Monthly Archives: November 2007

‘SPOON, M&M, TYREE AND RILEY

Nov. 28, 20074:34 p.m.

K-STATE remains in the hunt for Wesley Witherspoon, despite what you might have read.

Seems the 6-foot-8 swing from Berkmar High in Lilburn, Ga., recently conducted an online interview and listed several teams among the schools he is still considering. But he left out the Wildcats.

A small oversight, according to his father.

“Oh, yeah, they’re still alive,” Will Witherspoon said Tuesday.

And then he continued.

“Just about everyone is.”

That’s where the recruitment of Witherspoon, the No. 56 player in the country per Rivals, stands. He is, as these kids like to say, “wide open.” He plans to sign late, and until then, he’s observing a lot of college basketball. He hasn’t crossed any school off his list.

“With the (early) signing period ending, a lot of stuff is being said,” the father said.

As for Witherspoon, he’s been busy. He scored 22 points last night in a victory in Athens, Ga., but all it did was leave everyone wishing he was more selfish. But, according to Will Witherspoon, because his son can do so many things well, it’s tough for people to accept when he wants to spread the wealth.

Last week, his team split a couple of games in Memphis. A few Tigers, including freshman phenom Derrick Rose and junior forward Robert Dozier, showed up. Dozier played ball against Witherspoon’s older brother, Wynton, when the two were younger. This weekend, he’ll be in Kentucky, where Will Witherspoon expects there will be several Wildcats in attendance.

But the thing to remember is this — K-State is still involved.

You can’t fault Witherspoon, the youngest of three boys, for failing to keep everything straight.

“He’s the baby,” Will Witherspoon said. “He loves all of this attention. He’s going to enjoy this.”

FIRST, here’s the statistical line:

12.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 3.1 blocks and 2.3 steals.

Think that would help the Wildcats?

Those are the numbers Montrell McDonald was averaging (through Nov. 20) for Cowley College. The 6-foot-6 forward, who began his collegiate career at George Washington and seems to take an inordinate amount of pride in his defense, said Tuesday — wait for it — that he’s “wide open” with his recruitment, rattling K-State, Kansas, Iowa, Oregon and Illinois off the top of his head.

He’s interested in K-State, especially after assistant coaches Matt Figgers and Brad Underwood visited Cowley during the contact period. Of course, so did KU head coach Bill Self, but that’s not going to be enough to sway McDonald.

“Whoever has built the best relationship with me,” McDonald said, when asked what it would take to land him. “It’s going to be who I can trust the best to help me get to the next level.”

HE’S turning over a new leaf.

Sure, you’re skeptical, and why not? Bad news seems to follow Tyree Evans like a shadow.

But the one-time verbal commit to K-State is, in his words, “feeling the love” at Motlow State College in Lynchburg, Tenn., where Evans is averaging 21.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.3 steals for the Bucks, who are 6-2.

He’s also making 44.7 percent (34 of 76) of his three-point field goals.

Tuesday, he acknowledged he’s having a fine statistical season, but he bemoaned the lack of a method of measuring the “other” things that are done to help a team be successful, such as statistics for help-side defense and boxing out.

And he’s not kidding.

“When you get older, you get wiser,” Evans said. “I’ve grown a lot. I’m looking at the big picture now.”

He’s so committed to guiding Motlow to the National Junior College Tournament at Hutchinson, he’s not even talking about where he’s going to be playing next year. He doesn’t have the time, he said.

“I’m just worrying about what’s happening right now,” Evans said. “I just want to make us a winning team, help the other players grow. I’m going to play the cards I’m dealt at the end of the season.

“Right now, I’m trying to get us where we’re supposed to go, which is Hutch.”

According to Rivals, he’s deciding between UAB, Florida State, Maryland and Tennessee.

And, of course, there is West Virginia and old friend Bob Huggins, and K-State is still listed.

Evans insists all of his legal issues have been resolved. If so, some school — perhaps K-State — will have quite a talent on its hands.

But he wants everyone to know he’s more than that. He used to be all about basketball and reaching the NBA. Now, he says he aspires to secure his real estate license. Eventually, he wants to use his business and marketing degree.

Not convinced? Judge for yourself:

“I’m putting up good numbers, but sometimes it doesn’t go by how much you score,” Evans said. “It’s about how much you’ve grown, how good of a person you are. I’m not really worried about the numbers. I’m a team guy.

“Schools are going to be calling, but I’m just worried about what’s going on right now.”

SHOOTING is obviously a priority for K-State in the 2008 class.

K-State has cozied up to Topeka’s Jeff Reid, a 6-foot-5 gunner with a deft stroke. They have taken a wait-and-see approach on Chris Babb, a 6-foot-5 guard from the Oakridge School in Arlington, Texas. But the Wildcats are also keeping an eye on Freddie Riley, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Vanguard High in Ocala, Fla.

While his frame is a little thin — he’s only 175 pounds — his specialty is coming off of screens and launching long jump shots.

He is considering Baylor, Miami and Florida Atlantic — all of whom have offered. The Bears are believed to be the favorite, which is interesting because Babb, as of last month, was hoping something would happen with Baylor.

By J-Mart | Filed under Basketball | Comments (8)

Mama Sayz… (11/27)

Nov. 27, 20075:26 p.m.

She’s done it again. I was a little behind, so I apologize for the delay. But there’s more good stuff in here. Don’t you all feel like you’re almost a part of her family? You’d better listen to what “Mama Sayz.”

ROAD TRIP DIARY

My original intention for the “Road Trip Diaries” were to give time-stamped mini-blogs of our family trip to Florida. However, after our 18-20 hour trip turned into 24-26 hours (each way!) I’ve changed my mind. About 30 minutes into our drive, three-year-old Tiffany asked, “Are we there yet?” At first, everyone in the truck laughed. But then she asked aproximately a hundred million more times before we actually got to our final destination and it wasn’t quite as funny anymore. In fact, is was downright irritating, but I certainly felt her pain. We were all packed up with any and every electronic that you could imagine to keep us entertained but then another smart aleck in the very back of the SUV, which was packed to the fullest capacity, mumbled under her breath “there’s not enough electronics in the world” that could stop her boredom. Oh well, I guessed she missed the memo on “let’s enjoy some QUALITY family time.” So instead of giving you the diaries, I’ll go over some highlights (and lowlights) of the trip and also answer a few of the questions left in the comments section from last week.

Well, of course we all know that the game against George Mason didn’t go quite the way we wanted but we can definitely learn something from this game and one of most important to me is that no one likes to lose. Whether it’s dealing with not getting the job you interviewed for, or being dumped in a failed relationship and especially not in a competitive game of basketball. Now, if I as a parent/fan don’t like the feeling of a loss, imagine what the players and coaches feel – and with that thought in mind, let’s pick up the pieces and move on. Now even though the games against UCF and Rider were much more exciting and fun to watch, they nearly sent me into cardiac arrest! The atmosphere was incredible. My family came in from the Washington, D.C. area and was truly amazed by the sea of purple that sat across from them. I told them if they thought this was impressive, they would be floored at a home game at Bramlage.

The families of all of the basketball players really weren’t able to spend a lot of time with our sons/grandsons/nephews/brothers until Saturday. We chose to spend our time at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. While waiting for the kids to get off of one of the roller coasters, Calvin heard some poor woman screaming at the top of her lungs as she went upside down and into a mountain at full speed. Then Calvin thought about it and said if the kids come out with the next group of people, the scream we heard was not a woman after all and that he was for sure that it was Lil’ Mike. Don’t you know Lil’ Mike led the group out of the exit of the ride and, once confronted, proudly owned up to the girlish screams…

We had a blast at at the parks, riding various rides, playing games and just running arround with the entire family. Not only did Mona and Tom, and other close family members make the trip, even Grandma Candi was there. Now that’s a miracle in itself to get her outside of D.C.

All in all, it was a good trip.

Since this took a little longer than I thought I’ll just choose one of the questions to touch on from the comments this week.

And the lucky person to have there question answered is…Superksufan.

“How does Mike like not being able to talk to the media?”

Well, “Super K,” when Lil’ Mike comes home we do not discuss the details of what goes on with the team and their rules. Why? Because when we are at home it is one of the only times that we can spend together as a family. Therefore, I really cannot answer for him as to how he feels about the rule BUT I can tell you how I feel about it. I don’t mind it at all. Without having to speak to the media after every game or for that matter after everything that he does gives him time to focus on the important things like school, family, basketball and just being a typical college kid. Believe me, I know he’s quite entertaining to listen and talk to. However, let’s all take one for the team and live with this rule respectfully.

By J-Mart | Filed under Basketball | Comments (7)

This and that

Nov. 27, 20075:22 p.m.

Some quick hitters…

SPOKE with Garden Plain’s Logan Dold today. He’s rock-solid in his commitment to K-State. He can’t wait to get to Manhattan. He said the coaches - he spoke with James Franklin today, who was in Wichita again - have told him he might play offense after all. He thought he was set to be a safety. I asked what position, asking him how much he weighed (205 pounds, by the way). He thought he might be suited for a H-back position.

ACCORDING to KSU assistant sports information director Tom Gilbert, there are only about 2,000 tickets remaining for the Dec. 17 game against Florida A&M at the Sprint Center, which holds 18,000.

ARTHUR and Bryce Brown are going to be living the high life this week. They’re leaving tomorrow for the University of Miami, spending a couple of days in South Beach before heading West for an official visit to USC. They’ll spend the weekend in L.A. Bryce, in particular, is eager to see “what girls are out there” for both schools. Bryce, by the way, was sporting a bright white KU hat Tuesday prior to his Eagle photo shoot.

FRANKLIN wasn’t the only major assistant in Wichita this week. North Carolina’s John Blake stopped by East, as did Florida’s Charlie Strong.

I’M hearing Northwest quarterback Chris Harper is more or less down to K-State and Oregon, but I’m still waiting to hear that straight from him.

By J-Mart | Filed under Basketball, Football | Comments (4)

Tuesdays with Frank (11/27)

Nov. 27, 200711:45 a.m.

Enjoy.

Does
anything surprise you about Michael Beasley?
Not
really. We watched him play a trillion times as a high school guy. We
know him as a kid, what kind of kid he is because of his close
relationship with Dalonte (Hill). We’ve seen him every single day,
in season practices — I’m not surprised. He’s a heck of a
player. He’s a very talented player, but an even better kid… If
you know Mike, scoring 30 points a night isn’t what makes him go.
He wants to win. Mike’s about winning. He’s a great teammate. If
everybody could be the kind of teammate Mike is, coaching and sports,
you wouldn’t have the turnover you have in the coaching profession
because he’s an unbelievable kid and an even better teammate.

What do
you know about Oregon?
I
actually watched a couple of their games closely last year. I watched
them play Florida – Billy Donovan is a dear friend, so I watched
that game closely. With today’s technology, we have so many of
their game tapes available to us that we’ve been able to study
them, prepare for them. I can’t think of too many teams that can be
better than them offensively. They’re as good as it gets on
offense. Not taking anything away from them defensively, just
offensively, they’re just very talented at all five spots. Ernie
(Kent) has done an unbelievable job with that job, getting those guys
to play together and as a basketball coach, that’s what you need to
have.

Encouraged
by more balanced scoring?
The only
reason we hadn’t gotten it before was we had guys who weren’t
making shots. The shot distribution I’ve been pleased with. We’ve
played evenly share the ball. Our assist numbers, given the fact we
weren’t not making shots, have been good. I’ve been extremely
pleased by that. Just a matter of guys rising up and making shots. We
have the right guys taking shots from the right spots. Like Jacob did
the past weekend and Andre did the last game – couple of guys
making a couple of shots, being able to relax. Throughout the season,
if a couple of guys make shots, we’d have more balanced scoring.
It’s not like we’re just trying to get Michael shots. It is what
it is.

Is the
team ready for the challenge of an offensive juggernaut like Oregon?
We’d
better be ready. They’ll put a big number on you in a hurry. I’m
pleased where we’re at from a defensive standpoint. Still playing
spurts too much, still fouling too much. We’d gotten away from
fouling against UCF, against Rider did a good job for first 30
minutes, then got in the same rut… I’m happy where we’re at.
Our guys work at it, we’re committed to it. We’re going to keep
getting better.

Are
injuries a challenge?
It’s
sports. Look at Kansas. They were without Brandon Rush the whole
preseason and now they’re without Sherron Collins. It’s sports.
Texas last year lost a couple of guys to injuries and they still
lined up and won. Villanova, the year they had the four guards, their
so-called best player tore his ACL in the preseason and they still
went out and won 30 games. It’s a part of sports. If you start
using that as a crutch, then all you’re doing is creating a safety
net to tell your team it’s OK to fail and that’s not what I’m
about and it’s that’s not what we’re about.

Did Jacob
Pullen make progress on the defensive end over the weekend?
He has.
Jacob Pullen, from a defensive standpoint, is a lot better today than
he was six weeks ago. He went into the tournament understanding he
was getting ready to face some high-level guards every night, and
from a defensive standpoint, he really did a heck of a job for us. He
still relaxes at times, and that’s fine – he’s going to
continue to learn you can’t relax. In high school, guys like him
can relax five times and nothing will happen. At the collegiate
level, every time you relax, the other team makes you pay for it.
He’s learning that’s not something you can do.

What
makes Michael Beasley such a good rebounder?
Rebounding
is his strength. That’s what he does. If there is a part of his
game that you want to say he is good at, that’s it. It’s a
combination of two things – 1. He has good hands and he’s very
strong, and 2. He has the instinct to go get the ball. He can read
the ball coming off the rim, knows where it’s going and he had
great hands, he’s athletic, strong – he can go get it… I think
some guys have the instinct to go read the ball, have a feel to know
where it’s going. He has that ability. At the end of the day,
rebounding is effort. If you can have all of the instincts you want –
if you don’t have the strength to go in there and withstand another
person trying to get the ball, have the strength to withhold and
still elevate, grasp the ball and hold it… Rebounding, at the end
of the day, is an effort play. It’s something you have to do all of
the time.

Concerned
about Bill Walker’s emotions?
His fifth
foul against George Mason, he put his hands on his head and walked
away from the foul. He got tech-ed up for that. Against Rider, Len
Elmore approached me after the game – Len did the color on the
television set — and said he couldn’t believe both kids got
ejected. He said, ‘Frank, I looked at it, over and over, neither
one did anything.’…  Bill plays with emotion, and that’s what
gives him the edge to be who he is. He has to be able to have that
emotion to succeed. What he needs to learn is there is a certain line
he can’t cross with that emotion, and that’s part of his youth.
He’ll continue to get better with that. Do I sit back and say it’s
OK to get technicals every night? Absolutely not. Am I worried about
it? No, I’m not.

By J-Mart | Filed under Basketball | Comments (3)

It’s been a while…

Nov. 26, 200711:29 a.m.

But I’m back, kids.

So much happened during the past week, and the odd thing is, I’m not going to touch on most of it. I’m trying to advance news, not re-hash it, but exceptions have to be made.

Here’s what I have, which admittedly, isn’t much. But I’m back, kids. I’m back.

- James Franklin is out recruiting today in Wichita on behalf of Kansas State. Surprised? Don’t answer that. As of last night, he was supposed to be visiting Chris Harper and family and Franklin was hoping to get something lined up with the Browns as well.

- Because his cell phone isn’t accepting incoming calls, I couldn’t speak with Dominique Sutton, who is at Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass. He’s there with Jamar Samuels, who is awaiting his ACT scores. Here’s the word on both players, according to Samuels, who was able to answer his phone: “I haven’t gotten my grades back yet. Coach (Dalonte) Hill is checking on that… Online, I think. But I know Dominique finished his English (requirements), and he’ll be up there (Manhattan) Dec. 10. There is a graduation ceremony and all that before then.”

- Samuels has been watching his future teammates on television recently, and this was his take: “A good team, but we could use more transition defense and rebounding. But I like it. It’s a really nice team.”

- Here’s a theory on what has happened in Manhattan offered by “someone with knowledge of the situation,” which is a nice way of saying someone who doesn’t want to be identified: When coaches coach through fear tactics, it works when the team is winning. But when things go badly, the message starts to lose its sting. Players start looking around and wondering whether the alternative - not playing - is so bad, and suddenly, the coach can’t use fear - in this case, being kicked off the team or benched - as motivation. “If kids like you and respect you, they will run through a wall for you,” this person said. Works the same with assistant coaches, too. Not saying that’s the case here, but it’s worth mulling over.

- I have calls into Brodrick Smith, who has reportedly narrowed his choices to Arizona and Minnesota, and Sutton. Samuels said he would call when he heard back from Hill, who is checking on his ACT scores. Might have more info later…

By J-Mart | Filed under Basketball, Football | Comments (10)

BRINGING DOWN THE MOUSE 2.0 (Levi in O-Town)

Nov. 23, 20076:34 p.m.

J-MART NOTE: Solid effort this time. Young Mr. Wolters is taking some liberties, but I’m not going to bust his nuggets over it. Seriously, he’s doing a splendid job in D. Scott Fritchen’s hometown, so I’m not mad at him. The staff here at K-Stated is appreciative of his effort.

Twenty-four hours in Orlando has felt like 72 hours in Orlando. I’m dragging, but The Milk House isn’t. Back for round No. 2 tonight, and what’s to expect? Well, if you’re K-State, hopefully anything better than last night.

I’m not going to spend too much space on the game itself. If you’re reading this, then I’m guessing you watched it. What I am going to do is give you some “Wednesday with Frank” flavor and use some of the stuff he gave us in his postgame press conference last night.

“We set up the schedule to play teams like George Mason. When you have seven first-year players it’s just a process your team has to go through. I mean, we could play a soft schedule and end up with 14 non-conference wins (but) what has the team really learned about winning games against good teams?”

I can’t decide if Frank is taking a shot at Jim Wooldridge with this. I’m going to say no, but it couldn’t be more true. Wooly loved the soft non-con schedule. He built up the record through November and December to Big 12 play, thinking they might sneak in to the Tournament if they could get that “one more stop, one more rebound, one more basket” in conference play. Yes, he cushioned the record but never built the team for what was to come. This is what Frank is doing (and what Huggs was going to do), and this is why he’s willing to take the black eyes along the way.

(Speaking of Wooly, his UC-Riverside bunch is 0-4 to start they year. He’s got Idaho tomorrow night at home, and we here at K-Stated wish him the very best. What a great man.)

J-MART NOTE: Love that man. Maybe not a great coach, but what a tremendous man.

“The biggest thing for our basketball team is that we allow teams to go on runs that are too big, and that happens when you’ve got young players. We don’t have that senior mentality, yet, when things aren’t going right to regroup and say ‘Let’s hold up. We’ve got to run something and get this person inside or whatever.’ You know, we just don’t have that right now.

Again, I’m not going to put words in Frank’s mouth, but that statement screams David Hoskins!!! They miss his scoring and his toughness, but that “senior mentality” that “I’ve been here before” and that “Shut up and do your job and quit whining” would go a long, long way for this team right now. Later in the season as the young’ens mature, that kind of stuff won’t be as necessasry, but boy, it would be nice for them to have now.

“We get it down to six (in the second half) and we - with two freshmen on the court - give up on a defensive rotation on a baseline drive. We give up a wide-open three to make it nine. Then we go down and make a chippy, and our freshman point guard gets sucked up, and we give up a lay up. It’s a six-point game and we’ve got them defensively where we want them on a baseline drive, and then we have back-to-back breakdowns.”

How do coaches do that? Keep in mind, Frank talked to us a good half hour after the game was over and he remembered that exact sequence? Huggins was great at doing that, too, but I just think that’s amazing they can remember all that. OK, that was a needless quote to put up on my part, but I felt the need to share my amazement.

OK, that’s all I got…for now. We’re getting close to tip here. Again, if you got anything you’d like me to weigh in on, post a comment at the bottom. Remember, this blog’s for you.

Hope you got yourself some ESPNU.

By J-Mart | Filed under Basketball | Comments (1)

BRINGING DOWN THE MOUSE (Levi in O-Town)

Nov. 22, 20079:29 p.m.

J-MART NOTE: This is an amazing blog entry, and I’m not even kidding. I’m certain we’ll hear from Mr. Wolters in the coming days. In fact, I’d be disappointed if we didn’t, although Dude won’t be happy with the pic I posted. But hey, I’m resourceful…

Really, this is the best name I could come up with for my blog debut. A bit sad, but if you have any recommendations for something a little more flashy, I’m all for listening.

But nevertheless, I’m in Orlando at the beautiful Milk House. Sure, it’s possibly the worst name for an arena in American history; and, yes, in the media room there is a huge mural of famous athletes with the famous Milk ‘Staches plastered on their larger-than-life faces (I’m sorry, but I can’t look at Tom Brady with milk on his upper lip without giggling); but it’s really a neat place.

As for my journey down, which began at 5 a.m…well it’s over, and that’s all that’s important. Joining me on my bus ride from the airport to the hotel was Manhattan city commissioner Bob Strawn, who said, among other things, he’s a faithful K-Stated reader. Yep, J-Mart is famous in the eyes of Manhattan’s elite. Mr. Strawn wasn’t sure what to expect with the Wildcats this week, but he did say he’s looking forward to Dominique Sutton’s arrival to help with K-State’s shooting. So there’s that.

Also, I just wrapped up a conversation with assistant sports information director Tom Gilbert. He gave me a brief lowdown on how the Wildcats have spent their time in O-Town since arriving late Tuesday.

Last night, MGM Studios had a little after hours get together for the eight teams. The park kept the rides going for all to enjoy and put out a huge spread of food for all to dine on. Sounded like a blast. Apparently there was quite a bit of familiarity among the players from their days in the AAU ranks and whatnot.

No special Thanksgiving dinner today, however. K-State had a short shootaround this morning and then it was back to the hotel for meetings and probably some rest after the late night.

And just in case you want a what-might-have-been moment before tipoff, South Carolina guard Devan Downey, who dropped 30 on Penn State here earlier today, could have been in purple tonight. Downey transferred from Cincinnati before last season and, before settling on the Gamecocks, considered Huggins and the Wildcats.

That could have been your shooter, Mr. Strawn.

P.S. - J-Mart’s on va-cay, so I’m keeping my entries to one-a-day (Vitamin!), so he doesn’t have to keep putting these up on the site. But I’ll be watching the comments below. Shoot me some questions. What would you like to know…other than about Dave Hoskins’ knee.

P.P.S. - Hope your Thanksgiving Day has been wonderful, everyone.

By J-Mart | Filed under Basketball | Comments (8)

Mama Sayz… (11/21)

Nov. 21, 200711:41 a.m.

Here’s another entry from Mrs. Smith, aka Mike Beasley’s mom. Obviously, she’s more than that, and that’s part of what this weekly feature is about. It’s an opportunity to get inside the mind of the mother of one of your favorite K-State basketball players - and arguably the best player in the country.

And this week, she’s talking about “The People We Meet.” Here’s the thing, folks. She wants you to participate in this, as I get the sense she’d rather have this a question-and-answer format. So submit some questions down below in the comments field, and she’ll answer them in the following weeks.

Growing up in a large family, your siblings become your friends. My sister and I were, and still are, best friends to this day. We know each other inside and out. Once we reached adulthood and chose our two very different career paths (hers being owner/stylist of a sucessful hair salon back East) she has made more “friends” then I have. In fact, her friends are my friends, and she reminds me quite often that I steal her friends. Well, I guess this is partially true because I can probably count my own friends that I have made without her on two or maybe three fingers. Sad, huh? Not really…

When I go to basketball games, faces become more and more familiar. From the other families there to cheer on their sons, to the folks feeling lucky enough to have gotten tickets to see the Wildcats in action first hand. The stranger sitting/standing next to you is no longer a stranger because cheering for the same team has a way of bringing people closer together. Striking up random conversations with friendly faces seems so easy… so right. Wow, is this what friendship is really about? Talking and laughing and cheering and holding our breath together in hopes that our team pulls out another win. I’ve never been good with names, not even in my own house (now that’s sad…LOL), but I will always remember the faces that I will meet at the upcoming games.

I say all of this, basically to say to my sister – my “friend” list is growing faster than I could have ever imagined and she can even steal one or two of them if she’d like…

Quick reminder – make sure to come back next week for “The Road Trip Diaries.”

If you’re headed to Orlando, it sounds like you should holler at Mrs. Smith when you’re down there. You might make it into “Mama Sayz.”

Also, on a personal note, don’t expect too much - if anything - for the rest of the week. I’m off. I’m making calls, still doing some work, but I’m telling you, it’s probably going to be sporadic. I’m not saying you shouldn’t come back here and check every day - please do - but I’m going to enjoy my holiday. Just as you should.

Which reminds me - what am I thankful for? All of you for supporting me and continuing to read what I write about K-State athletics. Happy Thanksgiving, y’all.

By J-Mart | Filed under Mama Sayz | Comments (20)

Everybody loves Chris

Nov. 19, 20076:11 p.m.

The question was whether he thought he was a priority for the Kansas State coaching staff, and Chris Harper paused.

Whether it was an attempt to be modest, or whether it was because he momentarily drew a blank – it was unclear. But the Northwest quarterback who visited Manhattan on an official visit over the weekend quickly came to his senses.

“I guess you could say that – from the way they talk,” Harper said Monday. “A lot of the stuff I did on my visit they said they don’t usually do with everyone.”

For instance, Harper attended a class on Friday. And after the Wildcats’ 49-32 loss to Missouri Saturday, he was Ron Prince’s special guest as the K-State coach filmed his television show, an experience Harper described as “pretty cool.”

And there was the matter of meeting the legendary former K-State coach, Bill Snyder.

Seems Harper’s father and brother are huge KSU fans and, by extension, Snyder fans. Harper was always a college football fan, never forming any allegiance with a certain team. But he did become quite the follower of Michael Bishop, the option quarterback whom some K-State fans compare with Harper.

Anyway, he didn’t get a chance to meet Bishop. But meeting Snyder was a nice consolation prize.

“That’s the first time he’s done something like that,” Harper said. “He doesn’t ever meet with recruits. It was the first time I met him. He was real cool, a real humble person for someone with all of his success.”

According to Harper, Snyder knew quite a bit about him. They also discussed how Harper might fit in at K-State, what role he might play (more on that later) and yes, about former players, such as Bishop.

Prince won’t be bringing back the option anytime soon, though. He’s committed to his system, even though Harper’s strengths are his athleticism (he was timed at 4.38 in the 40 this summer). During Harper’s visit, Prince and offensive coordinator James Franklin provided tape of Virginia’s offense when Marques Hagans, a 5-foot-10, 205-pound athlete, played quarterback for the Cavaliers.

Of course, he also played running back and wide receiver, which is the position he was drafted to play in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams.

But Harper is adamant about playing quarterback. The coaches assured Harper the present offense could be tweaked to incorporate his running skills. Asked if it was the same offense commanded by Josh Freeman, Harper said yes.

“They just don’t run with him,” he said. “I think he runs a 4.9.”

He’s going to check out Oregon soon, and he’s deciding between the Ducks, K-State, Illinois, Missouri and Notre Dame. All, he said, want him at quarterback, but there might be one school among that group looking to add a wrinkle to the package, hoping to use him in a variety of roles.

“All five aren’t on the same level,” he said.

The Tigers, despite a recent commit from former Nebraska pledge Blaine Gabbert, are still in pursuit, and Harper hasn’t back off his interest in Mizzou because of that, either.

“Everybody who knows he knows I’m not scared of competition,” he said.

A decision will be made in December, and it will likely be made public the same day (and location) his friend, East linebacker Arthur Brown, makes his choice known.

There is no leader – he’s not going down that road again – but he liked what he saw of the Little Apple over the weekend.

“I like the team and coaches a lot,” Harper said. “My only question was how I was going to fit. That was my biggest question. … I’ve known a lot of the players for a while, played against them.

“I just needed to know how’d I fit.”

By J-Mart | Filed under Football | Comments (11)

What’s the Big deal? (11/19)

Nov. 19, 200712:03 p.m.

Random musings from the Big 12 coaches’ conference call:

WON’T be much on Kansas or Missouri. My respected colleague Rick Plumlee has commandeered most of that material, and you’re going to have sensory overload in the coming days regarding the so-called “Border War” anyway.

DISASTER has struck Norman, and no one seems to be crying about it — most of all, the opposition. Oklahoma lost to Texas Tech, and injuries took a toll. Running back DeMarco Murray was injured attempting to recover an on-sides kick, and Bob Stoops said he won’t be available this weekend against Oklahoma State. And quarterback Sam Bradford, who makes it all work for the Sooners, suffered a concussion early against the Red Raiders, and Stoops said his status will be wait-and-see.

BESIDES, it’s Bedlam. No more explanation is needed. “Most of people are either Oklahoma or Oklahoma State,” OSU coach Mike Gundy said. “Players know each other, always been a great game and it’s a lot of fun.”

HIS offense is already explosive, but Gundy doesn’t believe the Cowboys’ offense has done anything yet. He believes OSU is about a year or two away from optimum performance. “We really don’t have the ingredients to do all of the things we want to do,” he said. Gundy believes the Cowboys aren’t deep enough at wide receiver yet, so that is being addressed right now on the recruiting trail. By then, though, offensive coordinator Larry Fedora, a hot name in coaching circles right now, might be long gone.

RON Prince was asked roughly three questions about his team. The rest were regarding Kansas and Missouri. By the way, he is still worked up about Missouri, saying the Tigers are “very, very challenging.”

BECAUSE he has an opinion on virtually everything, Texas Tech coach Mike Leach is asked virtually everything during these calls. On fired Baylor coach Guy Morriss, who was not available on the call: “I hate to see any coach go down. … I know how much they worked at Baylor to make a top-notch program. Sometimes it takes more time. I think college is starting to follow the NFL, quick to pull the trigger rather than letting things build.” On whether bowl eligibility should be raised to seven wins: “I think six is good. I think everybody likes watching them, and everybody likes playing in them. If not, they’re in the wrong business. … I’m notorious for wanting a playoff. I’d like to have 64 teams in the thing, but that’s another story.” He said he plans to appeal his $10,000 fine from his comments last weekend about Big 12 officiating, and he believes it’s versatility that makes MU’s Jeremy Maclin so impressive, not his explosiveness. “There are explosive guys all over the place in this league,” he said.

GENE Chizik likes what is brewing in Ames. “Some positive things we can take from different moments in the year,” the Iowa State coach said. “We have so much room to grow. The future is very bright.” Think every sub-.500 team in the North — heck, throughout the Big 12 — isn’t pointing to Lawrence as a model of what can happen to their program? Why not the Cyclones? Why not anyone?

THE Big 12’s great gentleman, Texas coach Mack Brown, chimed in on the departures of Morriss and also Michigan coach Lloyd Carr; Brown was an assistant at Michigan State in the ‘70s while Carr was an assistant for the Wolverines. “They’re good friends of mine,” Brown said. “(Morriss) will be missed. … (Carr) will be in the Hall of Fame. College football lost two good men yesterday.”

By J-Mart | Filed under Football | Comments (0)