MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Sophomore guard Kirsten Deans, known as "KK" to her teammates, is the player veteran coach Mike Carey looks to for energy and enthusiasm.
 
The Greensboro, North Carolina, resident is currently third on the team in scoring, averaging 13.1 points per game, and her willingness to go right at much bigger players at the basket has helped the Mountaineers to an outstanding 9-2 record heading into Saturday's Big 12 rematch against Oklahoma State.
 
Deans made a couple of difficult baskets late against Tennessee to help the Mountaineers knock off the Volunteers in overtime earlier this year.
 
Her tough, enthusiastic play on the court doesn't match her soft-spoken demeanor off it. She talks barely above a whisper when describing her style of play.
 
"I play my role whether I'm starting or coming off the bench," she says. "I feel like I give my team energy, and they feed off of my energy so I just give them that little extra push.
 
I just come in every day ready to work and feed off of my teammates. We all feed off of each other to give what we need to succeed," she adds.
 
Deans said her COVID-19 offseason consisted of a lot of self-improvement in the gym by herself.
 
"This offseason, I really worked on my 3-point shot and being able to score from all three levels. I also worked on my free throw shooting – anything that will help my team offensively or defensively," she says.
 
"It takes hard work. It takes dedication. It takes everything you've got basically," Deans adds. "Anything you have left in that tank, that little bit left in the tank, that's what it takes. You have to be able to bring that out."
 
Deans, who is studying pre-sports management, says she wants to remain involved in basketball once her playing career at West Virginia is over. That entails playing professionally before transitioning into coaching.
 
"I want to give back to the game because the game has meant so much to me," she says. "It's going to continue to do much more for me, and I feel like coaching is a way to give back to the game and teach other kids what I have had the privilege of doing for my life."
 
Deans says she also has ambitions of one day running her own all-inclusive basketball league.
 
"I want it to be a joint league for women's and men's basketball, like a summer league where people can just come together and play," she explains.
 
Of course, that's many years from now once her career is finished.
 
Presently, she's focused on Saturday's rematch against Oklahoma State, which defeated West Virginia 78-73 in Stillwater earlier this month.
 
Saturday's game will tip off at 2 p.m. and can be viewed on the Big 12 Now on ESPN + streaming service.
 
This Life as a Mountaineer was produced by Sean Merinar and is presented by WVU Medicine.