I was out and about today and heard Jason Anderson and Cory Anderson on SportsRadio 810 WHB talking about Cartier Diarra prior to conducting a long interview with Michael Bishop.  Some of what they discussed was interesting, so I’m taking a break from the NCAA columns to talk about some current events.  Let’s dive right in.

“I don’t think (Cartier Diarra) is an NBA player.  I don’t think he’s a guy that’s gonna be on an NBA roster.”…Jason Anderson, 810 WHB

JM:  This seems to be the thought of most K-State basketball fans.  It appears there are other reasons that Diarra is testing the waters, which they dove into.

“To me, Cartier Diarra putting his name in the NBA draft to test the waters I think is the first step of him being him gone. I don’t think he’s returning next year, right?”…Jason Anderson, 810 WHB

JM:  To that, the show producer chimed in and said “right.”

“Players like Cartier Diarra are going pro across the country.”…Jason Anderson, 810 WHB

JM:  The point he was making is that there is a trend around the country of college basketball players leaving college early to not only test the NBA waters, but to play overseas.

“It could be a little bit of…you improve…addition by subtraction.  It sucks, but it just didn’t work”…Jason Anderson, 810 WHB

JM:  Let’s hope so.

“I’m not sure that Bruce Weber WANTS Cartier Diarra back.  I mean, if I was guessing, I would say that Bruce Weber is fine with Cartier Diarra going and testing the waters and figuring out and starting the next phase of your life.  I think Bruce Weber is ready for Cartier Diarra to move on”…Jason Anderson, 810 WHB

JM:  I’m not sure I agree with this.  I think Bruce Weber would like to have Diarra back, but I also think he’s not coming back so it’s a moot point.

“Something was leaked to Fran Fraschilla by Bruce Weber earlier in the year when Fran talked about it on the broadcast and whether or not college basketball is a priority to him.”…Cory Anderson, 810 WHB

JM:  I agree with this.  Weber obviously had a conversation with Fran Fraschilla and Fran talked about it during the broadcast by calling out Diarra.

“I would be SHOCKED if he were back.  I just don’t imagine any scenario where Cartier Diarra is back with K-State next year.”…Cory Anderson, 810 WHB

JM:  I do think there’s a chance he comes back, but I believe both Diarra and K-State fans are ready to move on.

“They know that to this day that we were the better team.”…Michael Bishop, 810 WHB

JM:  This was a fun interview with Michael Bishop.  Unfortunately, it sounded like Bishop was on a cell phone in a tunnel and it was very hard to understand him at times.  Here he was talking about losing to Texas A&M in the 1998 Big 12 championship game and the fact that some Texas A&M players that he still talks to knowing that K-State was the better team that day.

“We should have never been in that situation.  That game should have been a total blowout.”…Michael Bishop, 810 WHB

JM:  Bishop sounded like he held some animosity about K-State talking their foot off the pedal in the 1998 Big 12 championship game.  He didn’t say whether he had a problem with the coaches or his teammates or both and Anderson never followed up on his answer.  I interpreted it that he had a problem with the play calling in the second half.

“I was dead tired in that game.”…Michael Bishop, 810 WHB

JM:  You could tell by the tone of his voice that Bishop still feels emotional about the game.  The fact he was exhausted was because he put everything he had into winning it.

When I had the fumble, I knew in the huddle that I was going to do everything I could to get a first down.  It wasn’t the first time I fumbled and it wasn’t the last time I fumbled.”…Michael Bishop, 810 WHB

JM:  To this day, this was the most devastating fumble I’ve ever witnessed.

“I had no idea about Miami or UCLA losing.  I wasn’t paying attention to that.  I heard the fans cheering, but I had no idea if they were going to let us play for the national title. “…Michael Bishop, 810 WHB

JM:  I’m not sure I totally buy this answer.  I think the coaches and players knew that if Miami and UCLA lost and K-State won that they were in.  Bishop didn’t sound so sure.

There’s no doubt in my mind that we still should have played for a national title.  There’s no doubt in my mind that our number one rated defense would have made Tee Martin (look) terrible”...Michael Bishop, 810 WHB

JM:  Unfortunately, we’ll never know.