KENT, Ohio — The culture within the Kent State Women's Basketball program has changed since Todd Starkey took over as the head coach in 2016. Starkey describes the previous mindset as "a little bit of survival mode."
"We just kinda had to change the mentality when we first got here, and that's the expectation of winning," explains Starkey, who is in his 7th season at the helm.
Starkey is the third-winningest coach in school history with 101 victories. He's led the Golden Flashes to three postseason WNIT appearances and two Mid-American Conference East Division titles. His standard has not only been noticed around the conference but all of college basketball. The Golden Flashes entered this season ranked 3rd in the MAC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll, behind Toledo and Ball State. They were also ranked 16th in the preseason Mid-Major Top 25.
"I think coaches in the league really understand what we've done. We've been able to be in the mix a lot, and we have a lot of players back that are meaningful to our success," says Starkey.
That includes guard Katie Shumate, who was named to this year's Preseason All-MAC First Team. Shumate led Kent State in scoring, rebounding and steals while ranking second in blocks last season.
"Katie is a player that, in the transfer portal era, could've gone in the portal and maybe gone to a Power 5 school or something like that. [She] really wanted to stay here and cement her legacy as one of the best players in school history," says Starkey.
"I mean, I was a kid when I got here. I've had a lot of different teammates been a lot of different places, COVID happened. I'm just really blessed and lucky to have had the support that I've had from the people here. It's been a great place to grow up and learn," says Shumate.
Schumate, a redshirt senior, is looking to make a statement in her final season.
"I expect our team to do really well this year. I think we're gonna surprise a lot of people. We've lost a lot of our starters, but I don't think we're gonna fall off very much at all. I think we have a bigger presence inside, so I'm expecting a lot out of this team," says Shumate.
The Golden Flashes, who are 1-0 to start the season, will get their first shot at making a statement when they play LSU, the defending national champion, on Tuesday in Baton Rouge.
"Stakes are gonna be high. It's gonna be loud. It's gonna be a lot of distractions going on, and we got a lot of new players that haven't played a lot. Seeing them on the court in that situation, it'll only help them," says Shumate.
"To go into that atmosphere and to be able to experience that, regardless of the outcome, is a great thing that they'll remember the rest of their lives. Then, obviously, we wanna go in there and compete and really show what Kent State Women's Basketball is all about," says Starkey.
LSU, which is ranked 7th in the country, will be the first of three Power 5 schools Kent State faces this season. Under Starkey, the Golden Flashes have been able to hold their own against more prominent programs. They have had three Power 5 wins over the past two seasons.
"It is the preparation. I think our staff does a great job with scouting reports. A lot of times, Power 5 teams are preparing for a team they haven't seen before, and you know exactly what they are. I think sometimes we're hard to prepare for because we do play a variety of different styles based on who we're playing. Sometimes, that's a tough matchup for Power 5's. Plus, I think we're a good team. Our players get up for those games, so it gives us the best opportunity," says Starkey.
Kent State tips off against LSU Tuesday at noon.
Carly Mascitti is a sports anchor at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on Twitter @carlymascitti.
