K-State Q&A: Bruce Weber’s future, recruiting, spring football and my All-Big 12 Team
Before we get to your fabulous questions this week, I would like to share with you an advance copy of the ballot I submitted for this season’s Associated Press All-Big 12 Basketball Team.
I never know what to do with my ballot anymore. It used to be a blog post. Then it became a screen grab on Twitter. This year, I figured I would use it to lead off a Q&A for my loyal readers to enjoy.
Feel free to drop me a line on Twitter @KellisRobinett and let me know if I got it perfect of totally snubbed your favorite player.
Coach of the Year: Scott Drew, Baylor.
Player of the Year: Jared Butler, Baylor.
Newcomer of the Year: Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State.
First Team
1. Jared Butler, Baylor. Best player on the best team.
2. Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State. Leads the Big 12 in scoring.
3. Austin Reaves, Oklahoma. He’s a bucket-getter, plain and simple.
4. Davion Mitchell, Baylor. Leads the Big 12 in assists.
5. Derek Culver, West Virginia. The man averages a double-double.
Second Team
1. Mac McClung, Texas Tech. Chris Beard always lands the best transfers.
2. MaCio Teague, Baylor. The Bears were good this year, huh?
3. Andrew Jones, Texas. He might be the best story in college basketball.
4. Miles McBride, West Virginia. Leads the Mountaineers in scoring.
5. David McCormack, Kansas. When he’s on, he’s as good as any big.
And with that, let’s dive into your questions. Thanks, as always, for providing them.
Bruce Weber is expected to return as the K-State men’s basketball coach next season.
Let’s get that out of the way here at the top of this week’s mailbag. His job is considered safe, barring some sort of unforeseen development popping up out of the blue.
Gene Taylor has publicly defended Weber all year long, and that’s not changing now that the Wildcats are showing tangible signs of progress thanks to recent wins over TCU and Oklahoma. If they beat Iowa State on Saturday, they will improbably win more Big 12 games this year (four) than they did last year (three).
Progress!
In normal times, Weber’s job status would be a hot topic. During a pandemic, not so much.
Based on my conversations with insiders, there wasn’t much appetite for making a coaching change even before K-State won those two games.
Money is tight right now on campus and Weber seems to have the support of K-State’s biggest athletic boosters. So raising $2 million to cover his buyout isn’t easy. There are also terrible optics involved with paying a high-profile coach not to work while most in the athletic department are dealing with furloughs, layoffs and reduced salaries.
There’s also no attainable* slam-dunk replacement candidate out there.
*Brad Underwood has an $8 million buyout.
Furthermore: Weber is only two years removed from a Big 12 championship and three years removed from an Elite Eight.
Only two coaches in the history of the Big 12 have been fired after winning a conference title. Texas parted ways with Rick Barnes seven years after his final league crown. Iowa State dumped Larry Eustachy two years after his last ring, but that was only because of scandal.
Speaking of the Cyclones, it seems like Steve Prohm is sitting on the Big 12’s hottest seat right now.
This is my long of way of saying that you are asking the wrong question.
Will Weber return next season? Yes, most likely.
Should he? Well, that’s an entirely different conversation.
Fans can’t complain about Weber’s good years. But his bad years, especially the last two, don’t offer much of a floor. Even if he builds the program back up again, does anyone trust him to create staying power this time?
That debate will likely continue unless Weber can win big in 2021-22, which is shaping up like the ultimate make-or-break season for him at K-State.
Kansas State’s 2021 recruiting class has two members at the moment.
Logan Landers looks like he could help K-State, especially on offense as a stretch four. A 6-foot-9 and 215-pound forward, he has the size and talent to play inside and out for the Wildcats.
He has good range and mobility. He can also dribble a little bit. Landers is only a three-star recruit, but his offer list is impressive — Houston, Iowa, Kansas, Miami, Missouri, TCU, Texas A&M, USC.
I like him, or at least the idea of him.
Then there’s Max Edwards, who seems like more of a project. He’s a 6-foot-5 small forward who chose K-State over Massachusetts, Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart, Seton Hall and Towson.
I’m honestly puzzled as to why K-State took him so early. The team needs another guard more than it needs another wing. He does have some nice athleticism and an OK shot, but he was virtually unknown before he committed to the Wildcats.
Die-hard fans were upset when he announced his pledge. That’s almost never a good sign. Then again, no one was happy when Barry Brown committed to Bruce Weber back in the day and he turned out all right.
It depends on how many K-State basketball players decide to transfer after the season ends.
As of now, the Wildcats don’t have any free scholarships to recruit with. They entered the 2021 recruiting cycle with two available scholarships and both are currently spoken for. They signed Landers in the fall and have Edwards committed.
Mike McGuirl has no impact on the situation, even if he returns as a “super senior.”
But transfers are part of college basketball and the Wildcats are bound to have some. Weber offered a pair of scholarships to 2021 guards last weekend, which tells you he is expecting some roster movement.
How much? That’s the million-dollar question.
Nijel Pack and Davion Bradford provide a talented nucleus to build around, so keeping them on the roster will be of the utmost importance. But the rest of the roster could use some development. If some low-minute players decide to continue their college careers elsewhere that could end up being a good thing for K-State.
Of course, losing high-minute transfers would not be a good thing. So it would be wise for Weber to keep K-State’s transfer number at or below three.
An impact transfer, or two, would really help next season.
Weber has complained all year about not having enough experience, quality guards or a “bucket getter.” He can get all three on the transfer market.
Problem is, landing transfers has never been Weber’s forte. Justin Edwards is the only one that really worked out at K-State.
Lloyd Christmas will tell you the Wildcats are 10 wins away from a national championship.
And he would be right. Until K-State loses in the postseason, there’s always a chance the Wildcats could go on some sort of unprecedented run to glory.
But I don’t share his optimism.
My best-case scenario for the Wildcats is a victory over Iowa State in the regular-season finale and then a win over TCU in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament.
That would earn them a date with Baylor in the quarterfinals, and that is where their season will end. I honestly can’t imagine a scenario in which they upset the Bears.
Remember: Baylor beat K-State 100-69 in Manhattan and 107-59 in Waco earlier this season. It’s the worst matchup imaginable for the Wildcats. Seriously, they might have a better shot against some NBA teams.
If that plays out, the Wildcats can finish 9-20. But four wins in their final six games would be a decent way to close out an otherwise dismal season.
The worst-case scenario is self-explanatory.
Can I go off menu with my answer and say B 1/2?
If the Wildcats add an impact transfer or a key reserve like Luke Kasubke turns into a stud, then I can see Bruce Weber coaching in the NCAA Tournament again next season. But K-State is also on pace to lose 20 games for the second straight year, and it’s not easy to go from 20 losses to 20 wins.
So I’m skeptical the team will be ready for March Madness next year. Perhaps the NIT is more realistic.
If the Wildcats don’t get older or more talented and only win something like 13 games then Weber will most definitely be gone.
But what if they barely miss out on the NCAA Tournament with 18 wins?
We might find out. That is more or less what I am expecting.
Not happening.
The odds of K-State hosting a traditional spring football game with fans, statistics and a final score are pretty much zero. Chris Klieman didn’t hold them at North Dakota State, and he hasn’t held one yet in Manhattan.
The Wildcats might decide to do invite the public to view an open practice and call it a “spring showcase” but even that is a little tricky because of the pandemic.
K-State will likely end up having some sort of spring football event in early April, but I’m not sure what it will look like yet. As of Thursday, the team was still considering a few different options.
The last time we spoke to Klieman, he said Thompson would be limited during spring practice. His hope was to have him back at full strength for the start of summer workouts.
So I was a little surprised to see Thompson slinging the ball at K-State’s first practice of the spring on Wednesday.
I assume he is only participating on a limited basis and throwing passes in drills. K-State didn’t release any video or images of Thompson taking snaps or leading the offense during scrimmage periods. That was all Will Howard, Jake Rubley and the other quarterbacks.
Klieman will talk to the media on Friday, so we should have a good idea of exactly what K-State’s starting quarterback is doing in spring practice soon enough.