SLATE: Kansas State soccer snags an English recruit

This is probably bigger news than anyone is going to make of it, upon a moment’s reflection, but yesterday K-State head soccer coach Mike Dibbini announced a very interesting signature on a national letter of intent.

Joining the Wildcats this fall will be midfielder Alisha Buckingham, from Eastleigh, England. Buckingham is currently a member of the Southampton Saints G&L, otherwise known as the women’s branch of Premier League side Southampton FC. Now, the women’s team isn’t at such a lofty height; they play in the third tier of English women’s football. But Buckingham is in her third season as a first-team member of that squad, and has been the team’s second-leading scorer through that period, so she’s got competitive experience beyond that which you’d expect from a high school recruit.

Buckingham is not the first English player on the Cats roster; sophomore Chloe Fisher returns this fall as well. But Fisher’s experience in England was with Manchester United’s U14 and U16 squads, rather than with their first team. It will be interesting to see exactly what Buckingham can provide the Cats, and how soon it will happen.

Other than that, all we’ve got for you are a couple of Sports Extra links and this week’s Q&A with Kellis Robinett at the Eagle, in which he lands on the obvious problem with K-State basketball: nobody got any better in the offseason.

The Sports Extra pieces, both of course courtesy of Corbin McGuire, feature track and field assistant Nathan Ott, the squad’s new throwing guru, and Chris Klieman’s journey to Frisco for his final game as Bison head coach. Which is tomorrow. Be sure to watch. Even though it won’t be over before the Texas Tech tipoff.

After all, you don’t want to watch that anyway.