Kansas State basketball seniors leave complicated legacy ahead of final home game
Perhaps no group of Kansas State men’s basketball players has experienced a wider array of emotions throughout their college careers than Xavier Sneed, Makol Mawien and Pierson McAtee.
All three have been part of some of the most successful teams in program history.
But all three are also currently on a team that has already lost 21 games, setting a program record for losses.
They will play their final home game together against Iowa State at 3 p.m. Saturday in Bramlage Coliseum. It’s a contest that will either bring back fond memories with a victory or punctuate bad memories with another defeat.
“It’s so important because of the seniors, honestly,” K-State junior Mike McGuirl said. “Because they have been through so much here. They have given this program so much. They have seen the highest, now they are going through the lowest. You don’t want to see them end on a note like that in the last home game of their careers. We are going to do everything we can for them.”
The possibility of sending K-State’s senior class out as winners gives the Wildcats something tangible to play for this weekend.
They want to provide Sneed, Mawien and McAtee with a parting gift after everything they have done for K-State basketball.
Sneed, in particular, deserves to be remembered fondly by fans. The 6-foot-5 swingman from St. Louis was the perfect complementary player to former stars Barry Brown, Kamau Stokes and Dean Wade. Sneed wasn’t in the spotlight as often as they were, but his best games were every bit as impressive.
Who can forget the time he had 22 points and nine rebounds against Kentucky in the Sweet 16?
Sneed helped the Wildcats win 21 games and reach the NCAA Tournament as a freshman. Then they won 25 games and made it to the Elite Eight as a sophomore. Then they shared a Big 12 championship with Texas Tech when he was a junior.
He was so good for three years that he thought long and hard about turning pro last spring before opting to return for his senior season. He wasn’t able to lead the Wildcats back to the Big Dance, or anything close to it, as the team’s go-to player.
Returning to K-State allowed him to earn a degree and play another season of games in from of his supportive family. He is also averaging a career high 13.9 points. So it wasn’t all bad.
It has also been a roller-coaster ride for Mawien.
The senior forward arrived in Manhattan as a sophomore transfer from New Mexico Junior College. He was born in Africa and immigrated to America with his family when he was young. At K-State, he has started in 101 consecutive games.
He had a 29-point game against Kansas before the Wildcats caught fire and won three games in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. He also had a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds against UC Irvine in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
Those were the highs. This season it seems like he is constantly in foul trouble or fumbling the ball away in the paint. He is averaging a career high 7.7 points and has played valuable defense for the Wildcats, but he will not contend for all-conference honors.
Then there is Pierson McAtee, a Manhattan local who joined the team as a walk-on and was elevated to scholarship status for his senior season. He has watched many good and bad K-State teams over the years but finally got to contribute this season.
K-State coach Bruce Weber has relied on him for spot minutes in several games, and McAtee even threw down a dunk against Baylor. He has provided valuable advice from the bench all season. His teammates respect him as a leader. Weber expects him to be an athletic director or NBA general manager one day.
McAtee has been a part of nearly 100 victories as a member of the K-State basketball roster. He helped Sneed and Mawien win some huge games. They are losing now, but they have one more chance to go out as winners.
“We have got to (win) Saturday, that is the most important thing,” Weber said. “… You can’t go back and change anything, but you can change from where you are and have a great finish. That is all we can worry about. Change where we are right now and get ready for Iowa State on Saturday.”