It’s been an up-and-down season for the Kansas State women’s basketball team, now 11-10, which made the NCAA Tournament three of the past four seasons.
Senior Tess Heal, who averages 9.8 points per game, played in both of Kansas State’s wins over ranked opponents this season — Texas Tech and Ole Miss — and scored in double figures.
But Heal was held out of the Wildcats’ loss on Sunday to rival Kansas due to an NCAA violation. While Kansas State has not confirmed what the violation is, multiple sources confirmed to USA Today Sports that it’s related to Heal signing a contract with a professional team in Australia.
Multiple posts on social media indicate Heal signed with Keilor Thunder of NBL1, a club based in Victoria, Australia, earlier this month. While the NBL1 season doesn’t begin until the spring, it is still an NCAA violation to sign a professional contract while participating in college athletics.
Talking to reporters after the loss at Kansas on Sunday, Kansas State coach Jeff Mittie seemed optimistic Heal would return to the Wildcats this season.
“We hope for a quick resolution,” Mittie said. “I don’t think — she made a mistake in regards to the timing of it — but there’s nothing else. We feel good that as soon as she gets through the reinstatement process, we’ll have her back.”
A spokesperson for Kansas State told USA Today Sports on Monday afternoon that there hasn’t been a change in Heal’s status since Saturday evening and the NCAA is reviewing her case.
“We have been in communication with the NCAA in regards to this situation,” Mittie said in a statement. “She is currently going through the reinstatement process and we are thankful for the NCAA’s prompt responses in this matter.”
One women’s basketball coach familiar with NBL1 told USA Today Sports most Australian players who exhaust their NCAA eligibility will go play in the league when their college season is over. Typically, those players make verbal agreements with teams in advance and then officially sign when the college season ends.
The NCAA got wind of Heal’s deal when social media accounts for the Keilor Thunder and NBL1 posted about her signing last week. Those posts have since been deleted from Facebook and Instagram.
An agent who has represented Heal in NIL negotiations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Heal is a native of Melbourne, Australia, who previously played at Santa Clara and Stanford before transferring to Kansas State last year. She was the West Coast Conference Newcomer of the Year in 2023. She has averaged 14.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists over her college career.
This situation with Heal arises at a time when men’s college basketball is grappling with its own eligibility issues. Baylor added James Nnaji, who was a first-round NBA draft pick in 2023, to its roster this season. Alabama also recently added a player with NBA G-League experience, Charles Bediako, to its roster.
Kansas State’s second-leading scorer this season, Nastja Claessens, was drafted by the Washington Mystics in 2024, but never signed a contract with the team and has not played in a WNBA game.
