Greetings to all,
It is early Tuesday evening. I just got back from basketball media availability where we spoke to all of the newcomers and some returners before watching approximately an hour of practice. This was the third of 10 allotted practices prior to the Wildcat's trip to Italy and Switzerland in August, something that should greatly benefit this team next season. That is also in addition to individual workouts that take place all summer so this team has spent a lot of time on the court already. I have plenty of quotes for future stories soon, but here is a little roster breakdown of what I saw and heard as instant analysis on here first. I'll be glad to answer any additional questions.
1: Carlbe Ervin - The 6-foot-3 senior guard is a completely different player than he was at any point last season, and is starting to get back to form. Head coach Bruce Weber even said he has been one of the surprises in the summer thus far. That was pretty obvious why. What has changed? He looks better. He feels better. Ervin has dropped approximately 12 pounds and has gone into attack mode. In a fast break drill he made a nice wrap-around pass to Dean Wade for a layup and then took it strong to the rack and finished just moments later. He also knocked down an open 3-pointer off a swing pass in a later drill. He doesn't have the greatest handles, his jumper is still a little janky (although better), and still forces some, but he looks much more mobile, hustles, and is getting after it by applying pressure and making plays. Ervin was not healthy at any point last season and it showed. His play was pretty meh most of the time. It appears he has improved his game, which all starts with him being healthier. Much, much better.
2: Cartier Diarra - Incredibly athletic and built with a very long wingspan for a guard. He's the biggest true guard on the roster, no doubt. The thing I like about Diarra is he's fast. He didn't handle it great either, but he pushed the tempo consistently and made some simple basketball plays along the way. He's still learning, as he hasn't played basketball for more than four years competitively, and will be able to pick his spots for shots over time, but he's a great athlete with a good first step, great bounce that serves as a solid foundation. He's a spark player off the bench that can bring a motor and put pressure on defenses with his ability to get by defenders as he continues to mature. He can play a little bit.
3: Kamau Stokes - Looked pretty good. Came off some screens and dribble handoffs well, knocked down open jumpers, and facilitated pretty nicely. He does look a little rusty in getting back into peak form following the right knee injury suffered at the end of January, but he hasn't seemed to have lost anything from it athletically and still dove on the ground for loose balls. Stokes played some nice defense, too. It's just some little things to clean up. I truly believe this kid is the heartbeat of the team. He just gets it and he needs to continue to work to get better and help the team where they want to go. Solid day, though.
4: D.J. Johnson - Call me crazy, but he has an extra bounce to his step. Johnson looks much more athletic now than he maybe ever has. He's always had a high motor but he looks a lot more comfortable doing things on the court. Last year you could tell there was just a hint of hesitation. I think he knows what he can and cannot do, and it appears he's only getting better. That's a good sign for the Wildcats moving forward. He is rocking a headband these days for those fashion experts out there.
5: Barry Brown - Not exactly a stellar practice. He didn't knock down any outside shots from what I recall and wasn't overly crisp on anything. Perhaps it was just a bad day or trying too hard or whatever. The good news is he has bulked up and you can see his body beginning to mature a little bit. He's put on some weight, but it's not bad weight. He's a lot more vocal now, too. He's definitely comfortable, which is great, but needs to play better than he did on Tuesday. He's more than capable. It just wasn't the best outing on this day.
10: Isaiah Maurice - Yes, he is eligible. Let's just get that out of the way immediately. I can go into more specific details about the situation when I go back and listen to absolutely everything Weber said about it, but he's good to go. At 6-foot-10, Maurice is just quiet. He doesn't show much emotion, but he's athletic, runs fairly well, and will look to knock down some open jumpers. He is easily one of the players associate head coach Chris Lowery, who coaches the bigs, likes to rip the most. It's pretty funny. Maurice just nods, and goes about his business. He needs to get stronger around the rim on both ends, especially rebounding, but there is some skill to and fluidity to his game. He can help some.
11: Brian Patrick - Arrived a little later than the others to campus, so perhaps a step behind, but getting there. He is a shooter that isn't hesitate to take the open look and more will fall as he gets comfortable with the sets. His shot is natural. He makes a lot of little plays, though. I was a little surprised by that. Active hands, just small things that can change possessions. Doesn't mind challenging shots in the lane either. He does need to bulk up. If he focuses on becoming a sniper, he can be an asset.
12: Mason Schoen - Great practice player. Hustles, does the right thing, talks on both offense and defense. He goes hard, too, and makes people work. He's still ripped. Having a guy like him on the roster is nice.
13: Zach Winter - Another great practice player. He does a lot of good things on the court in a very quiet manner. Teammates like him a lot. All is just fine here.
15: Dante Williams - Out of the boot, wearing basketball sneakers for those who don't know shoe terminology, and is full go in practice. Williams gets up and down the court really pretty well for a big guy his size. He also has long arms and a huge frame that will be good as a rim protector. The best is yet to come for him. I don't think he will be a major, 20-plus minute per game factor, but he can certainly get in, grab some boards, run the court, and play defense in some spot minutes.
20: Xavier Sneed - This kid will play. A lot. He had no problem finishing a nasty alley-oop from Kamau Stokes in transition, nor did he have any issues checking Wesley Iwundu and even Dean Wade on the defensive end. Sneed is an elite-level defender and a really good athlete with an underrated outside jumper. I've seen him play a few times before and this level should not be too much of a problem to adjust to. Already a solid frame and skill with a toughness factor.
21: James Love - He's not there just yet, but he loves being coached and is trying to figure it out. Defensively I think he is fine. Offensively is where he gets a little lost. And understandably so. That was pretty much the projection of it coming in. He's athletic and does move pretty well, including laterally. It's the little nuances of the game, such as spacing and post, repost kind of things he needs to continue to work on. Wouldn't be surprised at a redshirt at this very moment to balance out the class size.
24: Pierson McAtee - A local product that looks pretty decent out on the floor. He even knocked down a corner 3-ball that was pretty nice. Again, K-State has some great walk-on practice players that go hard.
25: Wesley Iwundu - The senior changed his jump shot. Not kidding. This isn't some minor tweak either. It's almost a full transformation that is still in the works. He gets the ball higher, takes his left hand (off hand) off the ball, doesn't shield his vision, and gets some nice arch and rotation. I wouldn't expect Iwundu to knock down everything in sight, but he should be a much improved set shooter. He's been working at it, too, apparently, getting into the gym early in the morning. Looks good, and has grown up a lot since his sophomore year.
32: Dean Wade - The talent has always been here. Wade is a natural. He looks so much more comfortable now, too. While it might not be the flashiest thing in the world, he did a lot of productive things and finished above the rim quite a bit. He's getting better and more confident, and that's great news for the Wildcats. He is making smarter decisions and finding better shots within the offense.
35: Austin Budke - Improved. He was confident in knocking down a midrange jumper from the top of the and buried a corner 3-ball. Looks to be in better shape, too. Budke obviously isn't overly athletic but he can be crafty and did some pretty nice things out there.
OVERALL: K-State is a better basketball team right now than this point last year. There is more focus, more leadership, and more dudes going hard. I'm not sure how it all translates based off of two practices I've seen so far, but the attitude is better and they get after it. The coaches were into it. The players were talking and playing a lot harder than I originally thought it was going to be. Everything was very fast paced.
This has a chance to be a pretty good basketball team if all goes to plan and the team stays healthy. Each player is in much better shape as well initially. It was one of the best summer practices I've seen over the years in terms of intensity and guys were making plays. Defensively the team should be really nice, even better than last year. Offensively, some roles need to be defined, but having these practices allow them to work on specific sets and find a flow. All in all, it was a quality practice. Sneed was the most impressive newcomer. It appears the veterans have taken a step in the right direction.
It will be interesting to see where it goes, but more practices like this should help later this summer and next season.
It is early Tuesday evening. I just got back from basketball media availability where we spoke to all of the newcomers and some returners before watching approximately an hour of practice. This was the third of 10 allotted practices prior to the Wildcat's trip to Italy and Switzerland in August, something that should greatly benefit this team next season. That is also in addition to individual workouts that take place all summer so this team has spent a lot of time on the court already. I have plenty of quotes for future stories soon, but here is a little roster breakdown of what I saw and heard as instant analysis on here first. I'll be glad to answer any additional questions.
1: Carlbe Ervin - The 6-foot-3 senior guard is a completely different player than he was at any point last season, and is starting to get back to form. Head coach Bruce Weber even said he has been one of the surprises in the summer thus far. That was pretty obvious why. What has changed? He looks better. He feels better. Ervin has dropped approximately 12 pounds and has gone into attack mode. In a fast break drill he made a nice wrap-around pass to Dean Wade for a layup and then took it strong to the rack and finished just moments later. He also knocked down an open 3-pointer off a swing pass in a later drill. He doesn't have the greatest handles, his jumper is still a little janky (although better), and still forces some, but he looks much more mobile, hustles, and is getting after it by applying pressure and making plays. Ervin was not healthy at any point last season and it showed. His play was pretty meh most of the time. It appears he has improved his game, which all starts with him being healthier. Much, much better.
2: Cartier Diarra - Incredibly athletic and built with a very long wingspan for a guard. He's the biggest true guard on the roster, no doubt. The thing I like about Diarra is he's fast. He didn't handle it great either, but he pushed the tempo consistently and made some simple basketball plays along the way. He's still learning, as he hasn't played basketball for more than four years competitively, and will be able to pick his spots for shots over time, but he's a great athlete with a good first step, great bounce that serves as a solid foundation. He's a spark player off the bench that can bring a motor and put pressure on defenses with his ability to get by defenders as he continues to mature. He can play a little bit.
3: Kamau Stokes - Looked pretty good. Came off some screens and dribble handoffs well, knocked down open jumpers, and facilitated pretty nicely. He does look a little rusty in getting back into peak form following the right knee injury suffered at the end of January, but he hasn't seemed to have lost anything from it athletically and still dove on the ground for loose balls. Stokes played some nice defense, too. It's just some little things to clean up. I truly believe this kid is the heartbeat of the team. He just gets it and he needs to continue to work to get better and help the team where they want to go. Solid day, though.
4: D.J. Johnson - Call me crazy, but he has an extra bounce to his step. Johnson looks much more athletic now than he maybe ever has. He's always had a high motor but he looks a lot more comfortable doing things on the court. Last year you could tell there was just a hint of hesitation. I think he knows what he can and cannot do, and it appears he's only getting better. That's a good sign for the Wildcats moving forward. He is rocking a headband these days for those fashion experts out there.
5: Barry Brown - Not exactly a stellar practice. He didn't knock down any outside shots from what I recall and wasn't overly crisp on anything. Perhaps it was just a bad day or trying too hard or whatever. The good news is he has bulked up and you can see his body beginning to mature a little bit. He's put on some weight, but it's not bad weight. He's a lot more vocal now, too. He's definitely comfortable, which is great, but needs to play better than he did on Tuesday. He's more than capable. It just wasn't the best outing on this day.
10: Isaiah Maurice - Yes, he is eligible. Let's just get that out of the way immediately. I can go into more specific details about the situation when I go back and listen to absolutely everything Weber said about it, but he's good to go. At 6-foot-10, Maurice is just quiet. He doesn't show much emotion, but he's athletic, runs fairly well, and will look to knock down some open jumpers. He is easily one of the players associate head coach Chris Lowery, who coaches the bigs, likes to rip the most. It's pretty funny. Maurice just nods, and goes about his business. He needs to get stronger around the rim on both ends, especially rebounding, but there is some skill to and fluidity to his game. He can help some.
11: Brian Patrick - Arrived a little later than the others to campus, so perhaps a step behind, but getting there. He is a shooter that isn't hesitate to take the open look and more will fall as he gets comfortable with the sets. His shot is natural. He makes a lot of little plays, though. I was a little surprised by that. Active hands, just small things that can change possessions. Doesn't mind challenging shots in the lane either. He does need to bulk up. If he focuses on becoming a sniper, he can be an asset.
12: Mason Schoen - Great practice player. Hustles, does the right thing, talks on both offense and defense. He goes hard, too, and makes people work. He's still ripped. Having a guy like him on the roster is nice.
13: Zach Winter - Another great practice player. He does a lot of good things on the court in a very quiet manner. Teammates like him a lot. All is just fine here.
15: Dante Williams - Out of the boot, wearing basketball sneakers for those who don't know shoe terminology, and is full go in practice. Williams gets up and down the court really pretty well for a big guy his size. He also has long arms and a huge frame that will be good as a rim protector. The best is yet to come for him. I don't think he will be a major, 20-plus minute per game factor, but he can certainly get in, grab some boards, run the court, and play defense in some spot minutes.
20: Xavier Sneed - This kid will play. A lot. He had no problem finishing a nasty alley-oop from Kamau Stokes in transition, nor did he have any issues checking Wesley Iwundu and even Dean Wade on the defensive end. Sneed is an elite-level defender and a really good athlete with an underrated outside jumper. I've seen him play a few times before and this level should not be too much of a problem to adjust to. Already a solid frame and skill with a toughness factor.
21: James Love - He's not there just yet, but he loves being coached and is trying to figure it out. Defensively I think he is fine. Offensively is where he gets a little lost. And understandably so. That was pretty much the projection of it coming in. He's athletic and does move pretty well, including laterally. It's the little nuances of the game, such as spacing and post, repost kind of things he needs to continue to work on. Wouldn't be surprised at a redshirt at this very moment to balance out the class size.
24: Pierson McAtee - A local product that looks pretty decent out on the floor. He even knocked down a corner 3-ball that was pretty nice. Again, K-State has some great walk-on practice players that go hard.
25: Wesley Iwundu - The senior changed his jump shot. Not kidding. This isn't some minor tweak either. It's almost a full transformation that is still in the works. He gets the ball higher, takes his left hand (off hand) off the ball, doesn't shield his vision, and gets some nice arch and rotation. I wouldn't expect Iwundu to knock down everything in sight, but he should be a much improved set shooter. He's been working at it, too, apparently, getting into the gym early in the morning. Looks good, and has grown up a lot since his sophomore year.
32: Dean Wade - The talent has always been here. Wade is a natural. He looks so much more comfortable now, too. While it might not be the flashiest thing in the world, he did a lot of productive things and finished above the rim quite a bit. He's getting better and more confident, and that's great news for the Wildcats. He is making smarter decisions and finding better shots within the offense.
35: Austin Budke - Improved. He was confident in knocking down a midrange jumper from the top of the and buried a corner 3-ball. Looks to be in better shape, too. Budke obviously isn't overly athletic but he can be crafty and did some pretty nice things out there.
OVERALL: K-State is a better basketball team right now than this point last year. There is more focus, more leadership, and more dudes going hard. I'm not sure how it all translates based off of two practices I've seen so far, but the attitude is better and they get after it. The coaches were into it. The players were talking and playing a lot harder than I originally thought it was going to be. Everything was very fast paced.
This has a chance to be a pretty good basketball team if all goes to plan and the team stays healthy. Each player is in much better shape as well initially. It was one of the best summer practices I've seen over the years in terms of intensity and guys were making plays. Defensively the team should be really nice, even better than last year. Offensively, some roles need to be defined, but having these practices allow them to work on specific sets and find a flow. All in all, it was a quality practice. Sneed was the most impressive newcomer. It appears the veterans have taken a step in the right direction.
It will be interesting to see where it goes, but more practices like this should help later this summer and next season.
