This past week we saw an ugly last second win for the basketball team over Omaha and a seven point loss to TCU yesterday.  The football team had a big “name” signing and a couple of roster announcements that made some waves.  Let’s take a look…

“Freshman Selton Miguel connected on a 3-pointer with 9.7 seconds left to lift Kansas State to a 60-58 win over Omaha on Tuesday night in front of a limited capacity crowd of 519 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.”…Kstatesports.com, December 29, 2020

JM:  Miguel’s shot ended up being the game winner.  K-State was down early in this one, trailing 29-18 with 4:52 left in the first half before going on a 14-1 run to end the half. 

“Obviously, it’s time for giving, and I love Christmas. I’m kind of old school, watching AMC movies and Hallmark. I wrap presents and love to play Santa and give to our grandkids. I don’t expect much, but definitely got a nice Christmas gift tonight with a tough, hard fought win that I’m not sure we deserved to win.”…Bruce Weber, Omaha post-game, December 29, 2020

JM: I found the comments from Weber after the Omaha game a bit odd.  I’m still not sure why he thought everyone needed to know he likes to watch Christmas movies on AMC and Hallmark.  Maybe he was hoping the media would be “nice” to him in the post-game press conference after his team  needed a last second three pointer to beat a 2-7 Summit League team in Bramlage Coleseum.

“Sophomore DaJuan Gordon filled the stat sheet with 6 points on 3-of-5 field goals with game-tying 10 rebounds, a career-high 5 assists and season-tying 3 steals in 32 minutes.”…Kstatesports.com, December 29, 2020

JM:  Gordon has been playing well of late “filling the stat sheet.”  This continued in the TCU game.

“The Horned Frogs hit 13 of their first 17 shots and led by as many as 18 points in the first half, including 29-11 at the 7:24 mark after a 3-pointer by Farabello.”…Kstatesports.com, January 2nd, 2021

JM:  The Wildcats are really good at getting behind early in games.  They had to dig themselves out of a hole again in this game and ran out of time.

“You’re disappointed, especially with the start of the game. We didn’t have the passion, the fight on the defensive end. They scored on five of their first six. We had no answers and couldn’t stop them.”…Bruce Weber, TCU post-game, January 2, 2021

JM:  Bruce is absolutely right that there was no passion and fight to start the game, but what needs to be done to fix that?  Or can it be fixed?  This is a recurring problem.

“DaJuan (Gordon) had an unbelievable line and effort, 18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 offensive, 3 assists and 3 steals.”…Bruce Weber, TCU post-game, January 2, 2021

JM:  Gordon is turning into one of the bright spots on this team.  People used to call Scottie Pippen the ultimate stat line filler.  He did all the little things needed to help the team win.  I’m not comparing Gordon to Pippen, but he is the Scottie Pippen of this team the way he is filling the stat line so far.

“I am extremely proud and excited to announce I will be committing to Kansas State University.”…Sterling Lockett, Twitter, January 1, 2021

JM:  This was big news for the football program.  The Lockett family has had a lot of success at K-State.  Kevin Lockett described his son Sterling as a blend of the best attributes of himself and his brother Aaron.  Sterling is currently a two star recruit in the 2022 class.

“I’m going to come in and try to out-do everyone else that has been there before me. I’m going to try and work my hardest. The great thing is they are all going to be there to help me, but I am going in there with the mindset that I am going to do my best to stand out, try to play early on and continue the family tradition while I am there.”…Sterling Lockett, Wichita Eagle, January 1, 2021

JM: At the very least, Sterling has the right mindset.  I found it interesting that he was recruited by Harvard, Princeton and Yale.  He’s one smart kid.

“With that being said, I’d like to declare for the 2021 NFL draft.”…AJ Parker, Twitter, January 2, 2021

JM:  Parker is the latest K-State football player to declare for the NFL draft.  This is a big loss for the Wildcats.

“Grateful.”…Russ Yeast, Twitter, December 30, 2020

JM:  A man of few words, this is how Louisville defensive back Russ Yeast announced he is transferring to K-State.  Yeast was a four star recruit out of high school and was recruited by Notre Dame among others.  This should be a huge help to the secondary next season.

“The Kansas State women’s basketball team has paused all team activities following a recent set of coronavirus test results, per a release from the athletics department Wednesday.  The pause will affect two of the Wildcats’ upcoming games: Saturday’s game at Oklahoma and Tuesday’s home game against West Virginia. Both games have been postponed to later dates in the season, which have yet to be decided. Head coach Jeff Mittie confirmed to The Mercury that the positive tests are limited to players, and that no coaches have tested positive.”…Tyler Kraft, Manhattan Mercury, December 30, 2020

JM:  Lost in all the news regarding the men’s basketball program and the football program is this Covid news regarding the women’s basketball program.  The athletes at K-State are around each other a lot, so this is something to keep an eye on going forward.  Let’s hope Covid doesn’t spread to the men’s basketball team, which could possibly result in some canceled games.