K-State guards Kamau Stokes, Cartier Diarra create good ‘dilemma’ for Bruce Weber
When Kamau Stokes broke his left foot midway through Kansas State’s basketball season, the Wildcats were understandably bummed. They lacked proven depth at guard, and the challenge of replacing a three-year starter with freshmen seemed impossible.
Turns out, there was no need to panic.
Fast forward 10 months and it now feels like K-State benefited from that injury. Barry Brown stepped up his game to all-conference levels and Cartier Diarra came out of nowhere to help the Wildcats go on a wining streak while averaging 7.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Then Mike McGuirl came on strong in the NCAA Tournament, scoring 17 points in a first-round victory over Creighton.
Stokes returned to the rotation as a complementary player more than as a lead guard. And he played a key role in helping K-State reach the Elite Eight. Add freshman Shaun Neal-Williams to the mix and there is no telling who will start at point guard this season or how K-State coach Bruce Weber will distribute minutes at both guard spots.
“It created a little bit of a dilemma,” Weber said.
For now, it’s a good problem to have. These Wildcats have never seen a more competitive backcourt.
“We have got the top guards in the country and the Big 12,” Stokes said. “If we can go against each other we can go against anybody.”
Stokes, a senior, is nearly 100 percent healthy and seems poised to regain his spot in the starting lineup. But Diarra will challenge him. McGuirl, a sophomore, improved over the summer. And Neal-Williams looks better than advertised.
Despite missing summer workouts, he made an impression once the fall semester began.
“I’ve been calling him our little (Rajon) Rondo,” Diarra said of Neal-Williams. “He is a really great passer for us. He’s still a freshman, learning the system and stuff like that. But when we start practices he is going to pick it up easy. He has the same hunger as us. We really like that. I’m happy to see more to come from him.”
Each guard brings something different to the court.
Stokes has the most experience, and, when healthy, the best perimeter shot. He averaged 9.0 points and 3.4 assists last season, but he opened the year by making 33 of his first 64 three-point attempts. Until his injury, he was on pace to be one of the top shooters in the Big 12.
The Wildcats usually get different production from Diarra, who used his driving ability to create his own shot last season and scored as many as 18 points in certain games.
Weber could commit to one as the starter and the other as the backup, or use a committee approach. He likes to move Brown to point guard in pressure situations, which could create opportunities for McGuirl and Neal-Williams at shooting guard.
The possibilities are plentiful.
With that in mind, Weber has urged K-State’s guards to look at what Villanova accomplished last season with a selfless roster.
Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges started at guard for Villanova and both averaged nearly 20 points. But it was Donte DiVincenzo who came off the bench and won Most Outstanding Player honors at the Final Four. He then turned pro and became the No. 17 pick in the NBA Draft.
For them, it wasn’t about who started games. It was about who finished them.
“That is what we talked about, having energy at the end of games,” Weber said, “having energy at the end of the season, getting more out of your minutes and competing.”
With practice underway, it seems like K-State’s guards have bought in.
“We are big on team,” Diarra said. “Nobody cares about the minutes they play. It’s work hard and make everybody better so when we go out there and play other teams it’s easy. Everybody is cool with that. We are just trying to be great and win games.”