to the WNBA, she focuses on the now. She’s grateful for the opportunity.
“It’s Coach Mittie’s belief in me and his honesty with me,” she says. “He’s very open and honest, and I really love that about him. This is my last senior year. I know I’m coming in here for a reason, and that’s what I have to be locked in on. This is what I’m coming here to do, and he’s going to help me and lead me toward that.
“I’m here to help build this team even more. I know they finished well last year. (I must) replace the scoring of Gabby Gregory. I know she was a key player last year. I know I have to pick up the load on that.”
Poindexter seeks to reach a NCAA Tournament for the first time in her career.
“I think we can go far,” she says. “I’ve never been to the NCAA Tournament. That’s the main thing I came here for. I want to feel that. I want to make it there. I want to go far.”
She wants to experience what her father, Ray Poindexter, was fortunate to experience when he starred on a pair of NCAA Tournament teams at Tulsa in 1994-96. Ray Poindexter, a Sapulpa basketball legend, rarely misses a game. He and wife Susie drove Temira to her visit in Manhattan, and, oh, how the memories flooded back — how Temira grew up with the basketball in her hands, how she first realized her skill level was in a different universe than other girls her age, how she played varsity basketball as a freshman, and how she guided Sapulpa High School to the 2021 Class 5A state title.
“I feel like we would’ve also won state my junior year, but COVID shut everything down,” Poindexter says. “When we finally got to come back and play basketball, we won state, and that was the best. I will never forget that moment.”
She signed with Tulsa out of high school.
“Obviously, I wanted to follow in my dad’s footsteps,” she says. “I thought it would be cool.”
And it was cool, and Poindexter heated up: 12.3 points as a freshman, 16.1 points as a sophomore, and 20.1 points as a junior. In three seasons, she recorded 1,560 points and averaged 16.8 points in 93 games with 87 starts. She finished third in Tulsa history in career points and fifth in career scoring average.
“I’m always in the gym, extra shots, extra film, always just asking for more, asking, ‘What can I do better?’” she says. “I ask my teammates to be honest with me — ‘How can I be a better teammate? Do I do stuff you don’t like?’ I try to figure out how I can be my best.”
She’ll get some help from her K-State teammates, including center Ayoka Lee, who is returning for her sixth and final season.
“I’m really excited for that,” Poindexter says. “Playing with a big like her is just going to open up so much. I’ve never played with anybody as big as her, like a big center, and that’s what makes me so excited. I’m ready to see what that can bring.”
After recounting her glorious past and basking in the present, Poindexter looks to the future, which will include a full slate of Big 12 games. She’s eager to get started.
“I’m very excited,” she says. “This is crazy for me, because I just remember watching all these games and being like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ watching all these players play. It’s the Big 12. Now that I’m in it, it’s crazy, honestly. It still is kind of hard to believe right now.”
Everybody’s story is different.
Poindexter is eager to write her next chapter.
Why is there something rather than nothing?
-
ToledoCat#3
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Miss Poindexter sounds like a perfect fit for next year's team.
Let's hope so. Good recruiting by coaching staff.
Let's hope so. Good recruiting by coaching staff.
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