The Kent State women’s basketball fell to Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by a score of 81-67. It was the program’s first NCAA appearance since 2002, and the first for Starkey in his eighth season at the helm of the Flashes.
His Flashes didn’t go down without a fight. In a game that looked it could be a thirty point blowout (KSU was a 30 point underdog), KSU stuck around with shots that began to fall in the second half and a defense that tightened up as the game went on. The Flashes fought till the end, playing for each other, the coaches and the program. One wouldn’t expect anything less if you watched the team throughout the year.
Starkey talked about the “sisterhood” that his team has developed throughout the year, playing for each other as well as the senior class.
About that senior class. Mikalya Morris transferred from Quinnipiac and fit in seamlessly in the starting lineup. Abby Ogle battled injury throughout her career, transferring from West Virginia and in her sixth year, made many impactful plays in the loss to Notre Dame.
Katie Shumate left her legacy on the history of the Kent State women’s basketball program. Forget the place in the statistical record books, watching Shumate play is what fans will remember. Shumate could have gone in the transfer portal last offseason and been picked up by a power five program that night. She averaged 21 points and 11 rebounds this year in games vs. LSU and Notre Dame. But she didn’t go portal shopping. She stayed for these moments, to be a mentor…for the “sisterhood”. She’s a Bio pre-med major that was expecting to go to medical school, but her playing days shouldn’t be over. Starkey talks about her like a proud father, fighting his emotions before continuing.
This Kent State women’s team exhibits many of the qualities of what is right in athletics. Players who play for each other as a true team. They play for the coaches and the fans as well. The coaching staff has had continuity through the years. These women are true student-athletes. The average cumulative GPA is 3.478. The publication Inside Higher Ed did a bracket of the NCAA tournament teams, based on academics. The publication’s Academic Performance Tournament had his team losing to Vanderbilt in the championship game, based on academic excellence.
The transfer portal has changed college athletics. Instant gratification, wanting it right away and seeking greener pastures has become all too common these days. Jenna Batsch didn’t get the minutes she wanted last year. She stayed, she worked. And now she’s the most improved player in the Mid-American Conference. Dionna Gray played much of the season as a backup. When Corynne Hauser went down with a season ending injury, Gray was ready. She was getting shots up. She stayed ready, so she didn’t have to get ready, and in the MAC Championship game most especially, she stepped up. The staff adjusted. The sisterhood stepped up without their injured teammate.
The future is bright for Kent State women’s basketball. Freshman post player Janae Tyler is a stud. Batsch and Gray are back, as well as Bridget Dunn. As Starkey said in his postgame, “Kent State is coming.”
Starkey spoke about how it’s validation to make the NCAA Tournament after eight seasons. And as a longtime high school coach I know exactly how he feels. It’s relief and validation that the things you’ve been building are working.
But the reality is Starkey and his staff didn’t need validation. He and his staff get validation everyday as his players, both past and present carry themselves and achieve far beyond the basketball court in the classroom and in the community.
Well done Flashes. You’ve made the Kent State community proud.