Published Saturday January 30, 2016
KSU's long road
By Future Hackwriter
The thought occurred on Saturday morning right about the time Digger Phelps picked up his red marker, the one that matched his maize tie, not to mention the shirts worn by 8,000 screaming students sitting behind the ESPN crew at Hilton Coliseum.
Why wasn't Digger wearing purple? Why weren't the ESPN boys at the "Octagon of Doom" with 12,000 purple zonies serenading them?
The question may occur to you, too, on Tuesday night when 11th-ranked Iowa State invades Bramlage with a team that looks good and talented enough to challenge near the top of the Big 12 and make at least a Sweet 16-type run in March.
The Cyclones have lapped the Wildcats in hoops. How in the name of Doc, Miss Kitty and Marshall Dillon did this happen?
It happened because Iowa State rolled the dice and won big.
This is not another lecture on Wildcat Hoops. Promise. But it seems a good time to point out the differences in the two programs, in light of this past week, when an 0-5 start in the Big 12 brought out some wolves looking for oscar Weber. Which was a first.
If Wildcat fans are in a hurry to win in Big 12 hoops, they should have hired Fred Hoiberg six years ago.
There are two ways for schools with little tradition or momentum to make a move in a monster league like the Big 12: the fast way and the slow way. Both come with risks.
Iowa State chose the expedient route, or short cut, if you prefer. After the 2012-13 season, it offered the job to Hoiberg, the super young, inexperienced, and untested first-time coach. "The Mayor" gave ISU instant credibility in the recruiting community. Hoiberg has proven to be a good motivator and bench coach along with being able to bring in the talent via troubled transfers. Meanwhile, folks who are waiting for ISU to get hit by the NCAA are still waiting.
K-State, meanwhile, took the measured approach. The safe approach. Find the experienced coach at a program whose expectations are too high, or the hot mid-major coach, a builder, give him a long-term deal and let him go. Sometimes it works, sometimes you get Tom Asbury. Not every mid-major genius translates to the cesspool of AAU middle men and family handlers. A lot of them drown.
Weber won't wade into the pool. He's taken the traditional route. Will it work? It's still early.
Here's the deal: Iowa State wanted to win in hoops more than K-State did. Or, the Cyclone fans felt a stronger sense of urgency. Much of that urgency comes from having such a moribund football program machine. KSU doesn't feel such pressure.
Then again, the “splash" hire and the quick fix aren't in the Kansas State athletic handbook. Would you have wanted Hoiberg and his constant transfers in and out?
“I'm totally comfortable with how Kansas State did it compared to Iowa State," said Jay Heidrick, the former Wildcat (1997 to '99) forward. “Iowa State did a lot of things we would never do and I'm OK with that."
I think that a lot of folks would concur, which put the criticism of oscar Weber this week into focus for me. Look, it's more than OK to criticize a coach in his fourth year. People who care about Wildcat Hoops should wonder about Weber's offense or whether he can win consistently at this level. It's a good thing.
The critics should also remember that KSU chose to take the long way home. What did people expect? Weber had to deal with an extreme set of attitude issues last year and ended up cleaning house. He's had some bad breaks. He's made some mistakes. He has some newcomers who look promising, but they may or may not pan out. And they're feeling their way against a monster of a league.
But the wolves this week also brought this reminder: When it comes to big-time hoops, KSU likes to pay lip service. It says it wants it. But how bad? Why else snap up a coach who was just fired from his last job? Say what you want about Iowas State's approach, but it put its money where its mouth was.
“I think it's OK to ask where are we in year four," Heidrick said. “But I get perturbed at the criticism because people don't understand what oscar has to work with. He has no senior leaders and had to start fresh with essentially the youngest team in the league. It's hard. I say, when he has caught up with his peers in player experience, then you can be critical of oscar."
I look at it this way: At least some people still care to coach and play the game the right way.
