A Kansas kid, a playmaker from Spain and a forward who’s competed on the Olympic stage might not seem to have much in common. But Taryn Sides, Gina Garcia and Nastja Claessens are all back in Manhattan with something to prove. 

After missing the NCAA Tournament last season, K-State women’s basketball has a different look heading into 2026-27. With returning leaders, international talent and a handful of new faces, the Wildcats are working to turn last season’s disappointment into a different ending.

Sides brings experience and unfinished business

For Taryn Sides, staying at K-State for her senior season was never much of a decision. The Phillipsburg, Kansas, native has spent her college career in Manhattan, and the chance to finish it with the Wildcats meant something.

“Growing up from a small town in Kansas, I knew right away this is where I wanted to be; it wasn’t even a question to stay with this group,” Sides said.

She has become one of K-State’s most dependable players, contributing as a scorer, passer and defender. Last season, Sides averaged 12.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. She also led the Wildcats with 67 steals and earned All-Big 12 honorable mention recognition.

But individual numbers aren’t what she remembers most about last season; the guard also enters the season with something to prove. 

“I think after the ending we had of last season, playing well in Big 12 tournament, not making it to the NCAA tournament, it’s kind of left a chip on my shoulder,” Sides said. “I want to win for this university just as much for this team and the coaching staff.”

Sides’ experience could prove valuable as K-State brings together a group with several new faces. 

The Wildcats added international talent in Italian forward Cristina Osazuwa, Greek center Tzoana Tampakou and Spanish forward Shaila Nde.

Transfers Téa Cléante, who previously played at Penn State, along with freshman guard Sage Henry, add more experience to the mix. While returning players like Sides, Garcia and Claessens know what Big 12 basketball demands, the newcomers are still adjusting to the conference’s pace and physicality.

“They’ve never played in the Big 12, the new ones, and I think it’s a lot different than Europe and wherever they’ve played before,” Sides said. “I think the physicality is different here; each team has a different style of play that you have to get used to.”

The art of making everyone better

A knack for finding teammates helped Gina Garcia make an immediate impact in her first season at K-State.

The Barcelona, Spain, native finished with 191 assists, setting a freshman program record and ranking seventh in the Big 12 with 5.16 assists per game. Garcia also recorded 54 steals, while her 2.17 assist-to-turnover ratio showed her ability to create opportunities without giving the ball away.

Adjusting to college basketball took time, though. The speed and physicality were different from what she had experienced before arriving in Manhattan.

“I think that the biggest difference was the physicality and how fast it was, the style of game,” Garcia said. “But I think that it took me a while to adjust, but it’s been great so far.”

Her passing quickly became one of her biggest strengths. Head coach Jeff Mittie said Garcia’s unselfishness sometimes means she looks for a teammate before going for her own shot. 

“She’s [Garcia] such a great passer that she’s always, and she’s such an unselfish player, she’s always looking for everybody, but we do need her to,” Mittie said. “She’s worked hard at developing the floater game and the pick-and-roll action.”

Garcia knows that becoming a more aggressive scorer is the next step in her development. 

“I would say the biggest part [to improve] is to be more aggressive and be able to score more, because I think that would help my team and it would create a lot of opportunities for us,” Garcia said.

More than a presence in the post

Nastja Claessens arrived in the Little Apple with a basketball resume that stretches well beyond the Big 12. 

Claessens has already played on some of basketball’s biggest stages. She represented Belgium at the 2024 Paris Olympics and helped her country win the 2025 FIBA Women’s EuroBasket. Now, heading into her senior season, she brings that experience back to Manhattan as one of K-State’s most established frontcourt players.

In her first season with the Wildcats, Claessens made her presence felt on both ends of the floor. She averaged 11.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, reached double figures 22 times and shot 51.6% from the field. She also showed she could do more than work around the basket, knocking down 35.6% of her 3-point attempts.

That versatility gives K-State a forward who can create opportunities in different ways. But Claessens isn’t looking at last season’s production as a finished product. She wants to become stronger when opponents challenge her around the rim, especially in a conference known for its physical play.

“I think being able to finish with contact, not going away from the contact, I think that’s an area I really have to improve on, and I think I’m working on it,” Claessens said.

It’s a small part of a much bigger picture for the senior. With a season of Big 12 basketball behind her, Claessens has a better feel for what the conference demands and another year to build on the role she carved out in K-State’s frontcourt.

Wildcats open with a win

K-State got its season started Monday, Nov. 2, with a 61-41 win over Wichita State at Bramlage Coliseum. Sides led the way with 15 points and six rebounds, while Garcia handed out six assists. Freshman Nde nearly recorded a double-double in her collegiate debut with 12 points and nine rebounds, and Cléante added nine points in her first game as a Wildcat.

The opener offered an early look at what this group can become, but the bigger test comes as the schedule gets tougher and the team continues to settle into its roles. Mittie expects the nonconference schedule to help prepare the Wildcats for that challenge. 

“I think last year’s schedule probably bit us a little bit in the sense we did not play well early enough,” Mittie said. “I think it ended up being one of the top 20 schedules in the country; I would expect this schedule to be the same.”

The goal is not to just get through those games with wins. It’s to be ready when Big 12 play arrives. 

“We know how important the non-con is not only to get wins in that non-con, but … prepare you for Big 12 play because you know that our conference is going to be one of the best in the country,” Mittie said.

From Phillipsburg to Barcelona to Belgium, K-State’s roster has traveled a few different roads to get to the Octagon of Doom. Now, Sides, Garcia, Claessens and the rest of the Wildcats are working toward the same destination. After coming up short last season, they’re hoping this trip ends sometime in March.