Kansas State men’s basketball coach Frank Martin won’t showcase his team in front of a live audience until next Saturday, but he expects his players to know the ins and outs of what it takes to be a Wildcat before then.
With so many underclassmen on his roster the last few years, that hasn’t always been the case. Especially two years ago, when the Wildcats had all kinds of talent but almost zero experience.
“Two years ago we had nine first year guys,” Martin said. “Those guys had no idea what was coming.”
But this time around, with seniors Denis Clemente, Luis Colon and Chris Merriewether helping out along with juniors Jacob Pullen, Dominique Sutton and Curtis Kelly, Martin is expecting his new recruits to learn quickly.
“Where in the past we’ve had to teach everyone on the team, the newcomers are going to have a lot of help from the older guys this year,” Martin said. “We’re going to expect them to move forward at a fast rate. It should be easier for them to learn the nuts and bolts of what is expected from them.”
It will be like having a team that coaches itself on some levels. That genuinely excites him.
“Absolutely,” Martin said. “That, and you couple in the fact that now I’m going into my third year as a head coach … There will be a better understanding on my part and my coaches’ part to know what our players’ talents are and how to best utilize them in games.”
He is also looking forward to entering a season with good expectations. Not that the Wildcats were picked to do poorly in years past, but by coming in fourth in the Big 12 preseason poll this season they tied for their best starting point ever.
“It’s a credit to our kids,” he said. “In the toughest league in the country, we’re in the top third. We’re proud of that fact.”
– Martin also pointed out that Colon is recovering well from his preseason injury. Unless an unexpected setback occurs in the next few days Colon will be cleared to shoot and work on his own early this week and rejoin practice shortly after.
– The starting time of Saturday’s scrimmage may no longer be 3 hours before the Colorado game. With kickoff now set for 11:30 a.m., that would mean opening the doors at Bramlage at 8:30. That could still be the starting time, but it may also be pushed back until after the football game. An official announcement will be made early next week.
A look at the women’s team
I stopped by the K-State women’s basketball team’s open practice before today’s football game and left with a few notes to pass along.
– Ashley Sweat and Kelsey Hill were not present. Sweat was sick and Hill took an elbow to her nose earlier in the practice.
– Brittany Chambers, Taelor Karr and Mariah White (all freshmen) spent time at point guard. All three looked pretty good, but Chambers and White seemed to have the best ball-handling abilities.
– Shalin Spani and Alina Voronenko looked good shooting 3-pointers.
– Branshea Brown and Jalana Childs appear to be the offensive focal point of this team. They had the high-low working and seemed to work together well.