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K-State, Vandy clash K-State, Vandy clash
- From: Josh_Kinder
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Description:
From the Women's NCAA Championships first and second rounds at The Pit on the campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, N.M. — site of No. 5 Kansas State's opening round 68-44 win over No. 12 Drexel on Saturday night and Monday night's second round game against No. 4 Vanderbilt.
I think Kansas State's gameplan for Monday night's showdown with Vanderbilt should be pretty simple — give the ball to Marlies Gipson and Ashley Sweat.
The Wildcats own a much greater size advantage over the Commodores, who use four guards in the starting lineup. The Commodores' size comes from Christina Wirth, a 6-foot-1 senior forward who averages 16 points and six rebounds a game. The All-SEC selection is dangerous because she can shoot from all over the court. Defending her is one thing, but offensively, K-State should have the advantage in the paint a 1-2 punch that's been as dominant as any post duo in the nation over the past month.
Sweat has, by far, been the most consistent player for the Wildcats this season with numbers that are actually higher than that of Wirth. And Gipson, well, she's unstoppable lately. No Wildcat is playing with more assertiveness than she is, who has made 24 of her last 36 shots from the field and averaging nearly 20 points a game over the last five contests.
At point guard, look for an interesting matchup with Shalee Lehning and Vanderbilt's Jennifer Risper. Everyone knows that Lehning is a triple-double waiting to happen every game. But in Risper, the Commodores have a 5-9 point guard that does some of the same things as Lehning — most notably on the boards where she leads Vandy with almost six rebounds a game. Risper is also the SEC Defensive Player of the Year this season with nearly three steals a game.
My pick for the game: Kansas State by four.
- Blog post
- 11 months ago
- Views: 523
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Zanotti big in Wildcats' NCAA Zanotti big in Wildcats' NCAA win
- From: Josh_Kinder
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Description:
From the Women's NCAA Championships first and second rounds at The Pit on the campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque — site of No. 5 Kansas State's opening round 68-44 win over No. 12 Drexel on Saturday night and Monday night's second round game against No. 4 Vanderbilt.
Danielle Zanotti for 3!
Three times the Kansas State senior forward connected from behind the arc in the Wildcats' 68-44 win over No. 12-seeded Drexel on Saturday night.
Her line of nine points, three rebounds, two assists and one block couldn't have been bigger for K-State, which faces Vanderbilt at 8:30 (Central time) on Monday.
"It just felt good to be able to contribute offensively," Zanotti said following the game. "Shalee (Lehning) is just great at creating shots for everybody, and for us guards especially. I'm just glad I was able to knock them down."
When the Wildcats get offensive production from somebody other than Ashley Sweat, Marlies Gipson and Lehning, they are very difficult to defeat. On Saturday the offense came from a variety of sources.
Junior guard Kari Kincaid had 11 points, while the KSU bench scored 14 points — Jalana Childs and Kelsey Nelson with six points apiece, and Branshea Brown with two points.
Offensively, K-State was just about perfect. The Wildcats' efficiency was outstanding — 19 assists and just eight turnovers, while shooting 50 percent from the field — 58 percent in the second half, alone.
Defensively, Drexel was held to season lows across numerous offensive categories — including total points, total field goals and points in a first half. K-State clamped down and held the Dragons to just 30 percent shooting from the field and outrebounded Drexel 36-28.
Now Vanderbilt is all that stands in the way of K-State advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2002. The Commodores are solid, for sure, but the kind of basketball the Wildcats are playing right now, sure leads me to think K-State is going to make this interesting.
- Blog post
- 11 months ago
- Views: 529
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KSU women enter The Pit KSU women enter The Pit
- From: Joel_Jellison
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Description:
From the Women's NCAA Championships first and second rounds at The Pit on the campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque — site of No. 5 Kansas State's opening round matchup with No. 12 Drexel on Saturday night.
When we arrived at The Pit at the University of New Mexico on Friday, one of the first things we notcied was the walk athletes must take to actually reach Bob King Court.
It's a slope that takes you a half mile closer to sea level, one that could leave you with some nasty injuries if you lost a step on the way down. The trip back up, isn't much better.
And that's not even the actual court yet.
The arena itself seats more than 18,000, ranks in the top 20 nationally for men's basketball attendance and was pretty unique for sports venues when it was constructed in the mid 1960s.
Opened in 1966, the university's arena was called "The Pit" because it was built inside of a 37-foot hole on a mesa in Albuquerque. The roof was built first and then the hole was dug for the court.
It's no easy place to play either. The crowd noise is reported to have reached a near pain-inducing 125 decibels at times and reached 118 in a 1998 men's contest against Arizona, the loudest that season.
It was also the site of one of the most famous images in NCAA history. In 1983, North Carolina State beat Houston to take the NCAA title and NC State coach Jim Valvano's celebration of the victory provides some of the biggest memories of the inspirational coach.
Before Friday's open practice, K-State point guard Shalee Lehning said playing in The Pit is probably comparable to the altitude issues all teams worry about when they play at Colorado.
- Blog post
- 11 months ago
- Views: 547
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Gipson's return just as big as Gipson's return just as big as Lehning's
- From: Josh_Kinder
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Description:
From the Women's NCAA Championships first and second rounds at The Pit on the campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque — site of No. 5 Kansas State's opening round matchup with No. 12 Drexel on Saturday night.
Kansas State clearly struggled when senior point guard Shalee Lehning sat for three games with mono, but she wasn't the only Wildcat missing from the stat sheet.
Senior forward Marlies Gipson, who will obviously go down as one of the best posts to play at KSU, went through her own struggles in the second half this season and in turn, the Wildcats suffered.
Gipson, who has one of the sweetest mid-range jumpers you'll ever find, made 10-of-15 shots for a career-high 23 points at Kansas on Jan. 24.
She was, seemingly, at the top of her game.
But the McPherson native followed her big game with one of her biggest duds in her career when she scored just two points on 1-of-6 from the field at home against Nebraska. It marked a stretch of eight games in which Gipson failed to reach double figures five times.
During that same stretch K-State lost four games — at Iowa State, at Baylor, at Missouri and at Nebraska. Making it worse was the loss of Lehning during some that same time span.
But 12 points scored at home against Texas A&M on March 1 signified the return of Gipson, who made 6-of-10 from the field. She has since reached double figures in five straight games, including at least 20 points three times, and a new career-high 24 against Texas.
The Wildcats' success in the NCAAs, starting with Saturday night's game with Drexel, depends as much on Lehning as it does the production of Gipson.
Through both Lehning's mono, and Gipson's slump, the one constant for the Wildcats was Ashley Sweat, who has raised her status to one of the Big 12's elite. The model of consistency, Sweat has reached double figures in 28 of KSU's 31 games this season, averaging nearly 17 points a game.
When Sweat and Gipson are both on, I'd put them up against any inside presence in the nation. The 1-2 punch down low with Lehning feeding them the ball is dangerous and might just be enough to make some waves in the NCAAs and move past the second round for the first time since 2002.
- Blog post
- 11 months ago
- Views: 332
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Riley County-Rock Creek; Keys Riley County-Rock Creek; Keys to the Game
- From: Joel_Jellison
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Description:
When Rock Creek and Riley County tangle in the first round of the Class 3A girls State tournament in Hutch, you can expect some tough defense from both sides.
Neither of these teams seem willing to give an inch, and each will have their own strengths and weaknesses that could make or break their state tournament. So, true to ESPN style I will give you some keys to the game for each team.
First up, Rock Creek.
1. Mix up your defense: Known for their strong press defense, the Mustangs have incorporated a little 3-2 zone into their substate games. Could be interesting to see what that defense would do to Riley County. As Mike Zabel said quoting Manhattan High boys coach Tim Brooks, it is the great equalizer defense.
2. Stop Beth Husted: She is Riley County's post player and often, they live and die by her. Even when she can't seem to score points, she finds a way to. I can't tell you how many times I have looked at the end of the game and found her in double-figures to the surprise of both me and Riley County coach Harold Oliver. Also, keep her from finding open perimeter players from the inside.
3. Keep your composure: This is this particular group of players first big State tournament experience. They must stay cool and collected and play well under pressure in this new experience.
Riley County
1. Attack early: Rock creek often runs into a problem early in the game: no one wants to score. If the Falcons can score some points while Rock Creek is passing the ball around, they could get ahead early.
2. Establish inside-outside game: If Riley County can get this going, they have proven to be lethal. Inside passes to Husted for buckets or passes back outside to Becca Tittel and Lainey Uphoff or Kylie Rothlisberger or Kelly Thomson, among many, for 3-pointers, could put the game out of reach early.
3. Use your experience: This team understands what it's like to play in Hutchinson and the Class 3A State tournament. Most of the team was a part of the State title the Falcons took home last season.
No matter who wins this game, it should be a classic Riley County, Rock Creek matchup, and with more at stake than ever before.
Make sure to see coverage of the game in Thursday's edition of The Manhattan Mercury as well as what Wednesday's winner does in this Sunday's edition.
- Blog post
- 11 months ago
- Views: 433
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Perfect ending and start? Perfect ending and start?
- From: Josh_Kinder
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Description:
After the last two games, it's hard to believe that not even a month ago, all the headlines surrounding the Kansas State women's basketball team seemed a bit on the doom and gloom side.
That's what two wins to end the regular season can do for a team that had struggled with the absence of Shalee Lehning and the disappearing act of Marlies Gipson.
Up next for the Wildcats (23-6) is the Big 12 Championships this week in Oklahoma City.
K-State handled the Top-25 Texas Longhorns easily on Wednesday and then took care of business on the road on Saturday at Colorado.
A few observations about the last two games... Lehning is back! The senior point guard was back to her old self on Wednesday with 11 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Those are good numbers. But what she did on Saturday, was even better with her third triple-double of the season and fifth in her career with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists. It's perfect timing for a team that was completely out-of-sync when she was out with mono.
Also making a return to the Wildcats is Gipson. The senior started the season on fire, but slowed to just a slow burn in the second half and on many nights, was barely even noticeable in the box score — failing to reach double figures five times during a span of eight games. She scored 12 points in the loss to Texas A&M on March 4. Then on Wednesday, she scored a career-high 24 points. Gipson followed that with another 21 points at Colorado.
Doing what she's done all season long is Ashley Sweat. She's been the most consistent Wildcat this season, averaging almost 17 points a game. She's scored in double figures in all but three games this season, including at least 20 points six times and 30 points twice.
With all three seemingly on the same page again and back in the lineup playing well again, K-State might have a chance to make a few waves this week in Oklahoma City and improve on its NCAA seeding. K-State, the No. 5 seed, will face No. 12 Colorado at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Cox Convention Center.
- Blog post
- 11 months ago
- Views: 444
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Five added to K-State football Five added to K-State football staff
- From: Josh_Kinder
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Description:
Kansas State announced on Friday afternoon that head football coach Bill Snyder has added Dana Dimel, Del Miller, and Ricky Rahne to the coaching staff, while also announcing that former Wildcats Jonathan Beasley and Joe Gordon will also serve on the staff.
Dimel, a 1986 K-State graduate, will coach the running backs and serve as the run-game coordinator, while Miller, a 30-year coaching veteran, will tutor the quarterbacks and wide receivers, while serving as the passing-game coordinator.
Rahne, who has served on the KSU staff the past three seasons under fired head coach Ron Prince, will coach the tight ends.
Beasley, a two-time captain at quarterback, will serve as the offensive graduate assistant coach, while Gordon, a defensive back from 1993-96, will oversee the program’s recruiting operations.Dimel and Miller are the second and third assistant coaches on the 2009 staff that possess head coaching experience.
What are your thoughts on the staff so far, and what does it mean to have to have so many deflections already — before the season has even started?
- Blog post
- 1 year ago
- Views: 549
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Forget about Brown Forget about Brown
- From: Josh_Kinder
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Description:
Ron Prince was right all along and we were all too blind to see it.
Perhaps blinded by the numerous miscues during his three years at Kansas State, Wildcats fans never really seemed to understand why Prince didn’t push harder for Wichita East’s Arthur and Bryce Brown.
Look no further than their agent Brian Butler to see why.
Yes, I said agent.
Prince told the New York Times that he discouraged KSU’s boosters to donate to Butler’s foundation because a donation with the goal of landing a recruit would be an NCAA violation.
“Recruiting for college football is obviously changing,” Prince told The Times. “It’s become much more like the basketball model. When that happens, you then have people who are intermediaries like this gentleman is.”
At this point, lets just call him what he is and quit dancing around how we define his role in their lives. He markets them, makes money off of them, and speaks for them.
Sounds like an agent to me and something K-State shouldn’t get into bed with. It’s not worth it, not right now, not for a program trying to find solid ground and pick up the pieces of the last three seasons.
Is it a good business venture by Butler, a former cell phone store manager, or just a very, very good investment for his future?
Perhaps both, but nonetheless, he’s seemingly been pulling the strings on a long, drawn-out recruiting process that is bordering on the absurd.
As of Friday, Rivals reported that Oregon, LSU, Miami, Tennessee, Clemson, and yes, Kansas State, are still in the mix for the running back, who is still verbally committed to the Hurricanes.
All are equal, Butler says.
My take?
There are too many questionable things about Butler to make it worth pursuing Brown any longer. Is the kid good? Sure, I suppose. Could he start right away? Sure, I suppose. Will he be patient and a team player for a program that is rebuilding and so desperately needs credibility again? I wouldn’t count on it and nor should K-State at this point.
He’s done everything he can to separate himself already — almost like he’s on a pedestal — by holding out, in a sense, and making this entire recruiting season all about him. I mean, what is he waiting on? What more is there to learn about his suitors at this point?
Head coach Bill Snyder should bow out of this beauty pageant now and work with the three running backs in this recruiting class that he already has — John Hubert and Timothy Flanders, and Tramaine Thompson.
Consider this, it’s hard for Butler to meddle too much at Miami, where Arthur is already playing. The same goes for Oregon where fellow Wichitan Chris Harper is attending school.
Butler in K-State’s backyard with his prized tailback just two hours north of where he operates potentialplayers.com, a Web site designed to promote his “clients” and sell the inside scoop, is scary.
That reeks of a bad marriage with a guy that K-State shouldn’t want ANYWHERE near its program.
K-State simply doesn’t know enough about him yet and unlike Butler, shouldn’t gamble its future on the potential of one running back.
- Blog post
- 1 year ago
- Views: 1829
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No Lehning against Colorado? No Lehning against Colorado?
- From: Joel_Jellison
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Description:
Looks like senior guard Shalee Lehning will miss her third consecutive game Saturday as she is out of the starting lineup against the Colorado Buffaloes at Bramlage Coliseum. Lehning has not warmed up with the team, but is still in uniform for the game as she has been the past two games. Freshman forward Jalana Childs, who had 14 points and 16 rebounds in her first career start last Sunday, is not in the starting lineup as well.
Today's lineup is Kelsey Nelson, Kari Kincaid, Ashley Sweat, Marlies Gipson and Danielle Zanotti. Nelson averages 3.6 points and 1.5 rebounds a game for the Wildcats. The No. 16/14-ranked Cats are looking to rebound from their fourth Big 12 loss of the season, suffered at Missouri on Wednesday. Colorado is searching for just its fourth Big 12 win and 12th overall.
- Blog post
- 1 year ago
- Views: 470
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KSU loses Ludwig to California KSU loses Ludwig to California
- From: Josh_Kinder
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Description:
He didn’t even make it to the first game and already Andy Ludwig is moving on.
The newly hired Kansas State offensive coordinator has taking the same position with the California Golden Bears.
He’s the second assistant coach to leave K-State in the last month after last season’s offensive coordinator Dave Brock, who was retained as the wide receivers coach, accepted a position at Boston College.
Ludwig, who came to K-State from Utah, was considered to be a great offensive hire by head coach Bill Snyder after helping guide the Utes to a 13-0 record and a win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl this past season as offensive coordinator.
While no official announcement has been made by K-State regarding Ludwig’s departure, California head coach Jeff Tedford announced the hiring on Friday through a press release on the Golden Bears’ Web site.
“I am happy and excited to have Andy join our staff,” Tedford said in the release. “I’ve kept in touch with him over the years and followed his career, and we have a lot of history together. Andy is an excellent coach, which is evident by his guiding Utah to an undefeated record last year. He is an outstanding offensive coordinator and play-caller.”
It is unsure who will replace Ludwig, but Dana Dimel would be the logical choice on the current staff that remains in place.
Dimel, who served as K-State’s offensive coordinator under Snyder from 1995-96 and later returned in 2005 as a graduate assistant, spent the last three seasons at Arizona where he was associate head coach and tights ends/running backs coach.
One has to wonder what will now come of offensive line coach Charlie Dickey, who came to K-State from Utah with Ludwig.
K-State’s coaching staff, as things stand now, includes Chris Cosh (co-defensive coordinator), Vic Koenning (co-defensive coordinator), Joe Bob Clements (defensive ends), Jeff Rodgers (special teams/recruiting), and Mo Latimore (defensive line).
Former KSU assistant Del Miller is still expected to join the staff eventually.
- Blog post
- 1 year ago
- Views: 828
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Freeman on the move? Freeman on the move?
- From: Josh_Kinder
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Description:
Kansas State's Josh Freeman is starting to create some buzz at the NFL Combine this week with one report from the Newark Star-Ledger indicating that the New York Jets are considering the junior quarterback with the 17th overall pick. Georgia's Matthew Stafford and USC's Mark Sanchez continue to be the top of the quarterback class at the combine, which transitions into the physical portion of the testing on Saturday.
With the retirement of Brett Favre, the Jets' roster of QBs includes Kellen Clemens, Erik Ainge and Brett Ratliff. Keep in mind too that the Jets also have a new head coach, so nobody really knows yet how the offense will look.
Profootball.com reported that Freeman wasted no time trying to sell himself to the league, comparing himself to the Pittsburgh Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger and the Philadelphia Eagles' Donovan McNabb.
"Ben Roethlisberger for the size and ability to move around the pocket and extend the play," Freeman said. "And also Donovan McNabb, just the way he harnesses his athletic ability and is still able to sit in the pocket and be a pocket-passer."
Let me know what you think Wildcat Nation. Just how good can Freeman be? Is he good enough to play right away? Are his comparisons accurate? Anyone notice he didn't compare himself to JaMarcus Russell of the Oakland Raiders, one of the original comparisons that was made of Freeman by former head coach Ron Prince?
- Blog post
- 1 year ago
- Views: 631
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Lehning going into the Bramlag Lehning going into the Bramlage rafters
- From: Josh_Kinder
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Description:
She may not be playing right now, but Shalee Lehning still had a good day on Thursday when she found out she'll have her jersey retired following Kansas State's home game with Texas A&M on March 1.
Lehning, who is "day-to-day" with mononucleosis, will be the fifth women's jersey hung in the Bramlage Coliseum rafters — joining Kendra Wecker, Nicole Ohlde and the two Wildcats greats who will be honored at halftime of the same KSU game against the Aggies, Tammie Romstad (1978-82) and Priscilla Gary (1981-83).
The senior point guard has missed two straight games with mono, but is to be re-evaluated on Friday before her status for Saturday's home game with Colorado is determined.
This season Lehning is averaging eight assists a game — ranking first in the Big 12 and second nationally. Her 176 assists this season set the school record for assists by a senior and ranks fourth in school history for a season behind her own previous season totals.
Lehning, who was an All-Big 12 first-team selection last season, already has the school record for career assists with 747 and is third in Big 12 history. Her 869 rebounds rank fourth in school history. Lehning is the only player in Big 12 history to post at least 1,000 points, 800 rebounds, and 700 assists for a career. - Blog post
- 1 year ago
- Views: 288
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KSU women face more adversity KSU women face more adversity
- From: Josh_Kinder
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Description:
While losing senior Shalee Lehning is clearly a blow to the Wildcats, if freshman Jalana Childs come anywhere close to doing what she did Sunday on a consistent basis, Kansas State will be just fine for a while. The 6-foot-2 native of Orlando, Fla., had career highs with 14 points and 16 rebounds in her first-ever start.
Lehning, who is considered day-to-day with mononucleosis, had her consecutive games started streak snapped at 116.
Losing Lehning changes this team dramatically, especially on the perimeter where she can create so many of her shots by driving the lane and commanding so much attention. But with Ashley Sweat, Marlies Gipson, and now maybe Childs inside, K-State could have a trio of big-time posts to feed the ball to the rest of the regular season — sprinkled with a few outside bombs from Kincaid (the temporary point guard) and Kelsey Nelson, who was big off the bench Sunday.
Kincaid, who was basically point-guard-in-waiting for next season anyway, showed in the Wildcats' win over Oklahoma State that she is capable of playing the point role with five points and six assists. Though not flashy, and not exactly always the most smooth, she didn't make costly mistakes. She is what she is — steady, smart, and still a great shooter if she can get free for good looks.
Look, losing Lehning anytime is bad and... um... scary for Wildcats fans. But KSU still has six games remaining on its regular season schedule before the Big 12 tournament begins on March 12. If she can bounce back, get rested, and beat this deal, she might be back at near full strength when it matters most for the Cats. - Blog post
- 1 year ago
- Views: 352
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Lehning won't start against Ok Lehning won't start against Oklahoma State
- From: Josh_Kinder
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Description:
Kansas State senior point guard Shalee Lehning will not play Sunday against Oklahoma State. Lehning is reportedly battling mononucleosis and is considered day-to-day. She missed practice this week, though is suited up on the sideline. Freshman forward Jalana Childs will start in her place, with Kari Kincaid handling point guard duties.
Lehning has started 116 consecutive games dating back to Dec. 6, 2005. Her consecutive starts was tied for the nation's second-longest active streak with Connecticut's Renee Montgomery.
- Blog post
- 1 year ago
- Views: 271
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Beasley deserving of criticism Beasley deserving of criticism
- From: Josh_Kinder
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Description:
There is no disputing that former Kansas State all-American Michael Beasley hasn't exactly set the NBA on fire his rookie season. In fact, the Miami Heat forward has been the topic of a lot of criticism of late for his inconsistency.
ESPN's Bill Simmons wrote this week that, "If Michael Beasley wasn't such a colossal disappointment and semi-fraud, the 2008 draft could have ranked among the best ever."
Simmons went on to say that Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jeff Green is a, "Great teammate, tough as nails, gives a crap, does whatever you need. He's the anti-Beasley."
In a way, I agree with Simmons, at least with the first part... that Beasley, so far, has been a disappointment. While he's averaging 13.3 points a game, the once-Wildcat rebounding machine is only grabbing 5.3 boards a game. He scored 21 points on Thursday night against Chicago — a little redeeming — but that’s after scoring just four against Charlotte and seven against Denver the previous two games.
I guess it could be worse. Just check out Bill Walker's tough road to the NBA, then to the D-league, back to the NBA, and then to the Boston Celtics' bench.
It is worth noting that former Wildcat Cartier Martin is on his second 10-day contract with the Charlotte Bobcats, averaging 6.3 points a game, including a career-high 11 scored against Atlanta on Feb. 6. - Blog post
- 1 year ago
- Views: 666
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