The Wildcats' return home to face TCU at 6:30 p.m. Saturday will be special for an entirely different reason, as K-State head coach Jeff Mittie and his team will participate in the Eighth Annual Team Hally game — a contest designed to honor the memory of 9-year-old Hally Yust, who tragically passed away in July 2014. Yust dreamt of playing on the K-State women's basketball team.
K-State Sports Extra's D. Scott Fritchen spoke with Mittie about Hally Yust, her family, and the significance of the Team Hally game in this Q&A:
D. SCOTT FRITCHEN: How did you first learn about Hally Yust?
JEFF MITTIE: Somebody sent me the obituary of Hally's passing and at the bottom of the obituary it read that she had wanted to play basketball at Kansas State. Sometimes things kind of hit you. Obviously, as a parent and having three kids, and knowing that a lot of young girls have that dream to play college basketball at Kansas State, it hit me. I reached out and was interested in attending her funeral. I wanted to give her family a K-State jersey. I met Shon and Jenny on one of the worst days of their lives. I wanted to be there and let them know that we were thinking about them. Sometimes in life, you are put into places, and you have no idea why, but I was compelled to go.
DSF: What have Shon and Jenny meant to K-State women's basketball over the last seven years?
JM: They are such great people, and they have such a great family. I'm grateful to be able to honor Hally's life on a special day every year and to remember her and her spirit. I never met Hally, but I know her family are great K-Staters. One of their daughters now attends K-State and their son is doing mission work in the Philippines. It's really a neat family. Our K-State women's basketball program has participated in the Dirty Dash, which is a mud run, in the fall for the family. We're looking at different things to enrich the experience in our program and to benefit others like taking trips and doing some work in Rwanda. The Yust's just want to do a lot of good. They've done work in Haiti. We actually put together a program that we called "It Matters," which entailed working with Shon and Jenny and taking the team to an area where we felt like we could make a difference, whether it be Rwanda or Haiti. We're still working on it, but the pandemic put those plans to a stop right now. We're hopeful that we'll be able to participate as a program with the Yust family once the pandemic ends. It's been great to know them better and to be friends with them.
DSF: Hally was nine years old when she passed away. How does that put life into perspective?
JM: Really, it puts life, and a lot of things into perspective, and the great thing about athletics is we have great opportunities to get to help others, we get to meet people that we never would've met, and sometimes those things intersect in a great way. Hally passed away four months after I arrived at K-State, and for whatever reason, we know things happen in this world that are tough, and that one hit close to home for me, like the fact that I have daughters and a son, too. That one hit close to me. When you tie in K-State ties, it just seemed like someplace I needed to be.
DSF: The Team Hally game coincides with Junior Wildcats Club Day this weekend. How much pride do you have in your players being really positive role models for children?
JM: During my time at Kansas State, we've had such great players who embrace that part of the student-athlete experience. When you come to a game here, our players are in the stands after the games and taking pictures and signing autographs. I'm always encouraging them to be a part of that because you don't know the impact that you're having on these children. You may find out 10 years down the road that a little girl's first impression, or that little boy's first impression, is the impact these players make on them for one moment. You just don't know. You might find out from someone 10 years down the road, "I became a college basketball player because of my first experience with Ayoka Lee." You never know. We must take every one of those moments as an opportunity to be impactful.
DSF: The Team Hally game also comes as the first home game for K-State women's basketball since the historic game for Ayoka Lee in the win over No. 14 Oklahoma. What has this past week been like for you as a head coach?
JM: It's been different because of the attention it generated, but for me, it's back in the office, and we got back into film, but obviously, it's a big deal. I think our fans recognize the significance of the feat and how big of a deal it was for our basketball team to play so well against the 14th-ranked team in the country. The 61 points — it's truly a team award because 21 of 23 field goals for Ayoka came off assists from teammates. It truly was a team effort. Our team is really responding to our fans, and I think our fans are responding well to our team, and it's exciting to be a part of. I hope we have a good crowd against TCU on Saturday because it's fun to watch our group grow and it's fun to see young teams continue to become better. If we continue to grow from the hiccup at Texas, this will be a fun group to watch down the stretch.
DSF: Have you sensed added excitement around Manhattan this week?
JM: I don't get out too much, but I do work out at Genesis and, yes, I do have people who approach me and say, 'Coach, great game the other night.' When I get coffee, somebody might see me. I get a sense that when you do special things, and 61 points is special, and when you beat the No. 14 team in the country, those are good things that people get excited about. I have sensed that people across town are talking more about women's basketball and are excited about it.
DSF: How much do you appreciate Ayoka and her commitment to this program?
JM: She's committed to everything she does. She's committed to her academics and to all the groups that she's a part of. She just loves Kansas State and being a part of it and loves being involved. She's always asking, "This leadership event is going on this summer, is it OK if I go to it?" Her commitment and how she carries herself, I'm so proud of her and how she represents Kansas State in a special way.
DSF: Every year and every group are unique. What makes this group unique to you?
JM: As a whole, they come in and they're ready to work. There are highs and lows, of course. People asked me how we were going to get our feet on the ground after the win over Oklahoma. Having our feet on the ground wasn't the issue at Texas. Then people ask how we are going to bounce back after a tough loss. Those aren't issues. This team has been consistent in its behavior and in how our players come to work every day, and that is unique. The 10 players who have been eligible and healthy have continued to build off us being 10 strong. That is unique about this team.
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