Mikayla Blakes Continues Historic Stretch as No. 5 Vanderbilt Caps Undefeated Home Season With Joy and Purpose
Mikayla Blakes and the Dores are Making Joyful Noise
Mikayla Blakes is a household name that people across the country will talk about for ages. It feels like Blakes sets a new standard every night she touches the floor. As Ferris Bueller once said, “If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” That would be a huge mistake because what she is doing is amazing, and even that word doesn’t do justice.
Thursday night, Mikayla became just the second player this century to post five consecutive 30 plus point performances against ranked opponents, making her the first to do so since Megan Gustafson of the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2018-19. That season, Gustafson recorded six straight.
In the month of February, Blakes averaged 33.14 points per game, only scoring under 30 one time with 27 against Georgia. For the season, she is averaging 26.9 a game with a 30.27 average in SEC play. To do what she is doing in the SEC says a lot.
Due to Tennessee dropping out of the top 25 this week, Blakes will have to continue that consecutive 30-point streak against ranked teams next weekend in Greenville, S.C., in the SEC Tournament if they face a ranked team.
Even as great as Mikayla Blakes is, and even with all of the accolades and records she stacks, those things are not front and center in her mind. Blakes just cares about winning and so does the team.
“I’m trying to stay in the moment, live in the moment, and be joyful. So being able to acknowledge those types of things is exciting. But there’s still more work to be done,” said Mikayla Blakes.
She isn’t on the floor thinking about chasing records. She’s thinking about how to make you have a hard night trying your best to slow her down because she wants to make it easier for the team, and once again she wants to win.
Coach Ralph made that clear again after the Alabama win.
“Can I just add, the only thing that she cares about is winning. So, if she has to score 50 for us to win, she will. If it’s three and we win, she’s fine. So that’s why she does, she has no idea. But if we don’t win, then you’re going to see a different side of her.”
As a leader, her success is often opened up by her teammates on the floor, which she always acknowledges. She is such a team first player, that sometimes I would like to just hear a little cockiness, but that isn’t her and that is perfectly ok. That just makes her and this team such a joy to cover, genuinely good people.
“I just think the main thing when I play, I know teams are going to try and shut me down, and I don’t want to let that be easy because I know it’s gonna be harder for the team,” said Blakes after the Alabama win.
You may ask yourself, is this a piece on Mikayla Blakes or the team? It is both, because one doesn’t succeed alone, but she is a fearless leader that deserves any and all positive mention and honors.
There has been plenty of joy for the No. 5 Vanderbilt Commodores this season. After wrapping up the regular season home finale with an 85-60 victory over the No. 24 Alabama Crimson Tide, the list of firsts and program bests only continued to grow. Last night, the Dores finished the regular season undefeated at home with a 16-0 record for the first time in program history.
They set the program record with 12 SEC wins in a season, and it was their first time with seven wins against ranked teams in a season (postseason included) since 2000-01, and the first time with seven wins over ranked teams in a regular season since 1995-96. You can’t accomplish those things without enjoying the journey and process, and also having great players who are great people helps.
“I love to win and, but the only thing right now that I’m trying to do is just really enjoy this team and enjoy the moment that we’re having at Vanderbilt with Candice (Athletic Director Candice Storey Lee) and all the things that she’s done for us here. And when Mikayla talks about playing with joy, that’s real. So like they’ve inspired me to enjoy this journey,” said Ralph.
“That was a conscious decision that we all made going into this year because the work that we all do, and you guys are there too, you work really hard. It’s hard, it’s challenging work. Everybody’s trying to win. In the SEC, everybody’s trying to win national championships. Everybody’s trying to get a double bye. Everybody’s trying to recruit the best players in the country.
I got the right kids though. I got the right people here and man, I love coaching them. So, I’m not surprised at the things that we’re doing because they’re such a special group. I just don’t want it to end. I don’t want it to end, and I know they don’t want it to end either, and we have a long way to go. So we’re excited.”
This Commodores squad has their priorities in the right place. Mikayla Blakes and the Dores aren’t just putting up numbers and wins on schools that have little to no chance to play in the NCAA Tournament. They are doing this on a nightly basis against teams that are ranked and in the conversation for play in March. Whether you are an SEC fan or not, you have to respect that.
As for Blakes herself, she is my National Player of the Year, no debate.
Comments 1