By KYSON EVANS
Tiger Media Network
When senior Brooke Loewe touches the ball, something immediately shifts for the Fort Hays State University women’s basketball team.
The point guard is not just orchestrating the offense — she’s the voice, the floor general and, increasingly, the heartbeat of a squad in transition.
Loewe spent her first years at Fort Hays building her game quietly.
But this season? It’s different.
“I think Brooke is stepping more into a vocal leader this year compared to what she has in the past,” said FHSU head coach Talia Kahrs. “She just has the ability … to get people in the right spot and get them in the right direction.”
Statistically, Loewe is firing on all cylinders. She became the Tigers’ single-season assist record holder with 233 last winter, a total that led NCAA Division II at 7.3 assists per game.
She also tied the program mark for assists in a single game when she dished out 13 against Emporia State in a dominant 87-65 win.
Kahrs attributes Loewe’s playmaking to something deeper than raw talent.
“Her biggest strength is her ability to pass the ball and see the floor to make the right play … and she just has a unique ability to kind of take a risk,” Kahrs said. “And a lot of times, it’s successful.”
Loewe’s risk-taking doesn’t mean recklessness. She brings a creative, free mind, Kahrs said.
“Her ability … to be safe with the ball and handle pressure by herself — that’s not something I ever worry about with her,” the FHSU coach said.
And when that translates into action, she’s hard to guard.
Loewe arrived at Fort Hays as a quiet freshman. Now, as a senior, she’s one of the most visible members of the roster, especially amid a recent coaching change and roster turnover.
“As far as being a leader, it’s kind of a big position to fill,” Loewe said. “For the last three years, I’ve been under the same people and leaders, and for all of them to pretty much leave at the same time, that’s been … hard.”
With new faces joining the Tigers, she’s taken on more responsibility.
“Being able to be a leader vocally, but also showing at practice how to do drills … giving it my all in every drill I think is huge for new players because you have to set the tone early,” Loewe said.
Kahrs said their styles sync up.
“Her familiarity with the program was huge,” Kahrs said. “I think our styles of play match really well together.”
While Loewe excels at running the offense, her value stretches beyond the box score. When the Tigers fly in transition, one of Kahrs’ preferred styles, Loewe is often the trigger.
“That style of getting up and down the floor is something that I really want us to be able to do, and Brooke has a unique ability to be able to do that,” Kahrs said.
And defensively?
“She has a great ability to guard the ball … picks people when they probably shouldn’t be picked. She kind of knows where they’re going to go,” Kahrs said.
As her final year begins, the stakes are clear. Loewe isn’t just playing for wins; she’s playing to define her time as a Tiger.
“For myself as the point guard … a good goal to have is just being able to communicate, sharing what I see on the floor, being able to take care of the ball,” Loewe said. “And as far as a leader, showing them what Tiger basketball is and being able to just represent that every day.”
And when the last buzzer fades at the end of the season?
“I want people to just remember me as somebody that worked hard, came to every game and had fun and never took a game or practice, any of my time here for granted,” she said.
Her coach described the senior’s impact in one word.
“Exciting. I think Brooke’s really exciting to watch; just fun to watch and a fun player to coach,” Kahrs said.
In the swirling currents of team change, coaching change and roster change, Loewe remains a constant. She’s the player setting the tone, steering the offense and leading the team.
For Tiger fans in Hays, that’s the kind of anchor they want going into a new chapter, which begins with a pair of road games Friday against Concordia-St. Paul and Saturday against Sioux Falls, both as part of the Central Region Showcase in St. Joseph, Mo.
This story was written as part of INF 322: Sports Writing, a course in the Department of Informatics at Fort Hays State University.
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