Allow me to begin with a hypothetical:
If you were a novice sportswriter, attending your very first media day event – such as Kansas State’s festivities Saturday – you would have left assuming the Wildcats will be quite good this year.
And they might be. We won’t know until the games begin.
But here are some of my thoughts, which wasn’t very revealing but remained fascinating nonetheless:
1. I like Chris Carney. Nice kid, someone you could easily root for, if we were allowed to root for players in our profession. Anyway, he said he was familiar with junior college (or is it community college?) transfer Aubrey Quarles from high school; Carney attended Denver’s Mullen High and Quarles went to Grandview. Carney said Mullen, a Colorado powerhouse, won the head-to-head matchups.
2. I’m convinced Ron Prince isn’t bothered the least by the absence of Leon Patton. Somebody will carry the ball, and odds are it will continue to be a by-committee approach, riding the hot hand. If Kwamaine Brown shows up in Manhattan, great. If not, Prince is ready to roll with Keithen Valentine, or Justin Woods, or Logan Dold. Or whoever. The real reason for his optimism, in my opinion, is…
3. He’s beginning to love his offensive line. He won’t come out and say it, but he likes the depth and it’s finally beginning to resemble what he has envisioned. K-State ran the ball last year, which gets lost in the fact that the Wildcats threw the ball a school-record 510 times last year. Don’t forget – James Johnson (6.4 yards per carry) and Patton (4.7) weren’t bad last year.
4. Deon Murphy is crazy. Reggie Walker, too. And I think Brandon Banks’ personality is going to mesh just fine with those two.
5. Brandon Balkcom – I called him “The Professor” for his bespectacled look, and he smiled – is calling this his “last chance” and seems intent on having a big year. With some players, it’s little more than bluster, but the defensive tackle calmly explained how he has improved his body, worked on his technique and listened to the coaches. And now, he expects his play to stand out. Sounds simple to me.
6. And finally, the photo in the Manhattan Mercury. That RP is a joker, isn’t he? Anyway, it was an innocent picture taken against my better judgment. As for the Mercury labeling me “a fan,” I’d say that’s a far cry from how most view my relationship with Prince, no? Maybe that will put all of that talk to rest. Somehow, I doubt it…
4 Comments
Did he give you a wet willie? Heard he did fwiw.
did you ask around about Kwamaine Brown and his possible arrival?
I assume that chances are declining with each passing day of him getting on campus this year
I think you and Ron should sing the friendship song from Spongebob Squarepants. It worked for Plankton!
“I’m convinced Ron Prince isn’t bothered the least by the absence of Leon Patton.”
That’s a head coach being a head coach. You just have to move on no matter what, there’s really nothing you can do.