12C BASKETBALL PREVIEW
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2007
SEASON PREVIEW
Senior leaders still matter for young Wildcats
BY RUSTIN DODD
rdodd@kansan.com
David Hoskins doesn't want to seem selfish, but Kansas State's 6-foot-5 senior forward can't help but feel a little overlooked. Hoskins was Kansas State's second-leading scorer last year with 14.5 points per game. The Canton, Mich., native also helped KState to its first postseason appearance since 1998-99, while being named to the coaches' All-Big 12 second team.
didn't register a vote.
But most of the hype coming out of Manhattan this preseason has surrounded incoming freshman and McDonald's All-American Michael Beasley and Bill Walker, who returns after a season-ending knee injury. Both Beasley and Walker earned honorable mention in the coaches' preseason All-Big 12 team, while Haskins
"A lot of the coaches in the Big 12 had no votes for me to be All-Big 12, and for me being a player that was last year All-Big 12 second team, I feel like I have a lot to prove," Hoskins said.
Despite the preseason slight from the coaches, Hoskins will have to play a significant leadership role for a Kansas State team trying to snap two streaks this season. Kansas State hasn't reached the NCAA tournament since 1995-96 and hasn't defeated Kansas at Bramlage Coliseum since 1983.
Former coach Bob Huggins led Kansas State to a 23-12 record and a 10-6 record in the Big 12. But Kansas State was left out of the NCAA tournament and had to settle for the Big 12. Now Huggins is gone, and first-year coach Frank Martin takes over for his mentor.
Last year's senior class featured three talented players in guard/forward Carter Martin and guards Lance Harris and Akeem Wright. Those three accounted for 34 points per game last season.
This year's Kansas State squad is talented but young. Beasley might be the most talented player Kansas State has had since former NBA All-Star Mitch Ritchmond suited up for the Wildcats. He will be expected to score, rebound and handle enormous expectations. Meanwhile, Walker, a 6-16 forward from Huntington, WVa., returns for his second season in Manhattan, but retains his freshman eligibility. Walker was granted a medical red-shirt after tearing his ACL in his sixth game last season.
6-foot-9 forward Ron Anderson, 6-foot-10 forward Fred Brown and 6-foot-1 guard Jacob Pullen join Beasley and
Walker in the crowded freshman class. "I'm going to have to start doing like football coaches do, like put names on their foreheads." Martin said. "We've got so many first-year guys it's hard to remember them every day."
Martin will have to lean on Hoskins and his other senior veterans for leadership as his freshman class develops. Senior guards Clent Stewart and Blake Young both played nearly 20 minutes per game last year, and James Franklin is a walk-on guard who played high school basketball with Kansas junior center Matt Kleinmann at Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park.
Martin said Hoskins, Stewart and Young have been crucial in the development of the freshmen.
"All of our new guys would have no chance to succeed in the Big 12 if
Kansas State guard Blake Young dribbles past Kansas guard Russell Robinson in a game last year. Young, along with the Wildcats' other seniors, will provide leadership as the team's talented freshmen develop.
we didn't have guys like those three to show them the way'. Martin said.
So while the attention and the preseason accolades go to Beasley and Walker, Kansas State's most important player could be Hoskins. Martin said he knew how crucial
Hoskins would be this season.
"David was a second-team all-conference player last year. You don't become that unless you have some substance to back it up." Martin said.
— Edited by Matt Erickson
The law could be Tigers' biggest obstacle
BY MIKE BUSHNELL
THE MANEATER
COLUMBIA, Mo. — To paraphrase Winston Churchill, forecasting how Missouri will do is a riddle, wrapped in an enigma, with a side of felony battery and misdemeanor assault thrown in. The Tigers went 18-12 last year, and coach Mike Anderson has never missed the NCAA Tournament in his second year anywhere he has gone, either as an assistant or head coach.
But Missouri was hurt badly when Kalen Grimes was charged this past summer with felony assault for allegedly hitting a man in the face
Missouri returns nearly every major player from that team. Add in 6-foot-8 transfer DeMarre Carroll, and the Tigers should have had the pieces to make a run to the NCAA Tournament.
with the butt of a shotgun outside a Dairy Queen in suburban St. Louis. Grimes, naturally, was kicked off the team, although he still takes classes here in Columbia.
And just last week, 6 foot-7 senior forward Darryl Butterfield was charged with third-degree assault for allegedly hitting his ex-girlfriend in the face. He has been suspended, but if Anderson's no-tolerance policy really is no-tolerance, then he should be gone as well.
The loss of Grimes and maybe Butterfield will leave the Tigers in deep trouble inside. The Tigers already play small ball, but they need some semblance of size inside to compete with guys like Texas A&M forward Joseph Jones and Kansas center Sasha Kaun.
The Tigers began to break down towards the end of last season because their defensive struggles
caught up to them. They let Baylor, of all teams, score 97 points against them in the Big 12 Tournament, which is not a good sign.
But Anderson can coach, and he has a group of players who can turn any game into a track meet. Senior guard Stef昂 Hannah led the Tigers with 15.4 points per game, and there's no reason why, with a season in this system under his belt, he can't be even more explosive.
Sophomore guard Keon Lawrence played great during this summer's Jersey Shore League in Belmar, N.J., and should have another solid year. He finished the season scoring in double figures in eight straight games, and he is also a strong rebounder at the two-guard spot.
Junior forward Matt Lawrence will also need to continue his rapid improvement. He went from 1.5 points per game in 2005-06 to 11.2
last season. Obviously, nobody expects him to improve by 10 more points this season, but he has a great outside shot, and when it's on, Missouri is very dangerous.
But without any major rebounding options outside of Carroll, the Tigers could break down. Missouri has to hope the charge against Butterfield is untrue, or the team could $b^{2}$ in a lot of trouble come Big 12 play.
The Tigers have a shot at making the NCAA tournament this year if the top eight players on this team — all of which, except Grimes, return — continue their rapid ascension from last year and also don't burn themselves out the way they did last February.
As long as they stay out of jail.
— Edited by Matt Erickson
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