K-State women's basketball transfers look to be missing pieces for deep run

MANHATTAN, KS. (KSNT) - K-State women's basketball had a storybook season in 2023-24.

The Wildcats reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings and earned a four seed in the NCAA Tournament, giving them the right to host the first two rounds for the first time ever.

Big things could be in store for the 2024-25 campaign with the return of All-American center Ayoka Lee and the experienced back court of seniors Serena Sundell, Jaelyn Glenn and Brylee Glenn. Plus, the talented potential of sophomores Taryn Sides and Zyanna Walker means the Wildcats could have their eyes on the biggest prize.

However, after dropping out of the NCAA Tournament in the Round of 32 at home and graduating a starter in Gabby Gregory, head coach Jeff Mittie and staff saw a need to bring in some experience to bolster the lineup.

He gets just that with senior transfers Temira Poindexter and Kennedy Taylor.

Poindexter comes to K-State after three seasons at Tulsa: her father's alma mater and the town she grew up in. At Tulsa, Poindexter quickly rose the rankings to third on the all-time scoring list and was named the AAC Player of the Year in 2023-24.

"Felt the need to be somewhere else, have different goals," Poindexter said. "I felt I was very comfortable at Tulsa and I feel like I just needed to get out of a comfort zone and, you know, just expand my game and honestly, me as a person to."

Poindexter describes herself as a hard worker who likes to shoot the three-ball. Most importantly, she's a team-first player.

"I like to win. They like to win. I'm going to do whatever I can to help win," Poindexter said. "It was honestly one of the reasons I came here, like, I think it's amazing how dedicated they are."

Taylor is a Shawnee Mission, Kansas native who wanted to be back in the Sunflower State for her final season.

"I'm a Kansas girl. I grew up about an hour and a half away from here," Taylor said. "It just meant a lot to me, you know, being able to have my friends and family be able to be able to come out to the game and see me."

Taylor spent the last two seasons at Missouri State after one year at Colorado. She was named the Missouri Valley Conference Sixth Player of the Year in her role coming off the bench in 2023-24.

"I'm very physical in the post. I like physicality and rebounding," Taylor said. "I was doing anything I could to help my team and help us win."

Both players bring a lot of scoring to the 2024-25 roster. Poindexter now ranks second on the team in career points with 1,560, Taylor in sixth with 749.

With the two transfers in the mix, the Wildcats could send out an all-senior lineup as Mittie and crew look to make a deep run in March.