K-State Q&A: Is the Little Apple a basketball town again?
It’s time for another K-State Q&A.
We’ve got an abundance of great topics on tap this week. So let’s get right to them. Thanks, as always, for providing them.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-cards="hidden" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Over the next 5 years, will K-State be a basketball school again?</p>— @WoodbyTacklers (@woodbytacklers) <a href="https://twitter.com/woodbytacklers/status/1047876312889774082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Shoot, I honestly wonder if K-State is back to being a basketball school right now.
Bruce Weber will (probably) never be the rock star that Frank Martin was in Manhattan, but his popularity is growing. I know some K-State fans who, at this very moment, like Weber better than Bill Snyder.
The football team is in an odd place. Snyder has taken the Wildcats to eight straight bowl games, but none of them have been all that special since the Big 12 championship season of 2012. They have averaged eight wins since then, which is good. Really good, actually. Don’t get me wrong, there are fan bases that would love that kind of consistency. But it’s been a while since K-State had a great football team. Only three of its past 42 victories have come against ranked teams.
The Cats aren’t exactly threatening to change things this season. They’re in danger of bottoming out and missing a bowl if they lose to Baylor this weekend.
Attendance, though still good, is dropping. They couldn’t sell out home games against Mississippi State or Texas.
There’s definitely more optimism around basketball right now. Dean Wade is back. So is Barry Brown. They beat Kentucky and went to the Elite Eight last season. Weber is comparing this team to the famous group he took to the Final Four at Illinois. He also landed three recruits in 24 hours.
The real test will come next month when the season begins and K-State plays crummy teams at Bramlage Coliseum. K-State fans don’t typically turn their attention to hoops (i.e. pack the place) until football season ends. This year, will people show up to watch them play Kennesaw State? That’s the real sign of a basketball school.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-cards="hidden" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I bought into the preseason hype for Kstate FB pretty hard and we all see how that is going. Why should I buy into the preseason Kstate basketball hype?</p>— Shane Frownfelter (@sfrownfelter) <a href="https://twitter.com/sfrownfelter/status/1047905999733116928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The preseason football hype was unfounded.
Vegas set K-State’s over/under win total at six. That’s right, six! I’m not sure why so many chose to ignore that and pick this team to win 10 games. The Wildcats lost two of their best juniors to the NFL and replaced two veteran coordinators with a pair of rookies. And their schedule got harder.
Basketball is a different story. Unless you’re thinking Final Four or Bust, Weber’s team shouldn’t disappoint. K-State returns its entire starting five, which includes two all-conference players, and added two new contributors. Most importantly, there was no turnover on the coaching staff.
None of that guarantees any trophies, but this group has a high floor. It will make the NCAA Tournament with ease.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-cards="hidden" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What about this year's bball team is different than the 2010-11 team where they started as preseason No. 3 and fell off the face of the earth? B Brown hype seems comparable to J Pullen. Can Senior leadership prevail?</p>— Robby Hudson (@RobHud3) <a href="https://twitter.com/RobHud3/status/1047879801766391809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The 2010-11 team had more unknowns than people probably remember. Shane Southwell and Will Spradling had to play big minutes as freshmen. Freddy Apsrilla was an enormous bust and quit midway through the year. Curtis Kelly and Jacob Pullen were suspended from games. I seem to remember Twitter being a huge problem until Martin banned all social media use.
They figured it out and played some truly awesome basketball in February, but that team was distracted otherwise.
I don’t see that happening to this group. Wade is hungry after missing the NCAA Tournament. Weber says Brown is the best leader he’s coached at K-State had. Sneed and Mawien are coming on. The Wildcats have depth at guard. They take care of business against lesser teams. No one gets into trouble.
It may be hard to match last year’s NCAA Tournament run, but I will be really surprised if this team shoots itself in the foot for half the season.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-cards="hidden" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Which team puts more in the pros this year football or basketball?</p>— Kevin hampton (@Kbhampton13) <a href="https://twitter.com/Kbhampton13/status/1047882769660096513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
That’s a good prop bet.
In football, Dalton Risner seems like a surefire NFL Draft pick. Duke Shelley and Kendall Adams could both make a roster.
In basketball, you’ve got Barry Brown, Xavier Sneed and Dean Wade looking like potential NBA players.
My money is on the basketball team.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-cards="hidden" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Is bruce the coolest coach now on Kstate's campus?</p>— Paul Harris (@palexharris) <a href="https://twitter.com/palexharris/status/1047890558167990272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I don’t know about coolest, but he’s got the best team.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-cards="hidden" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Because Snyder clearly feels strongly about it, what exactly is it he sees in Delton that the fans aren’t seeing?</p>— Laura (@lauralynn06) <a href="https://twitter.com/lauralynn06/status/1047910043461582854?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Here are the bullet points on Alex Delton that Snyder could have used at any point over the past two weeks to avoid what happened at his last press conference:
- More years in the system.
- Better runner who fights for yards even when most quarterbacks would slide.
- Voted captain by his teammates.
- Responsible for the longest K-State play of the season, a 72-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Zuber.
Any of those reasons would have been better than Snyder’s argument that Delton “sparked” the offense by leading K-State on an 18-yard drive against West Virginia that ended with a Blake Lynch field goal.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-cards="hidden" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here ya go Kelly. Its Kellis...whatever. It would be kind of bold and daring but what about putting Delton at safety? Would the youngster have what it takes? You can write whatever the hell you wanna write back.</p>— Adam Blakely (@adamdb12) <a href="https://twitter.com/adamdb12/status/1047895005103251456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Here’s the problem with Delton switching positions: Injury.
There seems to be a big drop off from Delton to Hunter Hall. If Delton gets hurt making a tackle on defense, that means Hall is one play away from leading the offense. A position switch would also take Delton’s focus away from QB, which would be bad if the Wildcats needed him to move back.
I think Delton could play receiver or safety, but it’s not going to happen.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-cards="hidden" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What is Bill Snyder’s record in games after cursing at reporters?</p>— #VelvetRope (@The_FelixRex) <a href="https://twitter.com/The_FelixRex/status/1047897019979902976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Not as good as Mike Gundy’s.
I’ve seen some video of Snyder really lighting into reporters in the early 1990s, but I have no frame of reference on those blowups. So your guess is as good as mine.
Two years ago following a 38-17 loss at Oklahoma, he blamed K-State’s defensive struggles on players reading my articles. He didn’t curse while doing so, but the Wildcats won six of their next seven games. So maybe there’s hope.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-cards="hidden" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What would HCBS rather have next year? 1998 Michael Bishop as his QB or Sean as head coach?</p>— Me (@Jwc6160) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jwc6160/status/1047873510197133313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
This is a great would-you-rather question. The only thing I can picture Bill Snyder desiring more than those two possibilities would be the end of all press conferences.
I’m going to answer it in a sneaky way and say Snyder would rather coach a clone of Michael Bishop next season, because with him at QB the Wildcats might win enough games and improve the program’s trajectory to a point where Gene Taylor would seriously consider hiring Snyder’s son as the next football coach.
Why choose one when you can have both?
I feel like it’s going to take a drastic change between now and the day Snyder retires for anyone other than Snyder to view his son (special teams coordinator Sean Snyder) as a realistic option. A few years ago, it made some sense because the team was challenging for Big 12 championships and continuity seemed like a good option. But things have changed.
The way this season is going, continuity seems like the last thing Taylor would want from a coaching change.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-cards="hidden" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">If K-State wins the National Championship in 1998, do you think Bill Snyder is still coaching now?</p>— ProComm Sports (@Pro_Comm_Sports) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pro_Comm_Sports/status/1047903703062204417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Probably not. It’s the biggest thing missing from his Hall of Fame career.
Call me crazy, but I think he thinks he can still win one before he retires.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-cards="hidden" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bill Snyder. Retirement. Write whatever the hell you want to write.</p>— penguinksu (@penguinksu) <a href="https://twitter.com/penguinksu/status/1047900107423862784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
It took two bad seasons (4-7 and 5-6) for him to retire the first time in 2005. He will probably keep coaching until that happens again.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-cards="hidden" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Rank your top 5 most memorable coaching conference moments... can be good or whatever the hell you want!</p>— Adam Jimison (@A_Jimison) <a href="https://twitter.com/A_Jimison/status/1047879478381301760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The most memorable postgame exchange I’ve had occurred many years ago when I was on the Idaho State beat. The basketball coach, following a tough loss, let the obscenities fly until he realized things weren’t going so well for him. Then he said he was done talking to me and stormed off into the locker room. But he returned a few moments later to curse some more and say players were off limits. He then went back in the locker room only to come out again and keep cursing at me. The next day he called and asked why I made him sound so angry in the paper.
Alas, there were no other reporters at that game, so it wasn’t exactly a press conference.
Here are five I can remember from my time on the K-State beat and within the Big 12.
5. Frank Martin, irate that he had to suspend his two best players against UNLV, blew up on D. Scott Fritchen of all people for asking a question that had nothing to do with the suspensions. He only got in four words: “I saw some guys.”
4. The time Martin told us to “check your source” over and over and over.
3. Texas Tech coach Pat Knight opening Big 12 media days by saying he would either get fired or receive a contract extension. He was fired.
2. Bruce Weber telling a room full of reporters to ask Fran Fraschilla about the officials following a loss to KU. Sam Mellinger did exactly that, and Fraschilla said he thought the refs were good. Oops.
1. Charlie Weis describing KU football as a “pile of crap” at Big 12 media days. That kicked off the season well.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-cards="hidden" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">If the <a href="https://twitter.com/KCStar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KCStar</a> would let you write what the hell you wanted to write, what the hell would you write?</p>— Andrew D. Wimmer (@the_funky_andy) <a href="https://twitter.com/the_funky_andy/status/1047882177919242240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I would write a Q&A every ... single ... day.
And, in no particular order, I would also write a lot of stories about food, beer, retro video games, parenting, fantasy football, running, vacations, Bojack Horseman and maybe my adventures as a youth soccer coach.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-cards="hidden" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">If Bill Snyder put you in as the third-string QB, what is the first play you run?</p>— Mike Rouse (@Turnksu) <a href="https://twitter.com/Turnksu/status/1047874207986671616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Probably something like this ...
<iframe width="100%" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ql1no1sDV1Q" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-cards="hidden" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">K-Dawg, are you pro or anti pumpkin beers? What is your favorite Oktoberfest beer? What is one beer no longer in production you wish still was?</p>— scottwildcat (@scottwildcat) <a href="https://twitter.com/scottwildcat/status/1047880951748087808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I am definitely pro pumpkin beers. Got a few Schlafly Pumpkin Ales sitting in my fridge as I type these words.
Saint Arnold is my favorite Oktoberfest. Free State makes a really good one, too. But the beautiful think about Oktoberfest beer is that it’s a lot like pulled pork or pizza — even when it’s bad it’s still good.
I’ve said it before, and I will say it again. I wish Boulevard would bring back Chocolate Ale (no raspberry).
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-cards="hidden" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What are your thoughts on the new BBall commitments?</p>— Blake Malcolm (@Bmalcolm_88) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bmalcolm_88/status/1047883354903859200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I would rank them somewhere between good and great.
DaJuan Gordon seems like the current gem of K-State’s 2019 recruiting class. He’s got nice size (6-foot-3, 180 pounds) for a guard and the recruiting services have him ranked in the top 150. Plus, he’s from Chicago. The last recruit K-State grabbed out of the Windy City (Jacob Pullen) was pretty good.
Damerius Wash is a similar player, and will help offset the losses of Barry Brown and Kamau Stokes next season. Always a plus to land a player out of Sunrise Christian Academy, a place where the Wildcats have lacked success despite its location just outside Wichita.
Antonio Gordon seems like more of a project, but he was committed to Tulsa and he’s a three-star recruit. He could be good. His association with MoKan Elite, another prominent regional basketball organization that K-State has found little success with recently, could pay off down the road.
You already know about Montavious Murphy. The Wildcats signed the 6-8 power forward first. The coaching staff likes him.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-cards="hidden" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">What's the latest scoop on McCoy? I heard that it was his neck and he may not play again....... EMAW</p>— Kenn Wealand (@KennWealand) <a href="https://twitter.com/KennWealand/status/1047885900577947648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Mike McCoy is still with the team, helps the Wildcats warm up before home games and wears his jersey on the sideline.
He’s dealing with a delicate injury that will probably keep him off the field this season and, perhaps, will prevent him from playing for the rest of his college career. But no one has slammed the door on anything. Everyone hopes he can return to the backfield and bulldoze more defenders. We will just have to wait and see what happens.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-cards="hidden" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">If <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KStateFB?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KStateFB</a> introduced a throwback helmet, what would you prefer? <a href="https://t.co/f8U8XdYnWG">pic.twitter.com/f8U8XdYnWG</a></p>— Ryan Katzman (@ryanpeteKSU) <a href="https://twitter.com/ryanpeteKSU/status/1047889910697484289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Tough call between 1966 and 1988.
I like the 66 helmet better, because the purple and the white go so well together. They would really be cool as a throwback look. But I love the idea of purple helmets and the “Cats” script is nice. I would love to see either one.
There is a huge drop off after those two to every other helmet, though.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-cards="hidden" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I’m hitting the road down to Waco this weekend for the Cats game. Any recommendations for “can’t miss” food joints?</p>— Brett Mallon (@OMallon) <a href="https://twitter.com/OMallon/status/1047877853348548608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 4, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
You will pass a number of Whataburgers and Torchy’s Tacos on the way down. Stop at one or two if you need a quick bite.
George’s is the iconic bar/grill spot in Waco. They wrap food in bacon that isn’t usually wrapped in bacon, and it tastes really good. Ninfa’s Mexican Restaurant is good, too. If you’re a Fixer Upper fan, you will probably like Magnolia Table. I have friends who like the food trucks at the Silos, but on a Saturday that could get really crowded.
There are also some truck stops/restaurants that sell Kolaches just north of Waco. I would definitely recommend stopping at one of them if you need a snack.