Nastja Claessens, 6-foot-1 Junior, Forward, Waregem, Belgium

The 6-foot-1 junior forward from Waregem, Belgium, is one of the new and skillful additions to the Wildcats’ roster. Claessens was a key contributor to the Belgium National Team that won the 2025 FIBA Women’s EuroBasket. For the 2025 Belgium National team, she averaged 5.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game, while shooting 43% from the three-point line. Claessens also competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics, playing in two games for the Belgian National team.

Extending her skills at a high skill level, Claessens competed in the 2024 FIBA U20 Women’s EuroBasket, where she played in seven games and averaged 17.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Since 2022, she has been a steady presence for Belgium at multiple levels, including the U18, U20 and the main Belgian National team.

During her time playing club, Claessens previously played for IDK Euskotren in Spain’s Liga Femenina de Baloncesto and competed in the 2025 EuroCup. Over 10 games with the team, she averaged 7.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.

In her opening debut game for Kansas State against Omaha, Claessens scored 12 points, six rebounds, one assist and added two steals during 20 minutes of play. Claessans is a great role player for the ‘Cats, as on some nights she can be a go-to player while other nights she can do the dirty work and find ways to impact the team other than scoring. Claessans brings valuable experience, having played competitively overseas and that experience will be extremely valuable to a young Wildcat squad. Her leadership off the court should be a big factor for the rest of her teammates. 

K-State head coach Jeff Mittie is confident in her abilities as a contributor while also gelling nicely as a team.

“She just got here Aug. 22 or something like that, so she missed all summer,” Mittie said. “So the adjustment to blending her in has been really good, and you can see her talent. It has also been blending her into everything we do, the weight room, the demands of going to school, and all the demands that are new to her. Plus, she is half a world away from her family. She is an exciting player and does things well [on the court]. She has had really good experiences against quality competition and will play a big part this year.”

Taryn Sides, 5-foot-7 Junior, Guard, Phillipsburg, Kansas

The Kansas native and major contributor, Taryn Sides, is entering her third year with the Wildcats. Standing at 5-foot-7, the junior guard is from Phillipsburg, Kansas Last season, she played in all 35 games and averaged 9.2 points, 4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, while shooting an impressive 43.3% from three-point range, which ranked 17th in the nation. Sides currently sits fourth in school history for career three-point percentage (minimum 100 attempts) and holds the program record for career assist-to-turnover ratio.

As a freshman, Sides appeared in all 34 games for K-State, averaging 3.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Attending Phillipsburg High School, Sides was also a four-time KBCA All-State recipient, winning the 3A Player of the Year award in both her junior and senior seasons and was a nominee in her freshman and sophomore years. She finished her high school career with 2,166 points, the 15th-highest total in Kansas girls’ basketball history. During her senior year, she led Phillipsburg to a third-place finish at the 3A state tournament. She was ranked the No. 64 overall recruit in her class.

In Kansas State’s season opener against Omaha, Sides filled the stat sheet with 15 points, seven rebounds, 12 assists, two steals and went 3-4 from the arc. Sides is lethal from the outside, needing only a small amount of space to make a shot. The underrated part of her game is her passing and rebounding. Sides is a great passer, rarely turning the ball over, and always willing to find her teammates for open shots. Also, at 5-foot-7 Sides has a rare ability to go and grab rebounds as well and is willing to do so as a guard. Sides will look to be a consistent force early on in the season while the newcomers get settled. 

Coach Mittie is ready for Sides to step up and be a main leader for this Wildcat lineup. 

“We want Taryn [Sides] to lead in a way she is comfortable,” Mittie said. “Taryn knows the program and knows the standards, and she has continued to grow in her voice over time. She is not a rah-rah leader; she is not going to get into a team or play that leadership role. When we have a tough practice, nine players are wondering if this guy is nuts — the answer is yes. Taryn can answer them and tell them it will be alright, stay the course, he is on us right now about this, but it will be alright.”

Izela Arenas, 5-foot-8 Sophomore, Guard, Los Angeles, California

The 5’8 sophomore guard from Los Angeles, California, joins the Wildcats after starting her college career at Louisville. During the 2024–25 season with the Cardinals, she appeared in 29 games and averaged 11.8 minutes per game. She statted 4.2 points per game, went 20-of-52 from three-point range and shot 9-for-12 from the free-throw line. Arenas also added 25 assists, 35 rebounds and 11 steals throughout the season and posted a season-high 14 points against Clemson, shooting 5-of-6 from the floor.

Before her college career, Arenas was a standout at Sierra Canyon High School, where she was ranked No. 88 nationally and a four-star prospect by ESPNW/HoopGurlz top-100 in the class of 2024. She helped lead Sierra Canyon to a combined 62–4 record over her junior and senior seasons, including a 31–1 record as a junior and a 31–3 record as a senior, finishing with No. 9 in the final national rankings.

 In May 2023, Arenas won the prestigious “Queen of the Court” one-on-one showcase event, featuring some of the top female high school players in the country.

Arenas is also the daughter of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas and Laura Govan. She has already shown high potential in the purple and white lineup, scoring 18 points while adding four rebounds and three assists in her game against Omaha.

Coach Mittie is excited about Arenas concerning her skillset and work ethic. 

“Good, solid leadership skills,” Mittie said. “Izela has the ability to get to the rim. [She] shoots the three really well; Been consistent there. Love her work ethic. She’s a player that in the summer, was shooting shots every morning at 5 a.m., coming back at night to get more shots. She was very routine. She would shoot twos in the morning, come back in [and] shoot threes at night. She got more shots during a week than any player I’ve ever had, and we’ve had some good ones. I like her quickness with the ball. I like her ability to play the ball screen, and she’s got some scoring ability that we’re going to need.”

Jordan Speiser, 6-foot-1 Freshman, Guard, Warrenton, Missouri 

Towering at 6-foot-1, Jordan Speiser is a freshman guard from Warrenton, Missouri, and a standout product of Lutheran High School of St. Charles County. She enters K-State as a highly decorated recruit, having been selected to play in the 2025 Jordan Brand Classic, the 2025 Nike Hoop Summit for Team USA and the 2025 McDonald’s All-American Game. During the McDonald’s All-American game, she won the Sprite Knockout Contest at the Sprite Jamfest.

Speiser, with her proficiency, has been highly ranked across all major recruiting services, earning five-star prospect and being listed as the No. 16 by ESPNHoopGurlz. ProspectsNation.com ranked her No. 14 overall and the No. 5 wing, while 247Sports listed her as the No. 19 player and No. 4 shooting guard. She built a reputation as an elite shooter, hitting 54.5% at Nike Nationals and 47.3% overall shooting in EYBL play during the summer of 2024.

During her high school career, Speiser was a two-time Missouri Basketball Coaches Association (MBCA) All-State Class 5 selection and earned back-to-back MBCA Class 5 District 4 awards. She helped lead Lutheran St. Charles to a state championship in 2023 and a state runner-up finish in 2024.

In Kansas State’s game against Omaha, Speiser played 21 minutes and contributed 7 points and two rebounds and one steal.

While coach Mittie has seen highs and lows from Speiser, he understands there will be lots of growth from her, but is excited about the momentum she gives the team.

“She’s [had] really good moments and really rough moments at times,” Mittie said. “I think one of the first scrimmages that we had, she hit seven out of 10 threes, and then the guys guarded her a lot better, and the next time, it was one of seven. And so we’ve seen big moments, but we’ve also seen the struggles that you would expect from a freshman, that now she’s being guarded differently than she’s ever been guarded in her career. She’s a heck of a player, heck of an opportunity to be an impact player right away.”