http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/549648.htmlSeason Accomplishments:
1. Beating Kansas at home for the first time since 1983
2. Earning a first-round bye in the Big 12 tournament
3. Appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996
4. Winning their first NCAA Tournament game since 1988
Team Breakdown:
MICHAEL BEASLEY: Without a doubt, Beasley was everything, and more than, K-State expected. He almost single-handedly restored all that once was good about Wildcat basketball. A-plus
BILL WALKER: When he brought it, Walker could be unstoppable. He produced 30-point games against Xavier, Baylor and California. But he also could disappear (zero for 14 against Texas). A-minus
JACOB PULLEN: He always will fondly be remembered as a hero at K-State for his 20-point game that helped end the Kansas streak. But he couldn’t sustain consistency. He didn’t commit a turnover in four of the last five games, and his icy demeanor in the final seconds of the Big 12 opener at Oklahoma served K-State big time. B-plus
DOMINIQUE SUTTON: His block of ku guard Russell Robinson’s shot at Bramlage was a classic moment for the Wildcats. Too bad there weren’t more of them, mostly because Sutton didn’t play a full season. B
CLENT STEWART: A preseason injury forced him to skip the opener, and later he missed two games in early February because of his mother’s death. Stewart had his best rebounding season, and his best scoring average as a Wildcat (6.7). He had 18 turnovers in the final six games, but he will be remembered for his marriage proposal on Senior Day that ended up on ESPN’s top 10 plays. B-minus
RON ANDERSON: His 10-point, eight-rebound performance against USC in the NCAA Tournament provided a glimpse of his potential. There wasn’t enough of that, however, in the regular season. B-minus
CHRIS MERRIEWETHER: When a walk-on earns three starts, it speaks volumes about him. Merriewether’s hard-working style endeared him to the staff, especially on the defensive end. B-minus
DARREN KENT: Slowly, Kent has progressed during his K-State career, but probably not as much as was hoped. He still hits an occasional three-point shot. C-plus
BLAKE YOUNG: He leaves with the school’s longest active games streak at 67. Young scored 22 points in the season opener, but his offense really tailed off down the stretch. C-plus
FRED BROWN: If he hadn’t shown up against Xavier, K-State might have lost by 50. Brown pumped in 25 points, including five of six from three-point range. But he failed to provide much consistency in the Big 12. C
JAMES FRANKLIN: How cool was it when a guy who played high school in the Kansas City area (Blue Valley West), who rarely plays, sank a three-point basket when the Wildcats beat Florida A&M at the Sprint Center? C
ANDRE GILBERT: When Gilbert returned from a five-game suspension in mid-February, he never appeared quite the same. Gilbert, who was a three-point threat when he scored 22 against Rider and 16 against Oregon, never notched more than seven points in a Big 12 game. D-plus
LUIS COLON: Colon’s physical presence helped K-State in preparation for opponents, but the Wildcats never got enough out of him at game time. Colon scored one point the last eight games he played, and rarely showed in games any development between his freshman and sophomore seasons. D-minus
COACHING STAFF: Starting the Big 12 at 5-0 made Martin look like coach of the year, but a four-game skid ended that idea. One-upping USC’s Tim Floyd may have answered any fence-sitters who questioned Martin’s skills. B
HIGHLIGHT: No hesitation here. It occurred Jan. 30 at Bramlage Coliseum. That’s when and where K-State snapped a 24-game home-court losing streak to Kansas with an 84-75 triumph. Ecstatic Wildcat fans flooded the floor after Michael Beasley’s team-high 25 points paved the route to euphoria.
LOWLIGHT: As bad as the 103-77 pounding was on Dec. 31 at Xavier, nothing was worse than the four-game conference losing streak that ended any hopes of a Big 12 championship.
TEAM MVP: That conversation begins, and ends, with Beasley. He rewrote the record book as a freshman, averaging 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds, and shooting 53 percent from the field. Beasley could solidify his status as the best player in school history if he decides to stick around next season, but he already may have achieved that status even if he is one-and-done.
BIGGEST SURPRISE: He showed, even in his assistant days, that he can be animated, passionate, in your face. But if the over-and-under on coach Frank Martin’s total of technical fouls was one and you wagered over, you lost. Martin never got T’d up in 2007-08.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Off-court issues that sidetracked a good thing K-State had going. First, Andre Gilbert was suspended before the home game against Kansas for violation of team rules. And in the hours after the historic victory over the Jayhawks, associate head coach Dalonte Hill was stopped and eventually formally charged with DUI and first refusal of a preliminary breath analysis. The Wildcats would lose their next game at Missouri, and six of their next nine.
REASON TO HOPE FOR 2008-09: Freshmen Jacob Pullen, Dominique Sutton and Ron Anderson showed at times they are worth building a team around. K-State is looking for junior-college help, as it offered guard Buchi Awaji of Citrus College in Glendora, Calif., a scholarship, according to GoPowercat.com. He also has offers from Nebraska and Georgia Tech.
REASON TO MOPE FOR 2008-09: If Michael Beasley and Bill Walker leave (or even just Beasley) the Wildcats have some serious questions to answer, much of it focused on who scores the points.
Back in '08-'09 - Jacob Pullen, Fred Brown, Andre Gilbert, Jamar Samuels, Dominique Sutton, Chris Merriewether, Ron Anderson, Darren Kent and Luis Colon
Definitely gone - Blake Young, Clent Stewart and James Franklin
Probably gone - Bill Walker and Michael Beasley
*Where does David Hoskins fit into the picture?
I guess the big question is.....What do we do with those 3-5 roster spots?
