The faces to revitalize Kansas State basketball
Bruce Weber understands why national college basketball experts don’t expect much out of Kansas State this season.
The loss of seven underclassmen and two seniors from a team that disappointingly finished 15-17 can turn any optimist into a pessimist.
Still, Weber thinks anyone predicting K-State to be even worse this season would have a different opinion if they stopped by campus and watched the Wildcats practice.
“People don’t even know our guys,” Weber said. “One of our coaches, or somebody, read one of those reports to me and they had guys on the report that aren’t even factors on our team. It just kind of hit me, people don’t know.
“We feel good about our guys. We feel good about the freshmen. The older guys have made steps in the right direction. If we keep doing the right thing every day and working our butts off and continue improving, I think we will be fine. We will be very, very competitive.”
Maybe K-State will exceed expectations. Big 12 coaches predict it to finish in a tie for eighth with TCU, and most national experts predict it to miss the postseason for a second straight year. Maybe it will continue to flounder and finish at the bottom of the conference standings.
For now, all Weber is comfortable projecting is this: K-State may not have as much talent as it did a year ago when Marcus Foster was the leading scorer, but it will be a better team.
“We are excited about their excitement,” associate head coach Chris Lowery said. “The players beat us into the gym every day and let us coach. They want to get this program back to where it should be.”
A crop of unproven and unknown players will ultimately decide K-State’s fate.
The Wildcats will lean on six freshmen and one junior-college transfer. They come to Manhattan from all across the country, as far away as Los Angeles and Baltimore. K-State also hopes returning scholarship players D.J. Johnson, Stephen Hurt, Justin Edwards and Wesley Iwundu can bounce back from a frustrating season. But there isn’t a former double-digit scorer on the roster.
They are such unknowns that players could have used name tags at preseason scrimmages. It will take a while for even K-State fans to grow accustomed this group.
“Nobody around town knows who I am,” freshman guard Barry Brown said. “I haven’t played a game, a minute, a second in college yet. Hopefully they like what they see.”
The Wildcats are ready for their introduction.
“This group, we work hard. Coaches say we work harder than most groups, a lot harder than last year’s group,” Ervin said. “A lot of people don’t see it or don’t know it and talk bad about it, but none of that matters. At the end of the day, we are going to win.”
Who are these guys? Here is a closer look at the scholarship players:
Barry Brown
Height: 6-3
Year: Freshman
Position: Guard
Hometown: St. Petersburg. Fla.
Fun Fact: He was the leading scorer for his high school team, but came off the bench in AAU games.
Brown was one of the first members of K-State’s 2015 recruiting class, committing to the Wildcats last fall. He was a prolific high school scorer in Florida and hopes to give his team a similar offensive boost as a freshman.
Question is: Where will he provide it? Most project him to play shooting guard, but he can also play point. He says he is open to both positions. Whatever it takes, he said, to be a leader and help this team win.
“We want to win a Big 12 championship and get to the NCAA Tournament,” Brown said. “Everyone is counting us out. No one is going to give us their best effort, but we are going to give our best effort against everybody. We are ready to prove ourselves.”
Justin Edwards
Height: 6-6
Year: Senior
Position: Guard
Hometown: Whitby, Ontario
Fun Fact: His vertical leap is an impressive 47 inches.
Edwards transferred to K-State amid much fanfare two years ago. The former Maine star led the America East Conference in scoring as a sophomore, and teammates said he dominated practice while he sat out a year, per NCAA transfer rules.
Former guard Marcus Foster predicted him to lead the team in scoring as a junior. Instead, he averaged 6.3 points.
He remains one of the most athletic players on the team. His dunking ability long ago earned him the nickname Air Canada. But he was unable to show off that skill last season. The Big 12 surprised him.
“I didn’t expect every single game to be that intense and that hard and the crowds that crazy,” Edwards said. “It was a completely different level.”
Edwards says he feels comfortable playing in the Big 12 now and is eager to show his full range of skills. K-State needs him to. If he doesn’t score 10-plus points a game, who will?
Carlbe Ervin
Height: 6-3
Year: Junior
Position: Guard
Hometown: Oklahoma City
Fun Fact: His name is pronounced CORE-Bee. So many people say it wrong, he spells his name with an O instead of an A on twitter.
He is a newcomer, but K-State will look to Ervin to provide leadership in his first season. The Wildcats lost both of their point guards to transfers, meaning Ervin will play meaningful minutes right away. He has been battling knee issues throughout October, so he might open the season behind Kamau Stokes, but he is expected to be the primary point guard when he gets healthy.
Ervin led Connors State (Okla.) College to 30-plus victories last season. He can score and pass. He already has a sense for what Bruce Weber wants from him.
“He just wants his point guards to not only run the show, but tell people where to be,” Ervin said. “He wants his point guard to be the toughest guy on the floor. He wants him to rebound and push the ball and get easy buckets, win games by diving on the floor. He just wants you to be tough.”
Ron Freeman
Height: 6-5
Year: Freshman
Position: Guard
Hometown: Los Angeles
Fun Fact: Freeman committed to K-State on his birthday.
The last addition to K-State’s 2015 recruiting class, Freeman brings athleticism and defense to the Wildcats. The unheralded recruit out of southern California can use his 6-foot-5 frame to dunk and deny opposing perimeter players.
He might have the most upside of any K-State freshman. During preseason scrimmages, he looked good shooting from three-point range.
“Defense is the main thing I am going to emphasize,” Freeman said. “But I will do anything coach asks to stay on the floor.”
Stephen Hurt
Height: 6-11
Year: Senior
Position: Forward
Hometown: Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Fun Fact: Hurt is a big soccer fan. His favorite team is Chelsea, of the English Premier League.
Weber couldn’t decide how to use Hurt last season. At times, he asked the 6-foot-11 forward to turn his back to the basket and fight for rebounds. At others, he allowed Hurt to step outside and shoot as a stretch four.
Hurt, a junior-college transfer, had more success with the latter, hitting important shots in a victory at Oklahoma and providing offense in other games. This season, Weber says he will let Hurt play with more freedom, which means more outside shots are on the way.
Hurt models his game after Dirk Nowitzki, so he is looking forward to the new role, and likely a starting spot, but he will also need to find a way to defend and rebound. Weber likes to use small lineups, and if Hurt isn’t fighting for rebounds a less equipped teammate will have to pick up the slack.
Wesley Iwundu
Height: 6-7
Year: Junior
Position: Guard
Hometown: Houston
Fun Fact: The 6-foot-7 swingman has grown several inches since he arrived at K-State.
If there is any player K-State fans will recognize without a program this season, Iwundu is the guy. He was here when the Wildcats transitioned away from Frank Martin recruits to Bruce Weber players. He was here when K-State won 20 games and reached the NCAA Tournament. He was also here when things turned into a dumpster fire last season.
And he stayed to help rebuild, saying he never considered a transfer.
Iwundu had a promising freshman season, but took a step back as a sophomore, averaging 5.8 points. But Weber is high on his potential as a junior. He thinks Iwundu can “stuff the stat sheet” and is hopeful he can be one of the team’s leading scorers.
Iwundu says he wants to average 16 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. At the least, he wants to be a leader in the locker room.
“A lot more will be expected of me this year,” Iwundu said. “There is no hiding from that. I am ready for it.”
D.J. Johnson
Height: 6-9
Year: Junior
Position: Forward
Fun Fact: Johnson changed his number to help forge a new path in his playing career.
Johnson last played for K-State in the NCAA Tournament, suffering a broken foot in a round of 64 game against Kentucky nearly two years ago. Many expected him back the following season, but his foot required two surgeries to heal. Weber is still easing him back into practice.
The Wildcats are counting down the days until he is deemed 100 percent. The energetic forward was sorely missed last season. Weber went so far as to suggest his absence cost K-State a handful of games.
This season, he is the X-Factor. The Wildcats need someone that doesn’t mind playing with his back to the basket and enjoys fighting for rebounds against other bigs. Johnson, with his long-flowing dreadlocks, fits the bill. Weber may even ask him to play center.
Isaiah Maurice
Height: 6-10
Year: Freshman
Position: Forward
Hometown: Durham, N.C.
Fun Fact: His hair makes him look like the tallest player on the roster.
Maurice comes to Manhattan after a year in prep school. His 6-10, 225-pound frame will be put to good use inside as a defender and rebounder. But he is unlikely to play this season. Weber says he is a redshirt candidate. Weber says he hasn’t been cleared academically by the NCAA.
Brian Rohleder
Height: 6-3
Year: Senior
Position: Guard
Hometown: Wichita (Carroll)
Fun Fact: Rohleder was promoted to scholarship status after his junior year.
No one has improved more than Rohleder, a Bishop Carroll product, since arriving on campus. Weber thinks Rohleder is ready to play a meaningful role in K-State’s rotation, suggesting he may even play some point guard.
Rohleder played point at both of K-State’s preseason scrimmages, leading his teams to winning records in the short exhibitions. In the past, he has played off the ball, making a name for himself with defense. But he is ready for expanded playing time.
“Me at the point just gives us an older guy who knows the offense pretty well who can get us into something,” Rohleder explained. “If things are going haywire I can go in there and make smart decisions and take care of the ball and go at the pace we want to play.”
Kamau Stokes
Height: 6-0
Year: Freshman
Position: Guard
Hometown: Baltimore
Fun Fact: He likes Manhattan, because, unlike Baltimore, he says everyone here is friendly.
He may start at point guard as a freshman. Even if he doesn’t, he is going to play a lot of minutes immediately.
Stokes is a pass-first guard that can also score. He committed to K-State in the spring, unafraid of what happened last season. He looks forward to helping the Wildcats start over.
He isn’t sure what the Big 12 has in store for him, but he has a good idea of what he will focus on in his first game.
“At this point, it is all about defense,” Stokes said. “We have a bunch of guys who can score and our defense is going to take care of our offense.”
Dean Wade
Height: 6-10
Year: Freshman
Position: Forward
Hometown: St. John
Fun Fact: His final high school game was played at Bramlage Coliseum, where he helped St. John win a Class 2A championship.
Dean Wade is different from any other recruit Weber has signed at K-State. He is tall, he is athletic, he is versatile, he is a former state champion, and, most importantly, he is from Kansas.
The last in-state product to sign with K-State was Will Spradling in 2010.
Wade’s father briefly played football at K-State, and Wade grew up a K-State fan, so he is excited simply to wear the uniform. Weber will be able to use him in several ways. In high school, he played center. But he was more of a swingman in AAU games.
He hopes to do both for the Wildcats. Weber will likely grant him the freedom to play aggressively. He has complimented Wade more than any other freshman. He can score, rebound and defend.
His biggest challenge may be adjusting from 2A high school basketball to the Big 12.
“I knew it was going to be big, but I prepared for it,” Wade said. “The transition was pretty hard at first, but I am used to it now. I have the speed and physicality down.”
Dante Williams
Height: 7-0
Year: Freshman
Position: Forward
Hometown: Arlington, Texas
Fun Fact: At 7-foot, Williams is K-State’s tallest player.
It’s been a while since K-State had a big man capable of disrupting shots at the rim. Williams will change that.
His primary, and possibly only, job as a freshman will be to block shots. The 7-footer was a defensive force at Bowie High in Arlington, Texas, and Bruce Weber will ask him to be the same at K-State.
Williams’ offense could use some work, especially his jump shot, but he has post skills. Expect Williams to play a handful of minutes early on. If he can learn to block shots and avoid fouls, his playing time will increase with each game.
This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 3:39 PM with the headline "The faces to revitalize Kansas State basketball."