Coaches and players on the K-State men's basketball team will be the first say that it is all about family and team within their program. No individual is above the team and the best player is just as important to the team's success as the guy who sits at the end of the bench. However, if there has been one player whose performance on the court has stood out this season, it is junior guard Rodney McGruder.

Scoring a lot of points in a lead role, however, is not a new thing for McGruder. In his senior year of high school in Jacksonville, Fla., McGruder led his Arlington Country Day team to a state championship. That season, McGruder averaged 23 points per game and shot better than 51 percent from the field. In that year's state championship game McGruder put up 34 points, including a first half where he outscored the opposing team by himself, 24-23.

McGruder graduated high school and chose K-State after turning down several scholarships to other schools including Clemson, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest, to name a few. The four-star prospect stepped onto campus in Manhattan, and head coach Frank Martin immediately threw him into the fire. McGruder played in 33 games that season but only averaged 3.9 points per game as former guards Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente accounted for the majority of the season's scoring.

In his sophomore season, McGruder was given the opportunity to assert himself more offensively, the only Wildcat to start in all 34 games. He led the team in rebounding at 5.9 rebounds per game and averaged 11.1 points per game. His play did not go unrecognized and McGruder was named a Third Team All-Big 12 Conference performer by the league's coaches.

Now in his junior season, McGruder is no longer one of the younger guys and is often looked at as the player who must lead this Wildcat team, on and off the court.

"I've had to be more of a leader. I know I have to get guys together and guys on the same page," McGruder said. "I saw the way Denis led and Chris Merriewether led and how Jake tried to lead last year. I try to just put all those aspects together in my leadership roles. Those guys just reached out to me, not even when I asked. They would see and reach out to me to make sure I had a better understanding. They always told me to stay positive and never get down on myself. It really has helped me in these three years of college."

With Pullen gone, the Wildcats have seemingly appointed McGruder as the person to carry the scoring load this season. He has adapted into the player he wants to be offensively and defensively through hard work and persistence.

"I stressed to myself over the summer to just work hard and better my game," McGruder said. "I know the things I've worked on over the summer and I've tried to put those into my game. I've also tried to be more aggressive. I've gotten better at creating shots off the dribble and have been better at using ball screens."

The hard work during the summer is certainly paying off for McGruder. He leads his 22nd-ranked Wildcat team in scoring, averaging 15.5 points per game and is third on the team in rebounding at 5.6 rebounds per game. More recently, McGruder's level of play has increased, and his 20.6 points per game leads the Big 12 in scoring during conference play.

Although the Wildcats are all about the team, if he can continue to play at a high level for the rest of the season, then it is almost definite that the league's coaches will once again recognize McGruder individually with All-Big 12 honors.