Not much surprises me anymore in the world of Kansas State athletics, but I was genuinely shocked by the talking points that followed the Wildcats’ overtime loss against Drake earlier this week in Kansas City.
Coleman Hawkins said he was tired of getting cyberbullied on Instagram.
Jerome Tang said K-State basketball players receive unfair criticism because they get paid big bucks.
To his credit, senior forward David N’Guessan shared some mature words about the game, the season and what the Wildcats need to do to start winning. Otherwise, the news conference felt like a weird mixture of fan shaming and deflection when the Wildcats should have been focused on basketball.
It was weird. Hawkins and Tang got so far off topic that it was difficult to quickly unpack.
But I appreciated it, because it provided an honest window into what has been a disappointing 6-4 start to the season.
Basketball doesn’t seem like the No. 1 priority right now at K-State.
This team is crumbling under the pressure of NIL money. That was my main takeaway. Hawkins is getting paid $2 million this season and he doesn’t know how to deal with people who are now criticizing his play as if he’s a professional. But it’s not just him who is dealing with stress. Dug McDaniel is also getting paid handsomely and he can’t crack the starting lineup. Achor Achor arrived in Manhattan with big expectations, and he has already left the
I don’t think it’s any surprise that K-State’s four most consistent players (CJ Jones, Brendan Hausen, Max Jones and N’Guessan) are the ones without publicized NIL deals. Most fans view them as traditional college players, not mercenaries.
We can all agree that no one deserves to be attacked on social media. It’s fair for Hawkins to be upset when someone says he hopes he breaks his leg.
But I don’t think this team is the victim of unfair criticism.
Like it or not, money changes things. Jerome Tang raised millions of NIL dollars to spend on this team in hopes of winning a national championship. It’s natural for fans to be upset when $2 million goes to an Illinois transfer who is averaging 9.5 points, 7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
Those aren’t the stats you envision for one of highest paid players in all of college basketball.
NBA general managers get fired when they give too much money to the wrong players. NBA players get cut when they underperform. College basketball coaches and players shouldn’t be immune to accountability on a lesser scale.
Besides, it’s not like NIL money is a major distraction for every team.
Nijel Pack left K-State two years ago for a massive (at the time) NIL deal with Miami. The Hurricanes paid him $800,000 to spend two seasons in Coral Gables and he helped them reach a Final Four.
Things aren’t going nearly as well for this K-State team. That seems unlikely to change until Hawkins logs off social media and Tang accepts the situation for what it is.
K-State played decent basketball against Drake and almost handed the Bulldogs their first loss of the season. The Wildcats can build off that game, but only if their focus shifts away from NIL pressure and toward basketball.
Hey, I said I would have a more elaborate introduction for you in the near future. Now that it’s over, let’s dive into your questions. Thanks, as always, for providing them.
Who needs a win more Saturday? Kansas State or Wichita State? -@RobHud3 via X.
What a great question.
It’s too bad that Kansas State and Wichita State refused to play basketball games when they were both good. The Shockers made the NCAA Tournament seven straight times during the Gregg Marshall era. The Wildcats made it to March Madness nine times under Frank Martin and Bruce Weber. And yet, we didn’t see any of those teams play.
Not one time!
In 2013, K-State won the Big 12 and Wichita State made the Final Four. That would have been an incredible game.
Alas, it didn’t happen.
What do we get instead? A Kansas State team that is 6-4 taking on a Wichita State team that is coming off a loss to the school formally known as UMKC.
Vomit.
I hope that Jerome Tang and Paul Mills agree to extend this series. K-State has won the past three games against Wichita State and this in-state rivalry gives casual fans something to look forward to ahead of Big 12 play. But it would be even better if both teams could meet at the peak of their powers.
None of that answers your original question. Which team needs a win more? Let’s call it a tie. At least one of the teams is guaranteed to win.
If the losing keeps trending this way. When should the K-State men’s basketball team start focusing and giving heavy minutes to younger players? -@0Mantz via X.
This would be a great question … if we weren’t living in the age of the transfer portal.
Giving more minutes to young players in the middle of a lost season is a great idea if you feel confident that those young players will still be on the team when they become seniors. These days, though, most college basketball players are essentially one-year rentals.
There is no guarantee that anyone on the current K-State basketball roster will be back next season.
It’s a shame, but coaches can no longer build for the future. The job is now to create the best team possible, not the best program.
Jerome Tang retained two players heading into his first season at K-State, five heading into Year 2 and then three heading into the current campaign.
With such a low retention rate, it’s impossible to plan for next season.
Tang could switch to a starting lineup that consists of David Castillo (freshman), Macaleab Rich (sophomore), Mobi Ikegwuruka (sophomore), Taj Manning (sophomore) and Baye Fall (sophomore) but that would send a negative message to future transfers.
The beautiful thing about college basketball is that even the worst teams aren’t truly eliminated from the national championship picture until they lose in their conference tournaments. K-State will technically have something to play for all season. With that in mind, Tang should stick with his best lineup and not worry about the future.
What is the basketball team doing to fix the 68% free throw issue that is ranked 273rd in the NCAA? -@mweishaar1071 via X.
Jerome Tang should start fining players every time they miss too many free throws in a game.
Maybe taking NIL money away from K-State players would motivate them.
Do you enjoy watching K-State suffer? – @pkk_8 via X.
First off, let’s put things in perspective.
I get why some K-State fans feel like the sky is falling. The Wildcats lost three of their final four games in football and Tang’s basketball team has already played itself out of contention for an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament.
Things could be better.
But “suffer” feels like too strong of a word here. Chris Klieman’s team gave fans feel-good wins over Tulane, Colorado and Kansas on its way to an 8-4 regular season and the Rate Bowl. At worst, it was an average year.
Arizona and Oklahoma State were the Big 12 football teams that suffered.
The men’s basketball team isn’t good. I will give you that. But the Wildcats did go on a 42-20 run against Drake. The Bulldogs are undefeated and look like a team that can make noise in March Madness. K-State is capable of playing good basketball against an NCAA Tournament team. It isn’t hapless. It will win a few Big 12 games.
The women’s basketball team isn’t suffering at all. Jeff Mittie’s team has a shot to win the Big 12 this season.
That’s not suffering.
Now, to answer your question. Do I, personally, enjoy watching K-State suffer? Heck no.
Even though I try my best to be an impartial reporter, you will never see me complain about a K-State victory. Why? Because fans read my work at a much higher rate when the Wildcats are winning.
Only sickos are clicking on my game takeaways after K-State loses to Liberty.
I would much rather cover K-State in the College Football Playoff or the Final Four than a mediocre bowl game or the NIT.
Does Chris Klieman see that the lack of a QB run game resulted in numerous empty possessions? What are the chances we see a more QB run-oriented offense in the bowl game? We likely would have won three more games this year had the dual-threat backfield truly been utilized. -@2thdoc09 via X.
I don’t think K-State would have magically jumped to 11-1 by giving more carries to Avery Johnson.
He rushed 11 times for 74 yards at BYU and K-State lost that game 38-9. He rushed 13 times for 64 yards against Iowa State and K-State lost that game 29-21. He didn’t attempt a single rush against West Virginia and K-State won that game 45-18.
That being said, you are correct that K-State’s offense is at its best when it has a dangerous running quarterback.
Finding new and creative ways to utilize him as a runner should be a priority for offensive coordinator Conor Riley during the offseason. Personally, I would like to see him tuck the ball and run on more QB draws and less on RPO plays.
I have my doubts that Johnson will become a battering ram at the Rate Bowl, though. This game doesn’t really mean anything and the last thing you want to do is injure your starting quarterback at a glorified exhibition. Still, Johnson carried the ball seven times for 71 yards against North Carolina State at the Pop-Tarts Bowl last year. Expect similar usage in this game.
What are your initial thoughts on the Rate Bowl and facing Rutgers on Dec. 26? Will K-State sell out the majority allotment of its tickets? Are you flying out on Christmas? If so, we can meet up and l will buy the first round of beers! -@bfullingt1 via X.
The Rate Bowl is the best postseason game that K-State could have reasonably hoped for.
It’s in a fun, warm location and the Wildcats will get to play a Big Ten team.
Fans probably aren’t running to the stores to buy Rate Bowl T-shirts, but this game was preferred over another trip to the Liberty Bowl or a battle against Navy at the Armed Forces Bowl.
I am not expecting much purple, or red for that matter, to be in attendance. Fans don’t usually travel across the country for a middling bowl game one day after Christmas.
This bowl was made for TV, not in-person attendance.
Yes, I will be on site for the game. But I probably owe you a beer for all the excellent questions you ask for this mailbag.