It was early February when without explanation, practices had suddenly become a chore and games exhausting for the cornerstone of the K-State women's basketball team. In search of an explanation for her sudden lack of stamina, point guard Shalee Lehning consulted a doctor following the Wildcats' 59-50 loss at Baylor.
The resulting news was something that neither Shalee nor her mother, Jane, wanted to hear.
Jane was devastated initially. She knew she was lucky that her daughter had avoided injuries during her four-year career as point guard, but she never expected Shalee to be diagnosed with mononucleosis during the middle of her senior year.
"The day she found out she had mono, it just broke my heart," Jane said.
The two of them had talked on the phone that Tuesday, discussing the condition and the future of Shalee's final season. Jane said that following their conversation, her daughter was much more optimistic than she was.
However, it was more than optimism. With the final games of her career suddenly in question, Shalee turned to her strong faith upon hearing the news of her condition.
"What she said to me that morning was 'It's in God's hands, it's whatever he chooses,'" Jane said. "I still remember her saying that."
Shalee knew she had to assure her mother about the outlook of her senior season. To console her, Shalee sent Jane multiple text messages quoting Scripture, including Jeremiah 9:11 and Proverbs 3:5-6.
These passages helped assure Shalee of her strength, and put the condition in the hands of her faith.
"She has always been that way, she has always been the one that's there to help someone else," Jane said. "Those things are amazing, it should have been me text messaging her, not her text messaging me."
It was that faith through the course of the next few weeks that kept the Wildcats' season intact during Shalee's absence from the starting lineup. In that span, K-State was able to maintain a .500 record through four games, defeating Oklahoma State and Colorado.
Once Lehning made her return to the lineup during the Wildcats' game against Colorado on March 7, she helped propel the team into its eighth consecutive postseason appearance and sixth straight NCAA second-round game in as many tournament appearances.
"[God] had plans, and I just had to put my trust in Him," Lehning said.
On April 9, those plans would open a new chapter in her life as she was selected as the 25th overall pick in the WNBA Draft. She said she remembers the day clearly as she sat nervously in her coach's office with head coach Deb Patterson, associate head coach Kamie Ethridge and fellow players.
It was, however, one of the few times in the prolific point guard's life that she said she felt nervous and uncertain. Lehning's nerves came from the fact that she did not have control over the situation. She said she thrives on having control, and it shows in the way she ran the Wildcat offense with a deceivingly simplistic flow for four years.
But on that day, all she could do was wait.
"It was nervewracking," she said. "I was just so anxious the entire time. Being able to get drafted is very difficult, so I understood the complexity of it. I was still nervous, I still didn't know going in if I was going to get drafted or not, that's how nervous I was. I just had to sit there."
As the first round concluded, Atlanta Dream head coach Marynell Meadors was set to make her the first pick in the second round. Lehning was a guard that she had kept her eyes on for three years leading up to this day, and Meadors knew that the honorable mention All-American had potential to benefit her squad.
"I have a great feeling about what she can do," Meadors said of Lehning. "I think one of the things that I like so much about her is her grit and determination. Besides that, she handles the ball well, she is a good shooter, she can get to the rim, she rebounds, and she is just a really good all-around basketball player."
But with being drafted comes another challenge for the feisty point guard. Once Lehning leaves for Atlanta on May 15, she must catch the eye of Meadors at training camp in order to make the small roster: again, another decision that is out of her hands.
"Undoubtedly, there are some nerves there that just go with the uncertainty of being in this position and not knowing what to expect." Lehning said. "But I am confident in my abilities. I am confident that this coaching staff that just drafted me has a purpose for their draft pick and they have faith and confidence in [me]. They have watched me play for the past [few] years, so they know what I can bring, and obviously there is something about me that I bring that they are interested in."
That faith appears to be there, as Meadors said she is confident with her second round selection.
"She has to come here and make the team," Meadors said "With her grit and her determination, she has a great chance of making our team,"
In less than a month, Shalee will leave Manhattan in pursuit of yet another dream. However, the purple No. 5 jersey hanging from the rafters of Bramlage Coliseum will remain, and the K-State community will remember the four years Shalee gave to the school.
"K-State, I have got to say, is everything to me," Lehning said. "K-State will always have a special place in my heart, and if there is anyway that I can give back, I intend to do that."
***
I had the privilege of following Shalee Lehning throughout the entirety of her senior year at Kansas State. I came into the job as the beat writer for the women's basketball team knowing little about the team and little about Shalee Lehning. However it didn't take long to realize what an enormous impact Lehning made to not only the basketball program but to the university as a whole. Therefore I planned on writing a feature piece highlighting her following the conclusion of her senior year. So with that idea in mind I searched for a specific event during her final season that would capture her incredible character. Then came the mono incident. The timing and the impact it had on the season was an incredible story to watch unfold. In the midst of of a tightly contested final leg of conference play, the team suddenly found themselves without their leader. Yet eventually Lehning embraced a new role as she began to influence the team as a mentor. She was a constant presence on the bench during the next few games and helped the team to secure a 2-2 record before returning to the lineup against Colorado.
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