Grace Parks
Kennedy Taylor looks to shoot the ball against Kansas. Taylor was one of the recognized senior players on Feb. 22, 2025 against the Jayhawks.
Kansas State forward Kennedy Taylor had her waiver for an extra year of eligibility denied two weeks ago, making her ineligible for the upcoming season.
Taylor has since appealed the decision, but with the season coming up and the lengthy process of the first waiver, the appeal may take some time as well.
“I don’t get it, I can’t understand the NCAA on some things,” K-State women’s head basketball coach Jeff Mittie said. “I can not figure out why this decision wasn’t made in June, in fairness to her and in fairness to us.”
During the waiver process, Taylor was able to be around the team and practice, but since her waiver was denied, she has been away from the team as her appeal is still being processed.
Taylor began her career at Colorado for a season, then transferred to Missouri State, where she played two seasons before coming to Manhattan. Taylor was hoping to gain an extra year for the season at Colorado when she played in just eight games and totaled only 19 minutes.
“This would have been a case that would have been [approved] 95% of the time previously,” Mittie said. “They keep moving the goalposts.”
Last season, Taylor was the backup center behind Ayoka Lee and did a nice job in that role, averaging 7.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Since it was assumed that Taylor would return for the upcoming season, the Wildcats will lose a player in a position that wasn’t as highly recruited after.
“Thin — it’s as thin as we have ever been [at the five],” Mittie said. “We just have to figure out how to cover it up and figure out how we are going to play that.”
The Wildcats have a lot of uncertainty on their roster this upcoming season, with many incoming freshmen and transfers set to play significant minutes.
The loss of Taylor is not only a big loss for her ability on the court, but the Wildcats will also lose the stability and leadership that she would bring to the team in her second season.
The last remaining center on the roster for the ‘Cats is Virginia Tech transfer Ramiya White, who is expected to see plenty of minutes for K-State this upcoming season.
The Wildcats start their season with a home matchup against Omaha on Monday, Nov. 3. The game will tip off at 6:30 p.m. in Bramlage Coliseum.