Kansas State's Serena Sundell Joins Avery Johnson, Coleman Hawkins On NIL Train

The two Kansas State stars receive brand partnerships with Buffalo Wild Wings and Bev-Hub.

Iowa State Cyclones' forward Addy Brown (24) defends as Kansas State Wildcats guard Serena Sundell (4) passes the ball during the fourth quarter in the Big-12 women’s basketball at Hilton Coliseum on Sunday, March 2, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The success for Kansas State guard Serena Sundell continues.

After sending the game to overtime against Kentucky amid a 19-point performance, the Wildcats senior received a brand partnership with Buffalo Wild Wings.

"I sent the game to overtime! If you were at Buffalo Wild Wings, you would have seen it on all the TVs. B-Dubs is the official sports bar of March Madness #BWWpartner," Sundell tweeted.

I sent the game to overtime!
If you were at Buffalo Wild Wings, you would have seen it on all the TVs.
B-Dubs is the official sports bar of March Madness #BWWpartner pic.twitter.com/2w12ctlEkD

— Serena Sundell (@serena_sundell) March 24, 2025

She joins K-State's Avery Johnson and former Wildcats star Coleman Hawkins on the NIL/brand partnership wave. Hawkins received a $2 million deal last season, while Johnson launched his one lemonade drink.

The Avery Johnson Strawberry Lemonade will hit stores as soon as Tuesday, March 25!

Stay tuned for more information on the electrifying new drink. If you have questions about how you can purchase or bring to your store, please contact Wildcat NIL at contact@catsnil.com. pic.twitter.com/YLsYEfggbL

— Wildcat NIL (@WildcatNIL) March 21, 2025

Sundell and Temira Pointexter headlined the victory Sunday afternoon, advancing the Wildcats to their first Sweet 16 appearance in more than two decades.

"We came into this game knowing we were capable of winning," Sundell said. "We never lost that throughout the whole 45 minutes. We knew that we had a shot, and we were going to play until the buzzer.

Perhaps Johnson can use Sundell and the women hoops squad as motivation to reach the postseason this year.

"You gotta put the work in, you gotta love the game, and eventually it'll reward you," Johnson said before their Rate Bowl victory last December. Obviously, we want all the talented players and things to be here. But if you don't really wanna be here, and you're not here for the right reasons, we're better off without you."

Jayden Armant is a graduate of the Howard University School of Communications and a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats on SI. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.