Daily Archives: Jan. 29, 2008

Loose change (01/29)

Extra stuff just lying around my desk…

MONTRELL McDonald, who is averaging a little more than 12 points at Cowley County Community College, doesn’t plan on making any visits until his season is over, at least until March. He’s hearing from coaches, though. McDonald said he spoke with K-State assistant Matt Figger last night, and he has the Wildcats in his top five — although he insists he’s technically wide open. The other schools in pursuit are Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, Colorado and Oregon. I asked if he was still filling up the stat sheet, and he laughed. “I’m trying to,” he said. Cowley is 18-2.

HE made news this weekend for chasing down an official after what he felt should have been a game-ending goaltending call. But Bob Huggins checked in last Friday in defense of his successor in Manhattan, Frank Martin.

Yes, Martin can coach, Huggins said.

“People don’t understand how good of players he coached at Miami Senior,” the West Virginia coach said. “I mean, he recruited a pro to Northeastern… I knew he’d be good. He has a great support staff. Dalonte’s good. Brad’s good.”

McDonald, the Cowley prospect from above, agreed.

“I’m not going to say I’m surprised by his success,” McDonald said. “I don’t think Bob Huggins would put someone on his staff that couldn’t coach. I think Frank is a great guy.”

TYREE Evans hasn’t talked to any schools, he said Tuesday. Schools were thinking he was going to mess up again, he said, so the talk has been minimal. Instead, he’s averaging 23 points, 3.4 assists and 3.4 rebounds for Motlow (Tenn.) State Community College, which is 19-2. “I’m still wide open,” he said, but he plans to narrow it down in the next two to three weeks. He hasn’t ruled out K-State, but he hasn’t heard from any of the Wildcat coaches recently. He said he’d call me when he narrows his list. We’ll see…

THE third annual “Signing Day with Ron Prince” event at K-State scheduled for Feb. 6 from 4-6 p.m. at the Vanier Football Complex is sold out. Prince will provide commentary on the 2008 recruiting class and answer questions regarding the class. Recruiting coordinator and linebackers coach Matt Wallerstedt will also provide a player-by-player review of the class.

I GOT FIVE ON IT - Garth Gardiner

He lived in Nashville for five years, attempting to become a country music star. He was an official for women’s basketball in the Jayhawk Conference. There might be a lot more you don’t know about Garth Gardiner, but what is abundantly clear — especially after watching him in action from his court-side seat at Bramlage Coliseum, ranting and raving and causing a commotion — is that he is passionate about Kansas State basketball. He’s passionate about K-State, in general, but let’s be real. “Do I love men’s basketball more than the debate team? Yeah, probably.” With tomorrow’s game against Kansas on deck, Gardiner seemed like the logical choice for this edition of “Five.”

1. How did you become such a rabid basketball fan? How did that all develop?
As a kid, growing up here in western Kansas, I grew up in the (Jack) Hartman era. Rolando (Blackmon), Chuckie (Williams)… We didn’t have a football team then. I was always a basketball fan. I remember playing in my parents’ driveway, doing the play-by-play. I went to Jack’s camp, but I was too slow, too white, and too fat to play. But it was always a dream to play for Jack or K-State… I specifically have a passion for K-State basketball, and it has carried on. Here I am, 40 years old, and some people watch me at games and think I’m an idiot. I think I’m good comic relief for Frank (Martin)… I’ve never seen a win in Manhattan. In 1988, when we went to Elite Eight, we beat KU two out of three times. Everybody kind of assumed we get them again… But in the Elite Eight, the day we lost to them, it was probably the second or third darkest day — when Huggs left, the day we lost to A&M in football and losing to KU in the Elite Eight — of my life as a K-State fan… I love the game of basketball. The last eight years, though, before they hired Huggs, it was absolutely brutal. We accepted mediocrity. Everybody can be mad at Huggs for leaving, but I guarantee he misses K-State basketball more than anyone realizes.

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