K-State Q&A: Foot injuries, basketball woes and Chris Klieman’s coaching staff
It’s time for another K-State Q&A, the first one of 2019.
Hope everyone had a good holiday season. I know I did.
We’ve got lots of ground to cover this week, so let’s dive right into your questions. Thanks, as always, for providing them.
The days of #ConfidentBruce are definitely over. It’s fitting that the calendar changed before K-State’s ugly loss to Texas on Wednesday. The year 2019 has arrived and so has #HopesAndPrayersBruce.
Wish I thought of that nickname first. Nicely done.
It’s hard to predict what the rest of the season holds. The Wildcats don’t look like a NCAA Tournament team right now, but they’re also playing without Dean Wade and Kamau Stokes. If they get their best player and their point guard back healthy in the next two weeks they could go on a run and ultimately be fine.
Both were dribbling basketballs and taking shots with their teammates during warmups on Wednesday. It’s possible.
But if they are both out for much longer than that, it’s going to be tough sledding.
The rest of this month’s games will be important. At minimum, K-State needs to scratch and claw its way to home victories over West Virginia and TCU. Picking up a win somewhere else (at Iowa State, at Oklahoma or vs. Texas Tech) would give it three conference wins before playing sweepable Baylor or Oklahoma State.
K-State could feast on the second half of its conference schedule at full strength. If the Wildcats can start 3-6 or better they will have a shot at finishing 9-9 or better in conference play.
The biggest problem K-State has on offense, at least in my eyes, is that no one on the roster has significantly improved as a scorer from last season.
Like many others, I assumed the Wildcats would play better this year with their starting five and several key reserves returning, but the numbers tell a different story.
Dean Wade (when healthy) has gone from 16.2 points per game last season to 13.6 this season. Barry Brown has gone from 15.9 to 13.5. Cartier Diarra has dipped from 7.1 to 5.6.
Xavier Sneed and Makol Mawien are performing better than they did a year ago, but only by fractions of a point. The only K-State player to truly expand his game this season is Kamau Stokes, improving from nine points to 11.1.
Now, without Wade and Stokes in the lineup, the Wildcats don’t have anyone ready to step up. They didn’t have a prayer in their last game against the Longhorns.
I’m not sure sure what the answer is there other than hoping two of the team’s best players return soon and start hitting shots. But the Wildcats could definitely improve inside the arc. They were terrific on two-pointers last season, shooting 53.4 percent. This year, they are only making 48.4 percent. That’s a big drop.
Levi Stockard (2.1 points) and Austin Trice (2.5 points) provide virtually nothing on offense when they are in the game. And without Wade in the lineup they both have to play some minutes. Bruce Weber needs to find a way to help them.
They have also gone from making 34.1 percent of their three-pointers to 31.5 this season. Mike McGuirl, Diarra, Sneed and Brown need to find a way to get more open looks on the perimeter.
Weber knows K-State is offensively challenged right now and has slowed the pace of games down to help out on defense. Maybe a slightly faster pace would help the team in half-court sets. Again, I’m not sure. All I know is K-State will have its hands full against Texas Tech on Saturday. The Red Raiders are dynamite on defense.
Challenge accepted!
It’s hard to beat a zone defense with a team that can’t shoot. That’s what K-State has been trying to do the past few games.
The Wildcats can still do it, of course, They just need to make better decisions on drives, passes and shot selection. K-State players settled for mid-range jumpers too often against Texas. That’s the least efficient play in basketball.
Hard to say, but his NBA Draft stock has definitely cooled since last March.
Xavier Sneed began to pop up on mock drafts after he had his huge game against Kentucky in the Sweet 16 last season. But he hasn’t taken much of a step forward this year. He still has ideal size and athleticism to make it at the next level. He just may have to wait until 2020.
He is currently projected as a second-round pick in the 2020 draft by nbadraft.net.
My first opportunity of 2019 to rank Big 12 teams while also comparing them to food!
1. Kansas = Cheetos
They’re good on their own or with a sandwich. They come in different flavors. And no one else can seem to dethrone them.
2. Texas Tech = Barbecue Kettle Chips
New to the landscape compared to some other names on this list, but good all the same. Not much versatility, though.
3. Oklahoma = Cool Ranch/Nacho Cheesier Doritos
Always decent and a very versatile combo.
4. Iowa State = Ruffles Sour Cream & Onion
Excellent in short bursts, but you don’t want to eat bag after bag.
5. TCU = Unsalted blue corn tortilla chips
They look as good as any other chip, but something is missing.
6. Texas = Gardetto’s
The right combination is hard to beat. The wrong combination isn’t worth your time.
7. Kansas State = Tostitos Scoops
The perfect chip for eating any kind of dip at a party. But they are rather dull on their own, like K-State without Wade and Stokes.
8. West Virginia = Funyuns
This seems like Bob Huggins’ chip of choice.
9. Baylor = Pringles
Not terrible, but not all that good either. At least they come in a fun tube!
10. Oklahoma State = Lays Salt & Vinegar
The worst of the bunch, virtually inedible.
Your best bet is to find the company that supplies K-State basketball with walking boots and purchase stock in that company.
You would make a lot of money without risking your life savings.
I plan to do a little more than simply watch the FCS championship game on Saturday. I’m heading to Frisco, Texas to speak with Chris Klieman and North Dakota State players beforehand and then cover the event.
This will be the third time I have bailed on a basketball game this season to write about football. Sorry Bruce.
It will be a must-watch for any K-State football fan. I learned a lot from watching North Dakota State live in its semifinal win over South Dakota State last month and expect to glean even more on Saturday.
The offense will obviously be worth keeping an eye on, as Klieman is bringing North Dakota State offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham with him to Manhattan. This is also Klieman’s opportunity to close out his NDSU career with a title and an undefeated season. It will be fascinating to see how he blends that winning culture with what has already been established at K-State.
Let’s just say I like the staff Chris Klieman has assembled at K-State.
Sure, there are some question marks. Can Messingham’s offense dominate on the ground in the Big 12 the same way it did at North Dakota State? Will Ted Monachino’s NFL experience help or hurt him at the college level. How well can these guys recruit?
We’ll see. But I’m cautiously optimistic the answers to most of those questions will be positive.
I really like North Dakota State’s offense. I think Klieman kept the right two Bill Snyder assistants on staff in Collin Klein and Blake Seiler. And I think there is a good mixture of personalities and ideas. One knock on Snyder’s old staff was most of his assistants had little to no experience coaching anywhere else, so they didn’t have any outside material to draw from when K-State’s usual techniques and strategies faltered.
Not sure if Texas is back, but Bevo is on fire right now.