K-State forward Kaosi Ezeagu refuses to let injuries stop him from helping Wildcats
When Kaosi Ezeagu says “the season has been tough for me,” the sophomore Kansas State forward is talking about much more than the Wildcats’ losing basketball record.
That’s a big part of it, sure, but he is also dealing with an injured knee that has drained his body of athleticism and forced him to miss 10 games. Even when he’s been healthy enough to play, as was the case Saturday when he scored 10 points against Texas Tech, he doesn’t feel like his normal self.
“I’ve been going through some struggles,” Ezeagu said. “If I tell you how much stuff I gotta do every day just to get my leg up to be able to run every day. It’s been tough. The season has been tough for me. The season has been tough for all of us. We have all gone through some (stuff). The fans don’t really know it.”
That (stuff) began for Ezeagu about a week before the season when he injured his knee in practice. The injury was significant enough to require surgery, but he decided to get a pain injection and play through it. He was motivated to suit up after sitting out last season as a transfer from UTEP.
That allowed him to take the court in K-State’s first four games and help the Wildcats with his 6-foot-10 frame, but eventually his knee ached too much to continue. At that point, he opted for surgery in hopes of playing later in the season.
His journey back to the K-State rotation was slow and long. This is the first time he has dealt with anything more severe than an ankle sprain. He says “I literally live in the treatment room” and that there are some days when “my knee is mad at me and is telling me not to play.” There are days he can hardly walk. But he might have turned a corner over the weekend when he reached double figures on four of six shooting against the Red Raiders.
It was his finest effort in purple and he is hoping to build on it moving forward, starting at 7 p.m. Tuesday against Texas at Bramlage Coliseum.
“I was happy and proud of him,” K-State coach Bruce Weber said. “(Friday), he couldn’t even practice. He came back and was the only person in positive on the plus/minus on our team. He did a lot of good things.”
His role figures to grow moving forward, especially with freshman center Davion Bradford’s production falling off a bit recently.
Ezeagu seems ready for anything, so long as his knee stays healthy. The Wildcats (5-15, 1-10 Big 12) have lost 10 straight games, but you wouldn’t know it listening to him talk about this group.
“I’m going to keep at it and keep trying my best, because this team is special and I feel that we can accomplish something,” Ezeagu said. “I want to give my all so we can do something, anyway I can help.”
This story was originally published February 8, 2021 at 2:02 PM.