Kansas State basketball coach Bruce Weber’s search for a big man to add to the Wildcats’ 2013 recruiting class recently took him to California, where he talked with 6-foot-9 power forward Tanner Lancona for more than one hour during an in-school visit.
The chat apparently left an impression on Lancona. His father, Sean, says K-State is now one of four schools Lancona is considering. Lancona will take an official visit to K-State next weekend (May 3-5).
He is also considering St. Louis, which he will visit this weekend, along with Colorado State and BYU.
Here is Lancona’s recruiting profile at ESPN.com. Here is one of his highlight videos. The Tesoro High School big man originally signed with Washington State, but the school released him from his National Letter of Intent last month for what was classified as a “mutual decision.” Lancona’s father said college coaches have been calling him non stop since.
Lancona averaged 19 points and eight rebounds as a high school senior. He has the ability to score inside and shoot from the perimeter.
K-State could use another post player after the transfer of Adrian Diaz. Thomas Gipson, D.J. Johnson and newcomer Neville Fincher are the only big men currently on the roster.
With Angel Rodriguez coming back as a junior, Kansas State appeared poised to return to the NCAA Tournament and finish in the top three of the Big 12 standings next season.
Now that the talented point guard has announced his intentions to transfer, the Wildcats’ streak of four straight NCAA Tournament appearances is in jeopardy. There is no telling where they will finish in a weakened Big 12, but they are clearly a tier below league favorites Oklahoma State and Kansas.
Nothing separates them from Iowa State, Baylor and Oklahoma, which also lose the bulk of their talent and experience after runs to the postseason.
In Rodriguez, K-State loses a two-year starter who averaged 11.4 points and 5.2 assists on a team that won 27 games and shared the Big 12 championship. He would have been one of the top returning players in the conference, and one of the top point guards in the country.
Now, the only returning guard with significant playing time under his belt is Will Spradling. He may have to take over point guard duties, at least initially until recently committed Nigel Johnson transitions to the college game and Jevon Thomas becomes eligible after the first semester. Shane Southwell looks like K-State’s top returning player after averaging 8.4 points as a junior, but his improved season came as a hybrid power forward. He might have to move back to guard or small forward.
Fortunately for coach Bruce Weber, Thomas Gipson shouldn’t face much of a transition in the post coming off an above-average sophomore season. But will he play beside D.J. Johnson in a big lineup with Neville Fincher and Nino Williams coming off the bench? Or will Williams start at power forward while Johnson comes off the bench?
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Kansas State picked up its newest basketball commitment late Saturday night from point guard Nigel Johnson.
Johnson is a 6-foot-1, 170-pounder from Upper Marlboro, Md. He plays for Riverdale Baptist and the familiar AAU team DC Assault, which Michael Beasley, Rodney McGruder and Jamar Samuels all used to play for.
Here is Johnson’s Rivals profile. His other offers came from mid-major programs, but Missouri showed interest in him. He was originally a George Washington commit, but re-opened his recruitment a few weeks ago. K-State offered him a scholarship on Thursday, and he committed quickly.
K-State lacks depth at guard with the departure of Martavious Irving and the transfer of Michael Orris. The possibility of early playing time appealed to Johnson.
“I felt like I could definitely come in right away and make an impact,” Johnson told the website DMVElite.com. “They told me that I can come in right away and be a major contributor.”
K-State has one basketball scholarship remaining to use for the 2013 recruiting class or save for the 2014 class. Johnson will join Marcus Foster, Wesley Iwundu, Jevon Thomas and Neville Fincher next season. All four have signed with the Wildcats.
It’s official. Marcus Smart is putting off his NBA career for at least one year to return to Oklahoma State for his sophomore season.
To say his decision was unexpected would be an understatement. Smart was more or less assured of being a lottery pick had he turned pro. Instead, he is staying in school for what is sure to be the most anticipated Oklahoma State basketball season in recent memory.
Smart’s return will make such an impact that many now consider Oklahoma State the favorite to win the Big 12 next season.
With that in mind, here is a look at how I would vote if my preseason Big 12 basketball poll was due today:
1. Oklahoma State
Smart, Le’Bryan Nash and Markel Brown were three of the most talented players in the Big 12 last season. Just think what they could accomplish together next season. The Cowboys return the Big 12′s Player of the Year in Smart, a talented forward in Nash and one of the conference’s most underrated scorers in Brown. And the only key contributor they lose is Philip Jurick. Some will doubt Oklahoma State because of underachieving coach Travis Ford, but the Cowboys have to be considered the preseason favorites with so much returning talent.
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Marcus Foster, who has long been viewed as Kansas State’s top incoming basketball recruit, received an honor this week that will send him to Manhattan with more hype than the typical three-star prospect.
On Wednesday, the 6-foot-3 guard from Wichita Falls was named Texas 3A Player of the Year by the state’s association of basketball coaches.
He earned the honor by averaging more than 27 points and 11 rebounds as a senior and leading his team in nearly every major statistical category on the way to a playoff run that fell just short of the state finals.
“That’s a big honor to me,” Foster said by phone. “There are a lot of great players in my division, so it’s an honor to know people think I was the best one. I think they saw I was a leader on my team this year. I get my teammates going and I score and rebound the ball well.”
Foster will likely play on the perimeter for K-State next season, but his high school coach, Donald Hedge, said he also has the capabilities to move inside and be effective around the basket. Foster has always been a good three-point shooter (a skill the Wildcats badly need) but he can also slash and post-up defenders.
In some situations, he played center last season.
“Marcus is one of the guys who can do it all,” Hedge said by phone. “I’ve had him guard 6-8 guys and shut them down. He can post up players, he can shoot the ball like nobody else and he can beat you on the floor.
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