Hometown forward Pierson McAtee living his dream as K-State basketball senior
One of the most exciting moments of Kansas State’s exhibition opener belonged to Pierson McAtee.
The senior forward drove to the basket, secured a bounce pass from point guard David Sloan and then threw down a one-handed dunk that brought the Bramlage Coliseum crowd to its feet in the final moments of a blowout victory last week over Emporia State.
It was a highlight play that seemed to validate Bruce Weber’s offseason decision to promote McAtee to scholarship status after years of toiling in the background as a hometown walk-on.
“I’m living my dream,” McAtee said. “I have enjoyed every minute. I can’t thank Coach Weber enough for giving me the opportunity. To get to know these guys over the last five years has been the best time in my life. I am going to cherish that this year and hopefully leave a better legacy than we have so far.”
McAtee will look for another big play, or more, when the Wildcats return to exhibition action at 7 p.m. Wednesday against Washburn.
Odds are good the Wildcats will look to get him involved whenever the 6-foot-6 athlete is on the court. Weber didn’t award McAtee with a scholarship to create a feel-good story. He earned it.
For years, K-State teammates like Barry Brown and Dean Wade said McAtee was one of the hardest players to defend in practice. And just about everyone praised his work ethic. A Manhattan native, he turned down interest from Division II schools to walk on with the Wildcats as a freshman.
Now he is a team leader and a bench contributor.
“He has been a true representative of our championship culture,” Weber said, “both on and off the court with his tremendous intelligence and leadership.”
McAtee has seen action in 40 games for the Wildcats, averaging less than one point and one rebound along the way, but Weber says he is a valuable member of this team. Without Brown and Wade around to help provide leadership on the court and in the locker room, Weber will turn to McAtee along with fellow seniors Xavier Sneed and Makol Mawien.
He wants them to help guide a new team that features four newcomers.
“I have been blessed to learn from a lot of good leaders,” McAtee said. “It’s really just about getting to know your teammates and building relationships with them. The great thing about our freshmen is they are really good listeners. They aren’t entitled. We have a group of really level-headed guys who put the team first.”
That’s something McAtee has always done. That’s not about to change. But he would like to throw down a few more dunks before his time with the Wildcats ends.
This story was originally published October 29, 2019 at 5:37 PM.