We are still about 5 weeks away from the tip-off of a new college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to start preparing for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with Kansas State PG Serena Sundell, who talked about being a great PG and her expectations for this season.
You were born/raised in Missouri: what made you choose Kansas State? I was not looking for distance to be a factor: most of my offers were from mid-majors but Kansas State ended up as my only Power-5 offer. I wanted to see if I could play at the highest level, and I liked how Manhattan is a great college town that is all about the university. It was an easy decision for me because the coaching staff believed in me: they made me feel welcome and said that I could be an impact player.
In 2022 you led the team with 32.2 minutes/game and were named to the conference all-freshman team: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I will never forget my 1st summer here adjusting to the speed/physicality of the game. I was not expecting to be a PG, but they needed someone to step up and ultimately I won that spot. I was thrown to the wolves a little bit, but it was good. I was skinny/weak when I look back at myself…but I have grown at lot.
Last year you were named to the all-conference 1st-team: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? That was a special moment. This conference is so competitive and has so many great players, so I was proud of myself and am excited for this year.
You led the conference with 5.7 APG last year and your 549 career AST is #4 in school history: what is the secret to being a great PG? I have made my fair share of mistakes but have learned a lot. Coach Jeff Mittie gets a lot of credit for teaching me a lot about why certain people are cutting/rolling in certain directions. You must be super smart/aware of where your teammates are and know what each of their strengths are. I enjoy the learning part of the game and it is a lot of fun.
Your FG% has improved each year, and your 3P% went way up last year, but your FT% has gone down each year: how on earth did that happen? The honest answer is that it is a mental thing. I was in my head at the FT line and was a mental head case and had never struggled like that before. I tried so many different techniques (including singing a song!) but I am confident that I can get it back up this year. Making them in practice is important but it is impossible to replicate a game situation.
In the 2024 NCAA tourney you scored 16 PTS/3-4 3PM in a win over Portland and 11 PTS in a loss to Colorado: what did you learn from your postseason run that you think will help you this season? Those games were very fun: we got to see our fans come together in a sold-out Bramlage Coliseum. We just had too many breakdowns against Colorado and lost our focus and let them hit us 1st. You must stay the course: there were moments when we were trying to make a hero play (me included). You need to trust what you have been practicing since October and believe that it will carry over into March.
Your father Bob did college basketball/track, your mother Korena played college basketball, and your brother Jalen was an offensive lineman at North Dakota State: who is the best athlete in the family? My brother just made the 53-man roster for the Seahawks so he might win it with that stat, but my dad made the Olympic trials in the high jump so he might have the edge.
You graduated last May with a degree in organizational management and are working on your MBA: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? A Masters is different than undergrad: I must be very intentional with my time, so I have deleted TikTok and have tried to limit my screen time on my phone. Yesterday my day included practice/homework/meals/etc.: it was busy, but it was good. I like my classes and am learning a lot but there is not a lot of free time, which is the beauty of being a student-athlete.
Your conference has seen a lot of additions/subtractions from last year: any thoughts on conference realignment? I am excited: I had the perfect situation of playing teams like Texas/Oklahoma who have left, then I got to play some new teams last year, and will get 4 more new teams this year. I like visiting new places and will get to spend a week in Utah when we have back-to-back games against BYU/Utah.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? We are not shying away from anything: we want to win a Big 12 title. The rankings do not matter right now so we just block it out. We have a lot of experience/talent, so it is up to us as to what we want to do with it. We are continuing to push each other: when Ayoka Lee decided to return that is what she texted all of us. It would be great to host a game in March Madness or make the Final 4 so we will set our goals high. I do not have any specific personal goals but will just try to make the right plays/reads. I want to limit my turnovers and make more free throws but mostly just win as a unit.