Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – In four years as a varsity starter Meena Tate has filled just about every role imaginable.

Tate was a role player as a freshman and sophomore alongside West High standouts Matayia Tellis and Audrey Koch.

The past two seasons Tate has emerged as a star.

Along the way Tate has been asked to be everything from a defender and rebounder to a distributor and a shooter.

In her final prep season Tate has a new role – leader.

“It has to be her,” West High first-year head coach Nate Frese said. “She is the best player on our team, a returning all-state and all-conference player and she needs to be that leader.”

In addition to her role as a leader on and off the court Tate is expected to shift her focus to become the top scorer for the Trojans.

A versatile player, Tate led West High in both scoring and assists last season.

This year the 5-foot-10 Tate is the unquestioned go-to scorer for West High which is off to a 2-0 start.

Tate has scored 25 points in each of the first two games of the season as West High opened with wins over Clear Creek Amana and Cedar Rapids Prairie.

“I’ve been working on trying to find more shots and take more shots,” Tate said. “That’s what this team needs.”

Tate has seen her scoring increase in each of her prep seasons.

After averaging 6.7 points as a freshman and 8.7 points per game as a sophomore Tate had her big breakthrough last season when she averaged 15 points and 3.1 assists per game.

Tate spent the offseason working on her scoring and more importantly prepping mentally to be the top offensive option.

“I think it’s more of a mental thing,” Tate said. “Usually I don’t have the mind of a scorer, I’m more pass first and this year everybody has been telling me I really have to score so that’s what I’ve been trying to do more.”

So far the results have been impressive.

Tate is shooting 42 percent from the floor and 35 percent from 3-point range while averaging 25 points per game through two games.

A Dartmouth recruit, Tate has continued to be a versatile weapon for the Trojans adding 2 assists, two rebounds, two steals and a team-high two blocked shots per game.

The early success for Tate has come from what she has learned in the first three years of her career.

“Just breath, I feel like that’s underrated,” Tate said. “Sometimes everything is going so fast it’s hard to keep up. You just have to slow down and relax.”

Did you enjoy this subscription free article? Help keep Your Prep Sports free by donating.