K-State recruits Antonio Gordon, Montavious Murphy reflect on Big 12 title experience
As Dean Wade proudly wore Big 12 championship gear Saturday night at Bramlage Coliseum, the Kansas State forward was asked to reflect on his four years in Manhattan.
Specifically, after four years and 87 victories playing alongside fellow seniors Barry Brown and Kamau Stokes, what kind of legacy does he think this group will leave behind?
“We came from one of the worst teams in the Big 12 to winning the Big 12,” Wade said. “Hopefully it just starts the foundation for K-State basketball. Always work hard and you can do anything. Hang your hat on defense. Every team has something it can hang its hat on. You just have to believe in each other, even in rough times like we did for a couple years there. Hopefully this foundation for K-State basketball just keeps on growing.”
That message has already been received by a pair of future K-State basketball players.
K-State signees Antonio Gordon and Montavious Murphy weren’t in the room when Wade uttered those words, but they didn’t have to be. They watched the Wildcats throttle Oklahoma 68-53 to clinch a share of the Big 12 championship with Texas Tech on Saturday and were on the court as current K-State players celebrated the achievement.
“There will be a lot pressure on us to follow this,” Murphy said. “We are going to have to come in and work hard and see what we can do. This was a great atmosphere, and it was amazing to see that and think about what is coming next. I’m already kind of looking ahead.”
Murphy, a 6-foot-8 forward from Houston, may get the chance to replace Wade in the starting lineup next season. He is the nation’s No. 138 prospect, per Rivals, and is having a strong final high school season in Texas.
He was the first player to commit to K-State during the 2019 recruiting cycle, so he has followed this team closely. When it looked like Saturday’s game against Oklahoma might end with a trophy presentation he made plans to be there with Gordon, his future frontcourt partner.
“We we started looking at our basketball schedules and saw (the Big 12 race) was coming down to the end, we made sure we would be here,” Murphy said. “We wouldnt’ want to miss this.”
Gordon, a 6-8 forward from Lawton, Okla., said it was a memorable experience. The moment he arrived on campus, fans began greeting him by name and asking for pictures.
One even told him he expected to see Gordon hoisting a Big 12 championship trophy in the next few years.
His response: “Definitely. I’m ready to get out there.”
It’s just too bad DaJuan Gordon, a rising shooting guard from Chicago who has also signed with the Wildcats, wasn’t there for the festivities.
“The crowd blew me away,” Antonio Gordon said. “Kansas State played as a family and a brotherhood. I am just excited to get here and play.”
Antonio Gordon is a three-star recruit, but he has been putting up numbers that resemble a blue-chip prospect. It’s not uncommon to see him score 45 points in a high school game.
The Big 12 will offer stronger competition, but he is ready for the challenge.
After what he saw on Saturday, how could he not?
“If I work hard and put in the same work and practice with the same hunger I have in Oklahoma everything will be fine,” he said. “Hard work really paid off for this team.”
This story was originally published March 10, 2019 at 5:23 PM with the headline "K-State recruits Antonio Gordon, Montavious Murphy reflect on Big 12 title experience."