Why Kansas State forward Ismael Massoud is suddenly making an impact for Wildcats
Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson were both honored by the Big 12 on Monday.
To the surprise of absolutely no one, Nowell was named Big 12 Player of the Week after averaging 34 points and 12 assists in Kansas State’s recent road victories over Texas and Baylor. Johnson understandably took home Newcomer of the Week for averaging 26 points and nine rebounds during those same two games.
The dynamic duo of Nowell and Johnson has received so much attention during K-State’s 14-1 start, and rise to No. 11 in the top 25 rankings, that you almost forget there are other playmakers on the roster. But the Wildcats wouldn’t be on their current winning streak without the contributions of a few unsung heroes.
Ismael Massoud fits perfectly into that category.
After a quiet start to the season, Massoud has come on strong for the Wildcats in their three conference games. The junior forward scored five points against West Virginia, four points against Texas and then came through with his best performance of the year against Baylor. He scored a season-high 13 points and swished a go-ahead three in overtime that went down as the most important basket of the game.
“Ismael has definitely taken a big step,” Nowell said. “He hit a big shot (at Baylor). His work and his work ethic are really what are helping him excel. He is good in practice and his preparation is good. That just leads to confidence. When you practice hard and you give it all you got each and every day that’s what builds your confidence to where you can do it in the game. He’s been really working on that and he was able to show it.”
Some fans may have lost sight of Massoud early in the season when he rarely played and occasionally went scoreless when he did see minutes. But he is still here, and he is starting to live up to the potential that new coach Jerome Tang saw in him when he asked Massoud to remain on the roster last March.
Massoud is one of the main reasons why K-State hasn’t missed a beat without an injured David N’Guessan in the lineup.
Abayomi Iyiola gives the Wildcats an inside presence when he starts at the five and Massoud creates matchup issues with his size and speed when he comes off the bench.
“Ismael is not seeing the floor because somebody’s injured,” Tang said. “Ismael is seeing the floor because he has given the kind of effort and he has embraced playing the way that’s going to allow us to have a chance to win every night. Whether he was making shots or not making shots, his effort level and his attention to detail on defense and his communication out there have improved drastically.”
As mentioned above, that wasn’t always happening early on this season.
That explains why he is only averaging 13.5 minutes right now after starting 18 games a year ago. Under former coach Bruce Weber, the Wake Forest transfer wasn’t asked to do much more than shoot threes and grab the occasional rebound. Tang wants him to be a more complete player and bring more energy to the floor, continuing with Tuesday’s home game against Oklahoma State.
Now that he is beginning to do that, you’re seeing positive results that can be every bit as meaningful as what Nowell and Johnson deliver on a nightly basis.