DeLapp having her best season at Oklahoma State

Kassidy DeLapp is having a good season as sixth-man for the Oklahoma State women's basketball team. The Cowgirls entered this week in first place in the Big 12 Conference with a 5-0 record. Long-time Big 12 power Baylor, ranked sixth in the country, is currently 3-0 and the teams are on a collision course to meet Jan. 20 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, for the first of two conference meetings. The second meeting between the two teams is scheduled for Feb. 24 in Waco, Texas. "This is my favorite year here at Oklahoma State by far," said DeLapp, a 2018 graduate of Oak Ridge High. "We're playing hard, and it's been our most consistent year. After playing the pure five as a freshman and the four last year, this year I'm playing the four and the five and guarding anywhere from the two to the five. I've been moving around a lot and I like my role. It's more comfortable to what I'm used to doing. I have more freedom and it's fun." DeLapp has played her best basketball of late, averaging 10 points and five rebounds in her last three games against West Virginia, North Texas and most recently Texas Tech on Jan. 2. DeLapp scored 10 points and had two rebounds against West Virginia, scored a season-high 11 points and had three rebounds against North Texas and then pulled down a season-high 11 rebounds against Texas Tech, while also scoring nine points. On the season, DeLapp is averaging just under five points and four rebounds a game while playing 13 minutes per game. She's shooting an incredible 70 percent from the field. COVID-19 has impacted DeLapp's season, like it's affected everyone in one way or another. She missed Oklahoma State's most recent two games against TCU because she was in quarantine because she had been in contact with someone who had tested positive. The team also had two games cancelled earlier in the season because of COVID. DeLapp, a 6-3 forward, has grown up a lot since arriving at Oklahoma State. She had no choice as a freshman, when she was quickly thrown right into the fire out of necessity. She was the team's tallest player and the only option to play the "five" (center) position. Not only was it her first year playing collegiate basketball, but she missed her entire senior year at Oak Ridge because of meniscus surgery on her knee. When she arrived at Oklahoma State, it was found that she needed a second surgery on her knee, which put her even further behind by the time the season started. "Freshman year was pretty tough," DeLapp admitted. "I hadn't played in a year, and I didn't have a lot of time to recover from my surgery. I had to play with some pain, and I had to play because the team needed me, but it was a great year for me. I started a lot of games (19) and got an amazing amount of minutes for a freshman." DeLapp had to match-up against Baylor star Kalani Brown, who now is playing in the WNBA with the Atlanta Dream. "That was a cool match-up for me as an 18-year-old right out of high school and here I am playing against 22-year-olds," DeLapp said. "The players in the Big 12 are bigger and better than a lot of conferences and I got the respect of everyone. It was a difficult season, but I grew up so much. Just the expectations of the coaches. There was no one else to play the five so I had to do it. Having that pressure to perform was tough. As a basketball player, I'm used to getting yelled at, but I had to be mentally tough and be on my game every night. Everyone is fighting through their own stuff and so was I. I was pleased with how I played defensively as a freshman, but I thought I could have done more offensively." Last year was a better year for DeLapp, but not so much statistically. While her per-game averages of three points and three rebounds were one point off her totals her freshman year, she felt she played better. "I was more comfortable, and my confidence was higher," DeLapp said. "I just felt like my old self. I had a career-high 21 points against Iowa State and then the next day in practice I broke my hand." DeLapp missed nine games, but returned and played the final seven games before the season was cancelled before the Big 12 tournament because of COVID. Now nearing the halfway point of her junior year, DeLapp is excited for the big games ahead for her and her teammates, who enter this week at 5-0 in the Big 12 Conference and 9-2 overall. The team is led by senior post Natasha Mack (17 ppg) and redshirt junior Ja'Mee Asberry (16 ppg) "We have a really good team and I'm excited to be in the hunt," DeLapp said. "A lot of people didn't think we'd be very good, but we have something to prove. We've got a really talented freshmen in Lexy Keys and Taylen Collins. "I enjoy being the sixth man. The match-ups are weird. Sometimes we've got a small lineup on the floor and sometimes we go big. It's fun." The match-up next week against perennial power Baylor will be a big one. "I just hope we keep it going," DeLapp said. "We haven't been 5-0 here since 1993. We just want to keep proving people wrong. I feel we can compete with Baylor. It will be an exciting game. They are always a tough team to play against, but we just have to play with confidence."