K-State hopes to begin crucial stretch with win at Texas

KELLIS ROBINETT — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:55 CST

Kansas St.

K-State’s Southwell still adjusting to role

Kellis Robinett — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:36 CST

Whether he’s setting a career high or sitting on the bench, Kansas State’s Shane Southwell always seems to have a smile on his face.

It’s part of his personality.

“I’m one of those guys who is close to everybody,” Southwell said. “I’m friends with everybody on the team.”

Goodrich sparks KU women; A&M tops K-State

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:13 CST

Angel Goodrich had 16 points and 16 assists, leading Kansas to an 85-61 victory over Texas on Wednesday night in Lawrence.

Goodrich, a junior from Tahlequah, Okla., added three steals and committed just one turnover. Aishah Sutherland scored a game-high 24 points and Carolyn Davis added 18 for KU (17-6, 6-5 Big 12).

Texas (13-10, 3-8) got 22 points from Chassidy Fussell.

Tom Hayes to be Kansas State’s defensive coordinator

Kellis Robinett — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:52 CST

Tom Hayes has been promoted and will serve as Kansas State’s defensive coordinator next season, according to sources with knowledge of the hiring process.

Hayes, a veteran with 30 years of coaching experience, joined the Wildcats last season as the team’s secondary coach and watched the unit make several big plays, including 18 interceptions.

It often struggled against potent passing attacks, and allowed 263.3 passing yards per game, but K-State coach Bill Snyder is confident Hayes is ready to command the defense as a whole. Hayes certainly knows how to handle a larger workload. In the past, he has served as defensive coordinator with Stanford, UCLA, Oklahoma and Kansas. He has also coached at the NFL level.

K-State puts away Texas Tech 65-46

KELLIS ROBINETT — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:20 CST

Given Texas Tech’s status as the only team in the Big 12 without a conference victory, no one expected its basketball game with Kansas State on Tuesday night to be a thriller.

Still, few could have predicted it being as dull as it was.

At one point in the first half of K-State’s 65-46 victory, the home crowd turned to sarcasm to stay entertained. With both teams deadlocked in a five-plus minute scoring drought, fans were desperate to see the ball go through the net. So when Jordan Henriquez stepped up to the foul line and made the first of two free throws with 6:56 to go before the break, the student section erupted with applause.

Guard versatility could prove an asset for Kansas State

Kellis Robinett — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:44 CST

Coming off an important win over Texas A&M on Saturday, Will Spradling said he felt confident and Angel Rodriguez said he was happy.

Add a healthy Rodney McGruder to the mix today, and Kansas State should enter tonight’s game against Texas Tech at Bramlage Coliseum with the perfect mindset.

“If you look back through our season,” Wildcat coach Frank Martin said, “and look at all of the stretches in games where we have played well, we have had a combination of Angel, Will and Rodney all playing real well for us. That’s what we’ve got to have.”

Top-ranked Baylor overwhelms Wildcat women

Kellis Robinett — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 06:52 CST

The margin for error against Baylor, the No. 1-ranked women’s basketball team in the country, is small.

Kansas State learned just how small during a 70-41 loss to the Bears on Saturday night at Bramlage Coliseum.

Despite taking a 19-13 lead on a three-pointer from Brittany Chambers that sent a sellout crowd of 12,528 into a frenzy, the Wildcats were unable to remain competitive with their undefeated opponent in the second half.

Spradling, Rodriguez spark K-State past Texas A&M

Kellis Robinett — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:01 CST

There was a moment during Kansas State’s 64-53 victory over Texas A&M on Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum when the Wildcats’ recent struggles seemed to fade away.

It occurred midway through the second half, with the game still in doubt. K-State was inbounding the ball in front of its own bench, and the home crowd rose to its feet in anticipation of a key sequence that could serve as a turning point in an up-and-down season.

No one knew exactly what was going to happen, but when Angel Rodriguez rebounded his own missed three-pointer and made a contested layup, everything suddenly fell into place. The Wildcats started using a full-court press, and within the next 2 minutes Jamar Samuels drew a charge, Adrian Diaz hit a layup, Will Spradling made a three and Rodriguez scored five more points to give them a 17-point lead.

Second-place K-State women gear up for Baylor, Griner

Kellis Robinett — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:01 CST

When the No. 1-ranked Baylor women’s basketball team steps onto the Bramlage Coliseum floor tonight, it will have to defend its undefeated record in front of a large Kansas State crowd.

Thanks to a “Pack the House” campaign that features $1 tickets and select concessions, the Wildcats are expecting a near-sellout. That’s good news for K-State coach Deb Patterson, who is 18-3 when playing in front of more than 10,000 fans.

"I’m looking forward to the fun of it and I know our players are, too," Patterson said.

Kansas State ready for another February rally

Kellis Robinett — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:56 CST

One look at the calendar is all it takes for Kansas State to feel a boost in confidence.

Even though the Wildcats have lost their past two games and are 4-5 in the Big 12, they look forward to the second half of their conference schedule knowing it’s the time of year the Wildcats have been at their best.

During Frank Martin’s first four seasons, the Wildcats were 23-8 in February, including a 20-3 mark over the past three seasons.

Snyder appreciates K-State’s recruiting mix

Kellis Robinett — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:47 CST

Kansas State football coach Bill Snyder only needed one word to describe what he liked best about the Wildcats’ latest recruiting class, which the school announced on Wednesday: Variety.

It’s easy to see why. There are few common bonds of K-State’s 26 newest players. Seven went through deferred enrollment last season, which is also known as taking a grayshirt, and are ready to join the program after a year off. Thirteen are coming in fresh out of high school and six are junior-college transfers.

They come from 12 states, with nine from Texas and five from Kansas. Some bring the ability to play right away, others will help with depth issues and a few will be held back as redshirts.

K-State women gets win over Longhorns

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:33 CST

Brittany Chambers scored 17 points and Jalana Childs added 16 as the Kansas State women beat Texas 64-55 on Wednesday in Austin.

The Wildcats took the lead for good with just more than three minutes to play when a layup by Childs made it 54-52 Childs and Mariah White combined for K-State’s final 12 points.

Defense helped carry K-State. The Wildcats forced 21 Longhorn turnovers, and held Texas to 38.5 percent shooting.

Wildcats land talented JuCo safety

KELLIS ROBINETT — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:31 CST

When Kent Gainous took his official visit to Kansas State, it didn’t take much for the Wildcats coaching staff to get him fired up about playing football for them next season.

As a skilled safety out of Trinity Valley junior college (Athens, Texas) he will have the opportunity to play immediately. K-State is in search of a replacement for Tysyn Hartman, a four-year starter at strong safety, and his primary backup Matthew Pearson. Gainous is the most likely successor at the wide open position.

"The coaches and I talked about the school and how I could come in and earn a spot on the field,” Gainous recently told Rivals. “They have an opening and they feel like I can compete for that spot and make the team better by doing so. I’m excited to get there and get to playing."

Iowa State defeats Kansas State with late basket

Kellis Robinett — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:25 CST

As far as gut-wrenching losses go, Kansas State’s 72-70 defeat at the hands of Iowa State on Tuesday at Hilton Coliseum is hard to top.

With one shot, the Wildcats went from being in control of a pivotal conference basketball game to down on their luck in a wild road environment.

The turn of events came with 1.8 seconds remaining when Royce White, the Cyclones’ do-everything forward, spun free on the baseline and sank a high-arcing shot from about five feet away.

Iowa State transfers will make life tough for Kansas State

KELLIS ROBINETT — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:55 CST

Before they came together at Iowa State and helped turn the Cyclones into the potential NCAA Tournament team they are today, Royce White, Chris Babb, Chris Allen and Anthony Booker were spread across the country at different Division I schools.

But when you ask ISU coach Fred Hoiberg about the development of the four high-profile transfers, he doesn’t say much about the time they spent at Minnesota, Penn State, Michigan State or Southern Illinois. Though they came to Iowa State from those destinations, they became the players they are today behind closed doors in practice jerseys.

While they sat out a season in accordance with NCAA transfer rules, they were all members of the Cyclones’ scout team. And what a scout team they were.

Oklahoma completes sweep of Kansas State

Kellis Robinett — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:12 CST

– At this rate, Lon Kruger won’t be greeted with smiles and applause at Bramlage Coliseum much longer.

Though the former Kansas State basketball player and coach has contributed so much to his alma mater that his name and number hang from the rafters, he has been an undeniable thorn in the Wildcats’ side lately.

Over the past 13 months, his teams have defeated K-State three times. As the new coach at Oklahoma, he has beaten K-State twice in the past two weeks, with the Sooners’ 63-60 victory over the No. 22 Wildcats on Saturday being the most frustrating to date.

This time, Kruger will be the other team’s coach in Manhattan

Kellis Robinett — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:22 CST

Lon Kruger can’t predict what his emotions will be when he is introduced as the Oklahoma basketball coach today at Bramlage Coliseum.

Other than saying, “I’m looking forward to it,” he doesn’t know how to approach the moment. How could he?

Though he has been to the arena countless times over the years, and knows exactly where to look in the rafters to find his jersey hanging among fellow great former Kansas State basketball players, this will be different. As a guard and coach for the Wildcats, he made a special connection with Manhattan and visits whenever he can. But he’s always come home as an alum and a K-State supporter.

K-State handles Texas Tech with ease

Kellis Robinett — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:18 CST

Following Kansas State’s 69-47 victory over Texas Tech on Wednesday night at United Spirit Arena, Frank Martin viewed his bench players the same way the rest of us look at auto insurance.

He had no idea when, where or why he would need them against the Red Raiders, but when he did, he was awfully glad they were there.

“That’s something that you need as a team,” Martin said. “Your bench can’t be potluck, because then as a coach you don’t know what to do. You don’t know who to put in there and then you lose confidence.”

K-State's Irving understands move to bench

Kellis Robinett — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 06:44 CST

Most of the time, when a basketball coach alters his starting lineup, there is a clear-cut winner and an obvious loser.

The winner gets to hear his name called in pregame introductions. The loser heads to the bench and has to deal with a demotion.

Kansas State coach Frank Martin is glad Martavious Irving didn’t see things that way last week when he was told Angel Rodriguez would be switching places with him in the lineup.

Kansas State gets first win at Oklahoma State since 1993

Kellis Robinett — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:07 CST

Kansas State was without one of its main contributors from the opening tip, another fouled out with more than 10 minutes remaining and it made 36.4 percent of its shots.

Not the ideal recipe for ending an 11-game losing streak at Gallagher-Iba Arena on Saturday, but the Wildcats found a way to make it work in a 66-58 victory.

Behind 14 points from Rodney McGruder and Angel Rodriguez, and 12 points and 12 rebounds from Jamar Samuels, K-State did enough things right against a mediocre opponent in front of 10,338 fans.

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