K-Stated

A week ago, the Kansas State basketball team released its nonconference schedule for the 2011-12 season. Several coaches and administrators worked together to make the games fit, but no one contributed more time to the process than Andy Assaley.

As the Wildcats’ director of basketball operations, one of his main priorities is to head up scheduling. Every year, he makes countless phone calls to Division I coaches and sends out more than a thousand (seriously) e-mails to prospective opponents.

In the end, all that work is rewarded with a finalized schedule of a dozen or so games before Big 12 play begins.

“It’s a difficult job,” Assaley said, “but it’s a fun job.”

Earlier this week, Assaley went into great detail about K-State’s upcoming schedule and exactly what it took to put together. Turns out strategy, connections and patience — lots and lots of patience – were the main requirements.

“You have to be willing to haggle, you have to enjoy that,” Assaley said. “You have to be able to make cold calls and you have to know people … And you have to be able to handle rejection well. You can’t take it personally when you don’t get a call back, because that’s going to happen more than you can possibly imagine.

“Every time I go to a Catbacker event I hear from fans asking how come we’re not playing this school, how come we’re not playing that school. I just laugh and try to tell them it’s not that easy. They have to want to play us too.”
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One of the most promising freshmen on Kansas State’s basketball team is Shane Southwell. The New York native is a 6-foot-6 guard capable of playing point guard, shooting guard and small forward.

He has contributed little thus far — he’s averaging 0.6 points, 1.1 rebounds and 4.4 minutes per game. And Wildcats coach Frank Martin says he is still learning what it takes to practice and prepare for games at the college level.

But he is working his way up the depth chart.

“He’s having the best week of practice since he’s been here,” said assistant coach Brad Underwood. “That helps a young kid … Shane’s game, in terms of his ability to handle it and to pass it, is ahead of where it is defensively. He’s catching up and he’s getting better.

Big things are still expected out of him.

“He’s got a chance, in my opinion, to be an elite-level defender,” Underwood said. “He has great length and understands the game. It’s just a matter of him becoming more consistent. He’s going to have a bright future here. He has some tools that you just don’t coach.”
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Nick Russell hopes to be one of the most improved players on the Kansas State basketball team this year.

The sophomore guard played only sparingly during his first year in Manhattan, but received a huge confidence boost this summer when he toured Europe with a team of other college basketball players and became one of the squad’s top scorers.

Playing time could be tough to come by, with Shane Southwell, Nino Williams and Will Spradling on the roster this year, but Russell is ready for the challenge. During K-State media day earlier this week, he talked about that and much more.

What is it like to be on a basketball team ranked No. 3 in the country?

It’s great. Three is incredible. From where we were last year to where we are now, that’s night and day different. No. 1 is our ultimate goal, and we are working hard to get there. Read More »