It looks like Kansas State men’s basketball coach Frank Martin had a successful recruiting weekend.
Nino Williams, a 6-foot-5 guard out of Leavenworth, has verbally committed to join K-State in 2011. And according to zagsblog.com Shane Southwell, a 6-foot-7 guard out of New York has committed to K-State for 2010.
Both are three-star recruits according to rivals.
I just got off the phone with Leavenworth high school boys’ basketball coach Larry Hogan, and he said Williams will be a good addition to K-State.
“It’s going to be a good fit for him,” Hogan said. “Coach Martin was out here in the gym a few weeks ago and I think that pretty much sealed the deal.”
As a junior, Williams averaged 16.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game for Leavenworth. Both stats led the team, and Hogan said Williams is capable of doing the same at the next level.
Hogan likes the way Williams can both attack the basket and shoot the 3. He said Williams is always in the gym, practicing his game, and that the release of his jump shot is faster than anyone he’s ever coached.
Put all those skills together, and it’s not hard to see why Hogan believes Williams could be the best player to come out of Leavenworth since Kansas All-American Wayne Simien (the last Leavenworth player to lead the team in both scoring and rebounding).
“You don’t go into the Sunflower League, lead your team in scoring and get seven rebounds per game without being aggressive and having some ability,” Hogan said. “He has all the tools. He can run, he can jump and he can shoot. He’s capable of scoring all over.”
Other stats on Williams: He shoots 73 percent from the free-throw line, he is a 30 percent 3-point shooter and he leads the team in fouls.
Hogan said that wasn’t a bad thing.
“He loves to play,” he said, “and he’s not afraid to go at the basket or step outside and shoot. He will do it all.”
Williams is a senior at Leavenworth, and if he doesn’t join K-State until 2011 he will need to spend a year in prep school in between.
Southwell chose Kansas State after visiting last weekend
“I’m committing to Kansas State University,” Southwell told zagsblog.com. ”I actually made it Friday but I probably knew that I was going to this school since early September.”
He continued.
“The whole campus is beautiful. The teammates were great, the coaching staff was great. The fans were crazy. They love their basketball and their football.”
6 Comments
Here’s something fun to think about….courtesy of Yosh…
A few years back, there was much talk amongst the media in KC about the merits of hiring Frank Martin and ‘Te “just to save a recruiting class.”
Frank is going to have KSU in a position in another year when that first class is gone and KSU is “left with” a team FULL of Rivals top 150 players AND a McD All-American.
All this to a school that had not been in the NCAA in years. Wow THAT is what you call a “HOME RUN” hire, is it not?
It sure would be nice if those media types who, at best, questioned, and at worst mocked, the Frank & ‘Te hire to come out and admit that they were dead freaking wrong. Sure would be nice.
Kellis! You had a post over recruiting, what is the world coming to!
kstater33:
Re-read and see how much Kellis came up with, and how much came from other sources.
Its not like he did a lot of work here.
Pete,
We will get our validation soon enough just hang in there with the faithful.
Oh and yeah, Pete, Smelly is one of “those media types” as well.
J-Mart, J-Mart, J-Mart….