Mikayla Blakes ready for more with No. 19 Vanderbilt after amazing freshman season

Opponents will start every game plan on how to defend Blakes after she set the NCAA Division I single-game scoring record for a freshman with 55 points 17 days after scoring 53 in another. She became the second D-I player to score 53 or more points in multiple games in a season and first since 1988-89.

Coach Shea Ralph, who been busy rebuilding a program with a strong history, has a deep roster and big goals. Her Commodores, ranked in the AP preseason poll for the first time since 2012, open the season Monday against California in Paris.

Graduate forward Sacha Washington, back after missing last season with a medical condition, said the chatter has been that Vanderbilt is almost there — Vanderbilt, which reached its lone Final Four in 1993, hasn’t gotten to the Sweet 16 since 2009 — but the Commodores believe they're capable of a deep NCAA Tournament run with Blakes leading the way.

“We’re done saying that,” Washington said. "We’ve elevated. I know Coach Ralph’s elevated a lot of things in her process, and she wants us to elevate our standards and our practices. ... So yeah, definitely, definitely poised to make a run this year.”

Blakes is the kind of player the Commodores haven't had in years. The scoring phenom not only put on a show in the SEC, she then became MVP leading the U.S. to gold at the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup this summer.

Ralph sees playing for the U.S. this summer helping Blakes grow her game as a leader, speaking up on the floor and also when playing without the ball in her hand. Blakes did that some last season but had to handle the ball a lot for Vanderbilt.

“She wants to lead. She wants to be that player. And there’s an expectation now that she is because we all saw her do it this summer,” Ralph said. "She was that player in big moments for the AmeriCup team.”

Blakes started 32 of 33 games as a freshman and ranked second in the Southeastern Conference scoring 23.3 points a game. She also was an 88.5% shooter at the free throw line. She's the SEC's leading returning scorer as well.

The 5-foot-8 guard got a reminder Monday night during the Hoops for St. Jude Tip-off when Memphis regularly sent defenders at her. Now she has Washington available down low along with center Justine Pissott along with possibly Blakes' favorite new teammate in freshman point guard Aubrey Galvan.

Blakes said she kind of gets upset when Ralph has her handling the ball.

"I love having Aubrey on the court so I can just run the court freely, and I feel like we play so well off each other,” Blakes said. “We draw defenders, we kick, we create for our teammates, and that's the main thing we love to do. So it's been a great addition to have her.”

Ralph can't wait to attack opponents taking advantage of the opportunity to put Blakes in so many different places on the court. Options include Blakes helping set screens or cutting

“We have people around her that have experience," Ralph said. "We have size. We have versatility, and now we have post presence. So to me those are the things you need to make a run down the stretch.”

Blakes didn't have any goals going into her first season in college. She has only one now: Just win.

“It just allows me to play freely, and it also allows me to play with joy because I feel as though if I limit myself, I limit my mind and just go out there and be free and open,” Blakes said.

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