“Let it rain.”
After spending the past three seasons at Kent State, that will have to be the mantra for 5-8 guard Mya Babbitt.
She set a program record with 83 made three pointers in her sophomore season, which is music to Bill Fennelly’s ears. Babbitt hails from Nebraska, but her parents both played high school basketball in Iowa. When she committed to Iowa State on April 9th, the first transfer of the window to commit to the Cyclones, she cited how she wanted to be closer to home. Not only will she be playing
closer to home physically, she will be playing in a system that will need her to shoot at a high clip from range.
What does Babbitt bring?
The clear skillset that Babbitt is providing is three point shooting. She shot a staggering 41.5% her sophomore season, which would pair nicely with Arianna Jackson’s 43.9% clip from this past season. Babbitt did see a regression in her three point percentage this past season, but I will give the benefit of the doubt and say that is due to an increased defensive pressure on her as she scored 16.1 points per game including a 30 piece against Ohio State. Babbitt also flexed a 90.5% FT percentage so I say let her drive into contact if the shots from distance aren’t falling.
Babbitt brings a solid defensive presence, where she averaged 1.5 steals this past season. The roster is relatively small, so increasing the number of takeaways the Cyclones produce can turn the tides against teams that will win nearly all of the height matchups.
How will Babbitt be used?
Expect Babbitt to stay along the perimeter offensively. Against Upper Iowa, Babbitt only attempted three pointers, finishing the day 2-5 with 6 points. As saw on Wednesday, there are many players on the roster that are very willing to drive to the hoop, so having Babbitt stay back as the backup option if the driving window closes or defensive help arrives, leaving the perimeter open.
Babbitt should serve a large role in the week to week game plan. I expect the starting lineup to look a little different for every game in the next few weeks as Bill figures out which rotations and combinations of players appear to work the best. As is the life of the three point sharp shooter, I also expect Babbitt’s minutes in the second half to have some large swings as the Cyclones will find out if the hand is hot. Babbitt recorded 20 or more points on 9 different occasions, so there will likely be a game where the game plan could devolve into how do the Cyclones get her the ball. I would describe the roster as a many players that can contribute some, but I’m not seeing anyone yet that can put the game on their backs and will the team to victory. Don’t expect Babbitt to become the first option every game, but she will certainly steal some games due to being lights out from deep.
