Kansas State women’s basketball was without senior guard Tess Heal for a three-game stretch in Late January. Since returning, she’s making waves in the Big 12.
What led to Heal’s suspension
According to earlier reports, Heal was penalized after signing a professional contract with the Keilor Thunder, a team in the NBL1 in Australia. Earlier reports also suggested that signing with the Thunder was an NCAA violation, even though the team didn’t start competition until March, well after Heal signed the contract.
While facing her suspension, Heal missed two road games. The first against Kansas resulted in an 83-61 loss, and the second a win over Arizona State. She also missed the team’s home matchup with Colorado, a game K-State dropped 56-47.
Prior to her suspension, Heal led the team in scoring for five straight games ranging from Dec. 31 all the way through the team’s ranked win over Texas Texh on Jan. 17. During that stretch, she scored a season-high 31 points on the road against Houston.
Another report also suggested that the violation was not initially confirmed by the University, but was suggested to be in relation with the contract even though Heal didn’t intend to play professionally until after college.
Social media posts also suggested her signing with the Thunder.
Since returning, Heal is lighting Bramlage on fire
Since making her return on Feb. 4 against Arizona, the senior from Austrailia has played 30 or more minutes in each of the team’s last three games, logging a full 40 minutes against both the Wildcats and Oklahoma State.
Heal scored 18 points against Arizona, logged 11 points and seven rebounds against BYU and dropped 16 points, five rebounds and an assist against the Cowgirls.
She currently averages 10.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists on the year and is currently shooting 49% from the field.
Rest of season, tournament hopes looking up
The rest of the season for K-State is fairly light. Only one ranked opponent stands in their way: current AP No. 12 Baylor on Feb. 23. A win over the Bears could make or break the Wildcats’ hopes for an NCAA tournament bid, depending on how the results of next month’s Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City play out.
Getting Heal could have a major impact on the rest of the season if the momentum continues moving in the right direction. Her experience and veteran leadership have the potential to spark a major turnaround if K-State plays its cards right.