A look at Kansas’ MIAA schools

Coach: Shaun Vandiver, fifth season, 52-61

2014-15: 12-16, 5-15 MIAA

Outlook: The Hornets took a big step back last season after improving their win total in each of Vandiver’s first three seasons. Emporia State should be able to right the ship this season with all six of its top scorers returning plus a pair of talented newcomers. Leading the way for the returners is Heights product Terrence Moore, a 6-foot-2 senior guard who led the MIAA with 76 steals and was fourth in the MIAA in scoring at 16.5 points on the way to third-team All-MIAA honors. Emporia State should get an immediate lift in the post from 6-11 Boise State transfer Kevin Allen and in the backcourt from 6-4 guard Charles McKinney, who transferred from DePaul.

Coach: Mark Johnson, 15th season, 284-127

2014-15: 16-13, 9-10

Outlook: Fort Hays State’s season came off the rails last year when point guard Craig Nicholson, one of the nation’s best players, broke his ankle in the 16th game and the Tigers went 6-7 down the stretch. Nicholson’s value to the Tigers can’t be understated – the 5-8 Northwest product has dominated MIAA competition since the moment he stepped on campus. He was a second-team All-MIAA pick and the MIAA Freshman of the Year in 2013 and a unanimous All-MIAA pick and honorable mention NCAA Division II All-American as a sophomore in 2014. Last season, before his injury, he was averaging 14.9 points, 6 assists and 1.4 steals.

Coach: Kevin Muff, sixth season, 76-67

2014-15: 20-12, 12-7

Outlook: Muff and the Gorillas bounced back from a next-to-last place finish in 2013-14 with a 20-12 record, third-place finish in the MIAA regular season and the first MIAA Tournament championship in school history. Pittsburg State returns four starters, led by All-MIAA guard Josiah Gustafson, a 6-6 Omaha native who averaged 15.5 points and 3.6 rebounds last season. Senior guard Javis Flynn also returns after he set the school's single-game record with 12 assists last season against Emporia State.

Coach: Bob Chipman, 37th season, 773-330

2014-15: 16-16, 10-9

Outlook: Chipman is the winningest coach in MIAA history, but has seen his fortunes decline as of late. Washburn finished third in the MIAA in 2013, sixth in 2014 and eighth last season. Things don’t look like they’ll get much better this season. Washburn’s top returner is McPherson native Christian Ulsaker, a 6-5 senior forward who averaged 6.7 points and 3.7 rebounds last season but has never quite lived up to his potential at Washburn after being named Mr. Basketball his senior year of high school. Ulsaker has nine starts in 89 career games.

Coach: Jory Collins, sixth season 143-44

2014-15: 29-5, 15-4 MIAA

Outlook: Emporia State is the preseason No. 1 team in the nation as the Hornets return four starters off last year’s NCAA Division II Final Four squad. Emporia State is led by All-MIAA guard and MIAA Tournament MVP Kelly Moten, who averaged 14.6 points and 3 assists last season. Joining Moten in the backcourt is MIAA Freshman of the Year Addie Lackey, who averaged 9.6 points. The biggest challenge will be replacing All-American center Merissa Quick, with that job likely falling to 6-foot-2 senior transfer Sandy Ngoie. Ngoie played her freshman season at Georgia Tech, averaged 11.2 points over two seasons with George Mason before coming to the Hornets.

Coach: Tony Hobson, eighth season, 132-71

2014-15: 30-4, 18-1

Outlook: Fort Hays State is coming off the greatest season in school history, going 30-4 and 18-1 in MIAA play on the way to the league’s regular-season title. The Tigers lose All-American center Kate Lehman but return three starters – all guards: Beth Bohuslavsky, Paige Lunsford and Chelsea Mason. Mason is the top returning scorer at 12.5 points and Lunsford is the top returning rebounder at 4.1 rebounds. TCU transfer Taylor Manning-Drake, a 6-4 forward, should help replace Lehman’s production in the post.

Coach: Lane Lord, ninth season, 154-83

2014-15: 27-6, 15-4

Outlook: Pittsburg State has a tough task replacing five seniors off a team that made it to the NCAA Division II Tournament and featured Lizzy Jeronimus, the school’s career leading scorer and rebounder. That transition includes a team this season that has two juniors, two seniors and the rest sophomores and freshmen. There is plenty of production back, though, in returning starters Cathy Brugman and Kylie Gafford. Brugman, a 6-1 senior guard/forward and Carroll graduate, averaged 8.5 points and 3.9 rebounds. Gafford, a 5-9 forward, averaged 10.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and a team-best 1.8 blocks.

Coach: Ron McHenry, 16th season, 372-94

2014-15: 16-12, 8-11

Outlook: Washburn returns hardly any experience, losing four of its top five scorers from a year ago. Washburn hasn’t been to the NCAA Division II Tournament since 2013. Butler Community College transfer and Heights product Ashlee Ivy should see immediate playing time. Another transfer who should make an immediate impact is 6-1 junior forward Erin Dohnalek, a Northern Iowa transfer who is eligible immediately after averaging 3.4 points last season.

This story was originally published November 7, 2015 at 7:36 AM with the headline "A look at Kansas’ MIAA schools."