From The Couch – K-State Potpourri

From The Couch – K-State Potpourri

 

It’s a K-State potpourri edition of “From The Couch.”  Two incoming transfers to the basketball program, some K-State sports alumni news, and a new “Ask The AD.”  Let’s go….

“A 6-foot-5, 220-pound shooting guard, (Mark) Smith will have one year of eligibility remaining after the NCAA granted fall and winter sport student-athletes an additional year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under NCAA graduate transfer rules, he will be eligible to play for the Wildcats in the Fall 2021 after graduating from Missouri with an undergraduate degree in Sport Management. He is expected to graduate in May.”…K-State Sports, March 31, 2021

JM:  Reaction is mixed to Mark Smith joining the K-State basketball program from Missouri.  A big MU fan buddy of mine texted me and said “He will be perfect for Weber and Bruceketball.  Another non-scorer.  And when he’s not scoring, he’s usually turning the ball over.”  That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement.  He’s not shedding any tears over losing him.

Smith averaged 9.7 points a game for Missouri last season.  He shot 31.5% from three-point range, averaged 3.2 rebounds a game, and played about 30 minutes a game.  I’m sure you’re wondering what DaJuan Gordon’s stats were from last season in comparison?  9.1 points per game, 21.7% from three-point range, 5.5 rebounds per game, and 28.5 minutes per game.  Is K-State gaining much, if anything, by replacing Smith with Gordon?  I don’t think so.

“A 5-foot-7, 155-pound point guard, (Markquis) Nowell arrives at K-State from (the University of Arkansas at) Little Rock, where he was a Lou Henson All-American and First Team All-Sun Belt selection in 2019-20. He will have two years of eligibility remaining after the NCAA granted fall and winter sport student-athletes an additional year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”…K-State Sports, April 1, 2021

JM:  A quick Google search of Nowell finds an article from www.katv.com, an ABC station in Little Rock, Arkansas talking about Nowell quitting the team on February 10th of this year.  Arkansas Little Rock coach Darrell Walker didn’t have much positive to say about Nowell at the time.  Here are a few of his quotes from the article:

“Markquis didn’t want to be part of the team. So at the end of the day, he has opted out. That’s the best thing for him, and it’s the best thing for us, and we are definitely happy to be moving on.”

“He’s moved on and we’ve moved on. We have no problem about moving on. I made it very clear that nobody is bigger than the program. I wasn’t bigger than the University of Arkansas. We’ve got no problem.”

“We’re going to let him go where he’s going. My team is happy. We had a great practice [Monday] and we’re looking forward to playing as a team. We’re looking forward to playing as a team.”

He said “we’re looking forward to playing as a team” back-to-back to make a point.  That’s not a misprint.  He makes it sound as if Nowell is a selfish malcontent.  There are two sides to every story, but this throws up some red flags right from the start.  I hope a change of scenery does him some good.

“Missouri men’s basketball filled a piece of next season’s roster Friday, adding Kansas State transfer guard DaJuan Gordon.”…Columbia Daily Tribune, April 3, 2021

JM:  Basically, K-State and Missouri traded Mark Smith and DaJuan Gordon straight up.  I already mentioned earlier that their stats are pretty similar.  One difference between them is Smith has one year of eligibility remaining and Gordon has three.  I’ve always liked Gordon even though he battled through some injuries and struggled shooting the ball.  He was an all-around player that scored, rebounded, assisted, and played good defense.  I think he’s a bigger loss to the program than most people realize.

“Seattle has reached an agreement with its record-setting wide receiver from last season on a new four-year contract worth $37 million guaranteed with a total value of up to $69.2 million. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the new deal first Wednesday morning.

It keeps (Tyler) Lockett, who turns 29 in September, under contract with the Seahawks through 2025.”…The News Tribune, March 31, 2021

JM:  Congratulations to Tyler Lockett on his new contract.  He’s making almost 10 million dollars a year guaranteed.  I enjoy watching him tear it up in the NFL and, barring injury, we’ll get to watch him for many more years.

“(Dean) Wade tallied 16 points (6-14 FG, 3-11 3Pt, 1-1 FT), eight rebounds, two assists and a steal across 38 minutes in Thursday’s loss to Philadelphia.

Though Kevin Love returned for Cleveland on Thursday, Wade remained in the starting lineup — along with Love — and performed well while logging a team-high 38 minutes. The second-year forward has now played 20-plus minutes in six straight contests and is averaging 10.2 points and 5.2 boards over that span. He looks to have earned a healthy amount of playing time regardless of Love’s ever-fluctuating status.”…CBSSports.com, April 2, 2021

JM:  I’m not an NBA fan, but it’s nice to see that Dean Wade is doing well for the Cavaliers.  He started in place of an injured Kevin Love and he played so well during that time that when Love came back they kept him in the starting lineup anyway.  Good stuff.

“On the men’s side they had a very new team with a lot of different faces and really didn’t get together until the season and then obviously having COVID interrupt between shortage of players for practices.”…Gene Taylor, Ask The AD, April 1, 2021 

JM:  Gene Taylor is still out in public making the same excuses for the basketball program. Would someone, anyone, follow up and ask him WHY they had a very new team with a lot of different faces?  Could it be the coach’s fault?

“I think those victories did not come that we thought we could get early on. I was probably, maybe as frustrated as we all were, including coaches and players that we didn’t go that way, I was just as pleased as how well both teams finished.”…Gene Taylor, Ask The AD, April 1, 2021

JM:  My ears perked up when he said “I was just as pleased as how well both teams finished.” He’s referring to both men’s and women’s basketball.  I’m not sure how he can be pleased with anything that happened with the basketball programs this past season.  Instead, I’d like him to say “this is unacceptable.”  It’s frustrating that he doesn’t and he won’t.

“I think both coaches have similar expectations for these teams next year and that’s to be a lot more competitive and be in a position to put themselves in the NCAA Tournament next year. “…Gene Taylor, Ask The AD, April 1, 2021

JM:  Don’t hold your breath.

“We’re still discussing the alcohol sales whether we’re going to have it in all the stadium like we did last fall, or we’re gonna go back to what we’ve done in the past and maybe allow it only in certain areas.”…Gene Taylor, Ask The AD, April 1, 2021

JM:  It sure looks like we’ll be back to normal this fall at football games.  Stadium-wide alcohol sales continue to be a hot topic among fans and the administration.  I’m not sure why they wouldn’t go ahead and allow alcohol sales throughout the stadium, but it’s K-State so nothing they decide to do would surprise me.

If you’re a fan of my blog, I’d appreciate it if you share it with your friends and family.  Thank you for reading.

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