Nicole Ohlde is a player to watch this season. Coming off two stellar seasons with the up-and-coming Kansas State Wildcats, the 6'4" forward/center just keeps getting better.

She was a three-sport star at Clay Center (Kan.) High School. As a senior, she took the state high jump title and was on the first-place 4x400 and 4x800 relay teams as well as being a three-year letter-winner in volleyball. But basketball was her true love and after a remarkable high school career she signed with KSU in 2000.

While still in high school she was becoming known for combining unstoppable offensive moves with an aggressive defense‹her senior year Ohlde led her league in rebounds and was the team leader in scoring, three-point shooting, field goal percentage, and steals. And her numbers just kept getting better at KSU. She holds the freshman records for points (36) and rebounds in a game (19), and scoring average (17.2), rebounding average (8.1), points (455), rebounds (146), and field goals (187) in a season.

Last year, she became the second sophomore in school history, and one of only three Wildcats ever, to score 600 points in a season. She ranked second on the team in points, third in field goals made, second in free throws made, and first in blocks in a single season (she needs just 15 blocks to become KSU's all-time shot blocker).

This year, she's starting the season as the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year and one of only 30 preseason candidates for the Naismith Award. We spoke with Ohlde about making the transition from high school to Division I play, what brought her to KSU, skills she's still perfecting, and the importance of the dunk.

What made you choose Kansas State?
I hadn't really thought about where I wanted to go for college. But in my sophomore summer, I started playing AAU. I came up here and met the coaches. They were a lot of fun to be around and they really knew what they were talking about. The environment here is so friendly, all around campus.

Plus, I wanted to be close to home. A lot of the fans who come to the games are from Clay Center [her hometown]. My family's able to come. And I can always run home real quick and have my mom do my laundry!

At the time that you were looking into colleges, Kansas State wasn't really one of the top teams, like they are today. Was that much of an issue for you?
I didn't really think about that a whole lot, just because the coaches had a strong vision of where they wanted to be. Also, by the time I committed, two or three recruits had already committed who were really talented. And they had some good talent that was coming back. So, I had a strong belief in what they were doing here and I thought I could come in and help.

In high school, you were a four-year letter-winner in track, where you also held the state high jump record, a four-year letter-winner in basketball, and a three-year letter-winner in volleyball. What made you focus on basketball?
I guess I liked it more than the other sports I played. I made the decision to focus most of my energy on basketball my sophomore summer when I started playing AAU. I kept running track and playing volleyball, but my main focus was basketball.

How did you first get into basketball?
Just going out and playing with my brothers and my dad in the driveway. We also had a few things around town, like on Saturday mornings kids could go to what was kind of like a little clinic. I started really young--I don't even remember the first time I played.

What do your parents think of your successes?
I think they're proud of me. I think they enjoy coming to the games, and I really appreciate that they can make it. And they even enjoy travelling to away games every once in a while.

When you came in as a freshman, how was making that transition for you?
It's a big transition. You have to give 100 percent every day in practice and every time you play a game. There's no little games, like in high school, where maybe you don't have to give 100 percent every time because you may not be playing as tough a team. Here, the intensity level is so much higher. The physical play is tough‹everybody's bigger, faster, stronger. But, it's definitely fun.

You've been really successful at both defense and offense. Has that always been the case, or is that something you've had to work on?
I don't think I've always been a very good defensive player, and I don't think I'm a great one now. I'm still working on that. The coaches have helped me a lot, trying to figure out where I need to be positioned, to keep moving my feet, and stuff like that. Hopefully, I can really improve on that as the season goes on.

As a sophomore, you attempted your first dunk in your final game of the season.
I tried it. I don't think it was a very good try. It was just one of those things, I was at the three-point line and I decided to go for it.

To some athletes it's a big deal. How important is that to you?
For me, it's definitely not on my priority list. I think if I'm ever in that situation, where we're up by a lot and I have the opportunity to try it, I'd probably try it again. But it's not one of the things I have on my to-do list right now.

In high school you were on honor rolls and generally a very good student, and you've been able to keep that up at Kansas State. How was it for you making the transition academically from high school to college?
It was kind of a tough transition just because, once again, everything is a step up. You're in the classroom with hundreds of people, where in high school I had classes of 18 to 20. I think the things they provide for us definitely help, like being able to go to study hall. It's going to be tough, but if you just stick with it and give it your all, you learn how to get along.

How are things going for you on the court so far this year?
They're going good. We received some recognition in the early polls [including being picked fourth overall in G-Ballmag.com's preseason poll], which is really nice. You never know what can happen throughout the season, but hopefully we can continue to improve and see where that takes us.

Things are looking really good. We already played our first exhibition game and that went well. We won, and it was also good to just work the kinks out and see what we needed to improve on.

What are some of the things you're focusing on in your game?
I'm working on my defense a lot, my rebounding skills. Being able to go over either shoulder when I'm in the post and not putting the ball down on the floor and taking the dribble as quick as I did last year.

You've also been able to avoid any serious injuries in your career. Have you spent a lot of time getting strong and working on agility and things that will lower your chances of injury?
We lift in the preseason, and before the season really gets going we still fit some in. And then when the season starts we try to maintain. And we do work on agility, which was something new for me when I got here. But I started lifting when I was a freshman in high school--we had a weights class during school. And I do things like taking care of my body and eating healthy and staying in shape.

Interview conducted by Gball Editor Guillermo Metz.


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