K-Stated

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.