Last season, redshirt junior guard Kyleigh Ortiz only played one minute against Oklahoma Christian before an injury ended her season.
“It was definitely hard,” Ortiz said. “There was a lot of mixed emotions, but I think for me just getting back on the court again, it’s helping me bring back what I was doing before.”
In Wichita State’s exhibition against Newman on Wednesday, Ortiz swished a 3-pointer as the game clock was winding down. It was Ortiz’s first basket during a game in 364 days.
“It felt really good,” Ortiz said. “It was a boost of confidence for me for being out so long. I think it just helped me get more confident and feel more comfortable on the court.”
Gradute student forward Bre’Yon White added that it was awesome seeing her return and be able to add an impact.
“I really love her,” White said. “Especially being a returner, we’re really close. We hang out a lot, and just to see her back out there means a lot for me personally, and I know it means a lot for her.”
Before Ortiz was a Shocker, she played at Coffeyville Community College, a JUCO in Kansas. In her two seasons for the Red Ravens, she appeared in 65 games, while starting 60 and averaging 9.7 points and shooting 37% from beyond the arc.
“I think just by the coaches’ believing in me and then they brought me in here to shoot. They could see what I could do,” Ortiz said about how her success at the JUCO level will translate at the Division I level. “So, I think that I just have to keep doing what I was supposed to do — to shoot the ball when I can and knock down shots.”
In her two seasons at Coffeyville, Ortiz finished twice in the top seven of most made threes in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC). The Shockers struggled with long-range shooting last season, knocking down 27.5% shots from deep. The mark was the second-lowest in the American Conference.
Wichita State head coach Terry Nooner said the team felt her absence last season.
“Kyleigh is a knock-down shooter, which is something we truly missed last year with the way people just kind of packed it in against us all the time and played zone,” Nooner said. “She can go 20 minutes and not get a shot just because people are taking her out of the game, but then when she gets her opportunity, she just knocks it down.”
“She’s a really fantastic shooter,” White added, “so, it’s just easy. For me, sometimes I joke around and I say, ‘If you shoot the ball I’m not rebounding, I know it’s going in, so I can go ahead and get back on defense.’”
Ortiz is one of four returners from last year’s team. A majority of her teammates last season transferred or graduated.
“One thing about me is I’m all about loyalty,” Ortiz said. “So, I think just staying after an injury is just being loyal to the coaches and just having a fresh start again just to help the team out in any way I can.”
Wichita State begins its 2025-26 campaign Monday night against Division II Lincoln (Mo.). Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
