That was a weird team to figure. I think I wrote that in the in-game notes, and I was talking to my father about that late last night. Man, he and my mother have gotten into this team. They have tickets to the March 1 throwdown in Lawrence, so that should be fun. If anyone is there and wants to meet up, let me know.
Anyway, here’s what I liked: Mike, of course; Jake’s aggressiveness early (Mike said it helps so much with the early double-teams he faces); Bill’s athleticism (he had his hops yesterday - in some games, it looks as if he doesn’t); the inspired play of the backup bigs (Colon and Ron Anderson); Fred Brown’s three-point stroke (which will be needed in the coming weeks); Frank’s control of the game (gripe about his substitution patterns if you want, but do you really think the guy doesn’t know what he’s doing? Or that he’s stubborn? C’mon…); the absurd rebounding margin (Sean Sutton should be embarrassed); the contributions of James Franklin and CMW (do you realize Frank played everybody at his disposal yesterday? And they all played well?); and a smiling Clent Stewart.
This team is soaring with confidence, and all of the adversity has only brought them closer. I know that sounds like a cliche, but man, it’s true. You have to like what Kansas State basketball looks like right now. There is a sense of purpose, direction that hasn’t been seen for a while.
Here’s what I didn’t like: Low shooting percentage (I’ve never been one of those who complains about K-State’s offense because I know there are going to be nights when shots fall, but I just wonder about the quality of some of those shots Saturday); DK and Sutton stalled on offense (DK hasn’t been the same since Iowa State, and ‘Nique isn’t effective outside of five feet - something has to give); Andre Gilbert still in street clothes (I talked to him briefly - true story, me and GPC’s Robert Cassidy saw him out at Tubby’s the night of his dust-up. He said last night that when we saw him, he wanted to go home, but he didn’t - and that’s when the trouble ensued); the opponent (I’m not a Sean Sutton defender, but that’s an oddly constructed collection of talent - did you know there are two McDonald’s All-Americans on that team in Byron Eaton and James Anderson? They’ve got a bunch of 6-foot-5, 6-foot-6 guys who only shoot jumpers, a chubby, vertically-challenged point guard who can’t penetrate, a 6-foot-11 post project who looks more comfortable on the perimeter… none of it makes sense.)
One last thought - how tough is Blake Young? He might be my favorite Wildcat to watch. Nothing he does is pretty or particularly graceful, but he plays with such effort. No, he’s not the 20-point scorer he was in junior college, but remember what Matt Figger said in his classic “Five”? Not many junior college stars project as stars in Division I basketball. Instead, with his skill set, Young has turned into a fine defensive player and a serviceable offensive component, someone who doesn’t turn the ball over and is capable of getting to the rim. And he might be the best rebounder in the Big 12 under 6-foot-3.
My dad just called. He’s obsessed, by the way. He said KU’s Achilles’ heel is dribble penetration. High BBIQ, by the way.
9 Comments
We gonna play them tough enough to win in Lawrence…..???? Man, the fat man will have to walk center court and hand over the “Sunflower Cup” he took from Prince last fall. That would be WAYYYYY beautiful.
I saw part of an interview with Beasley the other day on ESPN. He sure sounded like a guy who MIGHT come back for one more year. Or maybe he’s just saying all the right things for now. I’ve heard he and Durant are very close and I read an article that seemed to indicate even Durant wished he had stayed at Texas one more year. Maybe Kevin’s been in Michael’s ear a bit. Ah well, a guy can always dream.
How awesome would the team be next year with Beasley and Walker back. If they get Hoskins back and those 2 there would be at least 3 mismatches against every team. That being said, I’m not counting on anything but I will let myself dream a little
“I was talking to my father about that late last night. Man, he and my mother have gotten into this team.”
fascinating. i bet a lot of people have 5 or 6 questions that they’d like to hear your parents’ thoughts on. people might even forgive the continual c. malone tease act if you were to deliver w. vermont’s biggest ksu bball aficinados.
cmer was better than than cmw, btw. it continues the ksu bball tradition of 1st letter-1st syllable abbrevations (dsut, jpul, cmart, jmart, dhos, etc.) and even better it has a cute bilingual pun mixed in (c)sea-mer. much better moniker overall.
Jim,
When you wrote “fat man,” I automatically thought you were referring to Whitlock. I think I would prefer watching HIM hand over the Cup to our “rental” players if we shock the wheat wavers again.
And J-Mart, I still vote for CMW as the handle. Just rolls better.
JMart,
I’ll be in Lawrence that day probably around 7:00 or 8:00 AM to take in a day of festivities. We ought to get lunch and talk KSU/Big XII hoops!
Ok, OK, so you are never going to tell me who you think would win in a knife fight: OJ or Ray Lewis? But who would win in a sumo match: Whitlock or Mangino? The thought of either man without a shirt is grotesque, but seriously, don’t you think Whitlock would have just a tad more leverage.
i am every kstate home game and you never come and say hi. oh sure, fitz does, he brings us halftime stats. but not you. i know what hats that you wear at every event, but still you give me no love.
Good stuff Jeff. You should do 5 on it with your ‘rents about the team for a good “outside the warzone” feel for the their strengths weaknesses. Also, what are you hearing about DSutt?