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Wildcats seek to growl despite low ranking
By Mark Button
Kansan sportswriter
The Kansas State Wildcats need to look no further than the Big Eight Conference's preseason predictions for motivation this year.
After coming on late last season, defeating Kansas in the second round of the conference tournament before ultimately losing to Missouri in the title game, the Wildcats are picked to finish seventh in the conference in 1993-94.
"The media has the right to their opinion, and it's our job to prove them wrong," said K-State coach Dana Altman. "It's going to be a very competitive league this year."
To prove the press wrong, Altman said, he would rely heavily on his core of four senior starters.
Seniors guards Anthony Beane and Askia Jones will provide leadership in the backcourt, while forwards Ron Lucas and Deryl Cunningham will be strong up front.
Beane, who has come to be known as a crunchtime player, scoring the game-winning or tying shot in six games last year, said he would continue to want the ball when the game is on the line.
Altman said Beane would definitely be the go-to man in the waning minutes of most contests.
"I've become real confident in myself," he said. "And if the players and coaches want me to, I'm more than willing to take the (last) shot."
"Our team, because of Anthony's work ethic, respects him," Altman said. "They want him to take the shot, hit or miss. I want him to take the last shot, too."
Jones will finally be 100-percent healthy this year after suffering from an ankle injury in 1990 that required three screws to be inserted into his foot. He led K-State in scoring last season with an average of 13.8 points a game and was third on the team in rebounds, with just under five a game.
Cunningham led the team in rebounds last year,
Kansas State
Last Year: 19-11
Big Eight Finish: 7-7, tied for fifth place
Coach: Dana Altman
Record at K-State: 48-40 (3years)
Strength: Experience. The Wildcats return senior starters Anthony Beane, point guard; Deryl Cunningham, forward; and Askia Jones, guard. Jones is finally 100 percent healthy after his 1990 ankle injury and will look to improve on his 13.2 scoring average of last year. Beane, who made several game-winning shots last year, said he wanted the ball at the end of the game. More importantly, his teammates and coach want the ball there, too.
KANSAN
Weakness: Size. At 6-10, freshman center Kevin Lewis is the biggest Wildcat. Altman says his team will hit the boards hard this year, but without a big man, it will be difficult to compete with players such as Oklahoma State's Reeves, 7-0, Kansas' Greg Ostertag, 7-1, and Iowa State's Loren Meyer, 6-11.
with an average of 8.3 boards a game, and should be expected to grab at least that many again in 1993-94.
Lucas, who was steady but not outstanding last year, will be called on to rebound more than ever this year.
With these four experienced seniors, why were they picked seventh?
One word: size.
At 6-foot-10, freshman Kevin Lewis is the tallest of Altman's troops. The starting five, inserting junior Brian Hensen at the off-guard, runs from Hensen at 6-foot-1 to Cunningham and Lucas at 6-foot-7.
"We'll be little again this year," Altman said. "We need to need to emphasis rebounding as a team."
Renee Knoeber/KANSAN
Junior center Greg Ostertag tips the ball over Kansas State's Aaron Collier. The Jayhawks defeated K-State 71-65 at Manhattan last year.The Wildcats, despite being small in size hope to be better than their No.7 Big Eight-preseason ranking.
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