Blakes Scores 25 Without a Three as Vandy Stays Perfect
Mikayla Blakes Just Competes
Winning isn’t always the prettiest thing, as even the best have slow starts and off nights at times. What separates the best from the average is the ability to get the job done no matter how you do it. That is what I see when I watch Mikayla Blakes.
Blakes is a part of the engine that makes Vanderbilt go. I said a part because this is a team sport, and Coach Shea Ralph loves the fact that Blakes and each player work together to bring success to the program. There is no “superstar” attitude or any lack of work ethic in the black and gold, and that starts with Blakes.
Mikayla currently averages 24.9 points per game, and she does more than just score. She is a complete player that brings it across the board and has also totaled 61 steals in 17 games this season. The last couple of games, Blakes hasn’t had the start right out of the gate that she has had in others, but she kept coming at it and still found ways to score.
Thursday night against Mizzou, she was sitting at eight points with just over five minutes left in that game. She finished with 20 after running off 12 points in less than three minutes. That shows her unwillingness to be stopped and also her mindset to not get down on herself because off days and slow starts happen.
Today, Mikayla started with two points in the first quarter but contributed with three assists as she was able to get teammates involved, still helping. However, in the second quarter she began to heat up and went into halftime with 18 points, and proceeded to finish the day with 25, staying on for her average. When you say heat up these days in basketball, many think three-point shot, but that was not the case.
Blakes was able to put up 25 without the make of a three-pointer in this game against Texas A&M. That is something that is few and far between in this day of basketball, a guard scoring almost 30 without the help of a three-point shot.
That is where the competitive and smart mindset of hers comes in. She moves well and attacks the rim to get those high-percentage shots and draws contact. She went 7-for-7 from the free-throw line today and 9-for-16 from the floor. After the game, I asked Coach Shea Ralph about Blakes’ ability to do what she did today, and she voiced her take on Blakes as well as any I have heard.
“I think what’s cool about Mikayla is that she’s unguardable. She is, but she’s unguardable because she refuses to let someone guard her. She is going to come after you. She’s gonna rip your heart out of your chest on the basketball court, and then she’s the nicest kid ever off the court. But I’m telling you, that kid is one of the most incredible competitors I’ve ever seen,” said Shea Ralph.
“So she’s gonna figure out a way to help us win, whether it’s score 25, get 8 steals, shoot 10 free throws, whatever. It doesn’t matter. Without making a three, without making a layup, you know, without touching the ball. She’s gonna make an impact on the court to help our team win because that is who she is. That’s the fabric of who she is. And it is amazing to witness and coach and watch and continue to usher her, you know, to make sure that she improves no matter what. Because there’s always something you can get better at. But she’s pretty damn good.”
Whenever I hear Coach Ralph give Blakes or any player their flowers, I take it to heart. Shea Ralph knows what great basketball players are. She’s been around, played with, and coached some of the best ever in this game. So when she speaks on Blakes the way she does, I take it to the bank.
Blakes’ work ethic to be the player she is and to also bring along everyone around her is what makes a great player. Being one of the best in skill and production on the floor is one thing, but when you are able to see that the ones around you are stepping their game up as well, that is a beautiful thing. Mikayla Blakes isn’t just another basketball player, she is a leader that refuses to set a bad example. Show up, put in work, and keep coming no matter what.
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