wednesdav. october 29, 2003
sports
the university daily kansan 5B
K-State's Hayden more fit
By Louie Novak Kansas State Collegian via U-Wire Kansas State University
MANHATTAN — The focus at the 2003-04 Kansas State men's basketball media day was on all of the new faces on this year's squad.
Everyone, it seemed, was anxious to get a look and fire questions regarding the four freshmen and three junior college transfers who are expected to fill some big holes this season for the Wildcats.
However, arguably the most impressive "new face" on the court at Bramlage Coliseum was none other than 6-foot-7 sophomore forward Marques Hayden.
Hayden is coming off a freshman campaign in which he saw action in all 30 games, starting once and averaging seven points, 4.5 rebounds and 18.7 minutes per game.
With last year's starting front line gone, fourth-year coach Jim Wooldridge is asking players to step up and take over those vacant roles.
Hayden is one of those players expected to fill the void, and he has definitely responded by stressing his conditioning and watching his diet while losing 35 pounds this past offseason.
When asked what kind of effect Hayden's weight loss will have on his game, Wooldridge seemed optimistic.
"But the thing is, just because you lose 30 pounds, that doesn't mean you're going to average 30 point. Losing the weight is great, but I know that I still have to play the game of basketball."
Marques Hayden Sophomore forward
Senior guard Tim Ellis agreed that Hayden's dramatic weight loss has improved his basketball skills.
pounds with him."
"Marques looks really good," Ellis said. "He is much more aggressive now and runs the floor better. Losing the weight has made him much quicker. We expect him to be real good."
Hayden said part of his conditioning lies in being older and more mature than he was when he came to K-State last year as a freshman.
He claimed he knew he was out of shape last loss and that his weight loss was a natural thing and would have happened sooner or later.
"I came in tipping the scales at 261," Hayden said. "Coach Wooldridge always emphasized that I would have to lose the weight and get in better condition. Last season was a disappointment for me personally. I
was fat and out of shape. I just wasn't mentally tough enough. I hope to be better this year."
Hayden did not shy away from the fact that he is still adjusting to his new 228-pound body.
"It is still a little different," Hayden said. "When I jump to take a shot float in the air left to right because I am so light. Now I have to get lower in the post because all the big guys want to block me in."
For a player whose game relied on his strength down low, Hayden doesn't see his lighter frame as a potential problem this year.
So how did Hayden lose all that weight?
"I am much sturdier now." Hayden said. "The weight loss has given me more endurance and less stress on my joints."
"I had to give up the sweets," Hayden said. "I refined my diet and did more running. I had to cut out the Krispy Kreme doughnuts back home and the calls to Gumby's here. Raw broccoli and grapes are my snack now."
Hayden has set out to help his team anyway he can this season, and when asked if he feels his work ethic has filtered through to the rest of the team, he said he wasn't sure—but he hoped so.
"I don't know if it directly has," Hayden said. "Hopefully it has a little bit. But the thing is, just because you lose 30 pounds, that doesn't mean you're going to average 30 points. Losing the weight is great, but I know that I still have to play the game of basketball."
Spurs' new team uncertain
The Associated Press
Can Tony Parker forgive and forget that the Spurs wanted to give his job to Jason Kidd?
SAN ANTONIO — Four months after winning their second NBA title, the San Antonio Spurs are awash in new faces and abounding with big questions.
Can Tim Duncan play as comfortably with Rasho Nesterovic as he did with David Robinson?
Can Robert Horry help San Antonio in the ways he used to hurt the Spurs?
And, the biggest question of all: Can the Spurs fend off the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas and the rest of the beefed-up Western Conference and repeat as champions?
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich doesn't have the answers yet. He's still trying to settle a roster that features only six returning players.
"I won't know what we have until January or the All-Star break," Popovich said. "Tim Duncan is the kind of player that ensures we play at a certain level. Championship play is another thing."
The biggest acquisition was Nesterovic, who has the daunting task of replacing Robinson. A 7-footer from Slovenia, the Spurs acquired Nesterovic from the Timberwolves last season.
K-State recruits from heart of Texas
By Joel Reichenberger Kansas State Collegian via U-wire Kansas State University
Cartier Martin had heard of Kansas State.
As a sophomore at Nimitz High School in Houston, he had only a rough idea of where the school was.
He certainly never expected to play there, at least not until he first met a K-State coach.
"I like the coaches and the staff, and I got along with the players when I came on my visit," Martin said. "They were one of the first to recruit me. That was a big thing."
The core of the class, like Martin, is from Texas.
Martin, along with three other freshmen and three junior college transfers, is a part of one of the most highly touted basketball recruiting classes to grace the K-State campus.
Since he took the reigns three seasons ago, coach Jim Wooldridge has been waiting for a recruiting class like this.
For three years he pulled junior college talent to plug holes and make do.
Now, for the first time, he was
able to spread his recruiting roots deep into the heart of Texas.
"It's a big state," Wooldridge said. "They develop players. There's so many of them down there that you have to go. Maybe its one of those nationally well-kept secrets."
If the recruiting gurus have anything to say about it, he was immensely successful.
Wooldridge stole the crown jewels of his recruiting class from a state better known for its Friday night football.
Martin was rated 72nd-best prospect by Rivals.com and rated as high as No.41 by other publications.
He was designated a Parade magazine All-American player and was selected to the 5A all-state squad.
"He's going to be a mismatch player. There are not many guards 6-foot-7 and he handles the ball like a guard," senior Jarrett Hart said. "I think he's going to be guarded by a lot of people who are shorter than him."
Dez Willingham, a point guard from DeSoto, Texas, may be just as important.
He was the No. 18 player in the nation by PrepStars and was a
four-year starter at DeSoto High School.
He was also named to the 5A all-state squad and capped a prolific senior season with a 24-point performance, leading his team and being named MVP of the state championship game.
Which Texas star was the bigger prospect can be debated, but which one had the most influence isn't up for discussion.
Willingham was one of the first of the new class to commit, and having a sparkplug point guard in the pocket early proved to be a valuable asset in the recruiting wars.
It was even enough to sell a school in the hills of Kansas to a small forward from Houston.
"Dez Willingham, he's a penetrator who can shoot the ball and get it to you," Martin said. "He was a big influence on me. He is going to be the point guard for the next three years. He signed before I did, and that was the biggest part of my decision in coming here."
Willingham and Martin both come from a winning background, and they may offer K-State its best chance to win as well.
"I looked at the team and I saw where I could come in and help in
certain ways." Martin said. "I'm just glad to be able to play. I'm playing with some big-time guys. I'm just happy to come in and be able to do my part."
The blueprints have already been laid for Willingham, though.
He was a key figure in turning around his high school's basketball fortunes.
"I came here to build the program back up to the top," he said. "My high school was kind of like this. All three years we didn't go to playoffs and the last year we won state, so I'm kind of used to building a program."
For Wooldridge, who has been courting these players since their sophomore seasons, seeing Martin and Willingham join his returning players on the court beckons a sigh of relief.
"It really is an early phase, a building-block phase, and it gives us a chance to do it again next season," he said. "That's the ticket in this league: Getting quality players in your program and nurturing them along over a four-year period.
"To keep adding those quality players so that you don't have that big turnover and you're not losing too much at one time — it's a good feeling."
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