 "Photo: Collegian file photo")
The K-State men’s basketball team will open up its season with a home exhibition game against the Pittsburg State Gorillas Sunday at 3 p.m.
After last year’s season ended in a second-round NIT loss, the Wildcats add five freshmen and and a junior college transfer to a team that retains most of its top performers. Head coach Frank Martin said he is happy to see his returning players develop consistency and learn what it takes to compete at K-State.
“You work really hard to try and get the guys that you recruit to fit your style of play and personality and have them grow within that,” Martin said. “That is what we are starting to see with the guys.”
Picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 Conference, the Wildcats have a lot to live up to, but the team is optimistic it can exceed expectations.
Sophomore forward Jamar Samuels said the team’s confidence level has gone up. He said that when he first got to K-State, Michael Beasley and Bill Walker were on the team, so the team was obviously confident.
“Last year, we were there, but this year, the confidence is out of the roof,” Samuels said. “We’re looking forward to a lot of things this year.”
Many of the season’s high expectations fall on the shoulders of its newcomers. Junior transfer Curtis Kelly is expected to contribute in the low-post immediately, as well as standout freshman Wally Judge. For fans, this will be the first chance, outside of a scrimmage two weeks ago, to see how the team plays in a game situation.
Coach Martin said this is easily the deepest team he has had in his short time here. He said youth forced him to give minutes to players who were not necessarily ready to carry the load to plug holes in the roster.
“The only way to cure that hole is through experience and I think that’s what we’ve tried to do,” Martin said. “You don’t get better from the outside. You get better from within.”
After the exhibition game, the Wildcats start the season officially at 7 p.m. on Nov. 13 with a home game against Loyola Chicago.
Be the first to comment on this article!