RCW: Sport Spotlight 4.14 (Women's Basketball)

Christalah Lyons has the ??!

her last layup increased KU’s lead, 47-33 with 6:56 to play in the third #KUwbb

— Kansas Women’s Bball (@KUWBball) November 26, 2017

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A post shared by Kansas Women’s Basketball (@kuwbball) on Nov 19, 2017 at 9:50am PST

Heading into his third season as the Kansas women’s basketball head coach, Brandon Schneider most frequently was asked about his point guard. Will Jessica Washington continue to lead the Jayhawks in 2017-18 or would one of the seven newcomers tackle the role of point guard?

The typical answer from Schneider was a combination of Washington and newcomers until Washington suffered a season-ending knee injury during the first week of practice. Once Washington was out for the season, it became clear that juniors Christalah Lyons and Brianna Osorio would share the responsibility of leading Kansas on the hardwood.

In the first month and half of the 2017-18 campaign, Lyons has emerged as KU’s floor general and made the transition of a new point guard look seamless. Her quiet demeanor is unusual for the position calling the shots on the hardwood, but her style of play and lead by example mentality has quickly rubbed off on her teammates.

Schneider has described Lyons as a student-athlete with a heart the size of Texas and that shows in how selflessly she plays on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Lyons is one of three Jayhawks averaging double digits. She is netting 15.9 points per contest, while dishing out a team-high 4.1 assists per game. Her tough defensive efforts haven’t gone unnoticed either, as Lyons leads the squad with 10 charges drawn.

Despite her short stature and quiet shyness, Lyons is making her presence known on the hardwood, leaving a lasting impression on teammates, coaches and Kansas fans.