Wildcats Host Wisconsin-Green Bay Tuesday
Nov 18, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 18, 2001
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Game No. 2
Wisconsin-Green Bay at Kansas State
Date:Tuesday, Nov. 20
Tipoff:7:06 p.m. (Central)
Location:Manhattan, Kan.
Arena:Bramlage Coliseum (13,500)
Radio:Wildcat Radio Network (Flagship station: WIBW 580 in Topeka): Voice of the Wildcats Greg Sharpe (play-by-play) and Bruce Steinbrock (color) have the call.
Television: Metro Sports: Former Voice of the Wildcats Mitch Holthus (play-by-play) and Ben Boyle (color) have the call. Satellite coordinates for the telecast are SBS 6, transponder 9, downlink 11921 H.
Quick Hitters...
*Tonight's contest marks the first-ever meeting between Kansas State and Wisconsin-Green Bay.
* With the Wildcats' 64-60 win over Troy State on Friday, K-State has won its last eight home openers and 15 of its last 18 season openers.
*Seniors Travis Reynolds and Larry Reid, who scored 15 points apiece, led the Wildcats in their win over the Trojans. Reynolds notched his ninth career double-double as he added 11 rebounds.
*K-State is 18-4 (.818) in the month of November over the past six seasons.
* Kansas State is in its 98th season of basketball. The Wildcats have an all-time record of 1,298-930 (.583). They will become the 39th program in Division I history to reach the 1,300-win plateau with two more victories.
* Head coach Jim Wooldridge is in his second season in charge of the Wildcats and welcomes eight new players (five freshmen/three junior college transfers) to the current 14-man roster.
* K-State has recorded a winning homecourt record for 55 straight seasons. The 'Cats have posted an all-time mark of 141-57 (.712) in Bramlage Coliseum.
Kansas State's Projected Starters
F3Quentin Buchanan6-7200Jr.
F5Travis Reynolds6-7210Sr.
F44Pervis Pasco6-9218Jr.
G11Larry Reid6-0170Sr.
G32Gilson DeJesus6-5215Jr.
Wisconsin-Green Bay's Projected Starters
F44Kevin Hughes6-7215So.
C34Greg Babcock6-9235Jr.
G24Aaron Shaw6-5180So.
G3Greg Monfre5-11175So.
G5DeVante Blanks5-10175Fr.
KSU-Troy State Postgame Notes...
* Kansas State started senior Larry Reid and junior Gilson DeJesus at the guard positions, senior Travis Reynolds, junior Quentin Buchanan and junior Pervis Pasco at the forward slots... It was the first starts for DeJesus and Pasco in their Wildcat careers... Reid started his 30th straight game for Kansas State.
* Kansas State has now won six of its last seven season openers, including two in a row... The Wildcats are 75-23 all-time in season openers.
*Kansas State has now won eight straight home openers dating back to the 1994-95 season... The Wildcats are 77-21 all-time in home openers over their 98-year history... K-State has posted a 12-2 mark in its 14 season-openers in Bramlage Coliseum... Head coach Jim Wooldridge is 13-2 all-time in home openers as a head coach, including 2-0 at Kansas State.
* Reid turned in an all-around performance for the Wildcats, as he posted a team-tying 15 points to go with eight rebounds and seven assists... It was the seventh time in his career he has led or tied for the team lead in scoring... His eight rebounds were the most since he had a career-high 12 against Tennessee State on Nov. 28, 2000... His seven assists were the most since he had eight at Missouri on Feb. 10, 2001.*In his first game at Kansas State, Pasco tallied 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting and eight rebounds in 32 minutes of action... The Wildcats' other first-year starter, DeJesus added four points and one rebound.
*Kansas State trailed Troy State at halftime, 34-32... The Wildcats outshot the Trojans from the field in the first half, 46.4 percent to 38.9 percent... However, K-State turned the ball over 11 times compared TSU's eight.
Wisconsin-Green Bay at-A-Glance...
*Tonight's game marks the second contest for the Phoenix as it opened the 2001-02 campaign with a 48-47 loss to UMKC on Saturday. Greg Babcock led UW-Green Bay in both scoring (11) and rebounding (12).
* Wisc.-Green Bay is facing its first Big 12 opponent since the 1995-96 season when it matched up with Texas A&M (league formed in 1996-97), also in the second game of the year. The Phoenix downed the Aggies, 60-49.
*The Phoenix returns three starters and 11 letterwinners from an 11-17 team that finished seventh in the nine team Midwestern Collegiate Conference. The league was renamed this past summer to the Horizon League, but maintains the same membership.
*UW-Green Bay has reached postseason play six times (4 NCAAs/2 NITs) in the past 12 seasons, with the last appearance coming in the 1996 NCAA Tournament.
*The Phoenix was one of the winningest programs of the 1990's. UW-Green Bay posted the 19th-best winning percentage (211-90/.701) during the previous decade. The 211 victories were also tied for 23rd on the list of most total wins.
First-Time Meetings...
* The Wildcats are opening the season with two first-time opponents. K-State dowed Troy State 64-60 in the season opener and now faces Wisconsin-Green Bay for the first time. Later in the non-conference season KSU will match up Gardner-Webb and Fairleigh Dickinson, both first time meetings.
Wildcats in Exhibition Play...
* The Wildcats snapped a seven-game exhibition losing streak (last win: 97-89 over California All-Stars, Nov. 10, 1997) with their 74-64 win over NBC Thunder on Thursday, Nov. 8. Larry Reid and Matt Siebrandt scored 16 points apiece for K-State, which trailed by as many as 11 in the second half. Siebrandt also hit double figures in rebounds with 10, while Travis Reynolds added eight points and 15 rebounds.
*K-State dropped its exhibition opener to Global Sports, 58-57, on Nov. 1 when Darrell McClinton nailed a three-pointer as time expired. Reid scored a game-high 14 points and dished out five assists in just 25 minutes of action. Junior transfer Pervis Pasco scored nine points and hauled in a game-high 16 rebounds.
*In the two preseason games, Reid led the Wildcats in scoring (15.0 ppg), assists (4.0 pg), steals (2.0 pg) and minutes played (29.5 pg), while Pasco (12.5 rpg) and Reynolds (11.5 rpg) controlled the glass.
K-State vs. The Horizon League...
*K-State has faced only one of the nine teams in the Horizon League, which includes Butler, Cleveland State, Detroit, Illinois-Chicago, Loyola, UW-Milwaukee, Wright State and Youngstown State.
*The Wildcats own a 2-4 mark with Loyola with the last meeting coming in 1999. Loyola downed the Wildcats 69-64 in Chicago.
Picking up Where he Left off...
Despite his stature, senior Larry Reid continues to be the Wildcats go-to player. Reid, who was an honorable mention All-Big 12 performer last season, was close to posting a triple-double in the season opener. The 6-foot point guard scored a team-high 15 points to go along with eight rebounds and seven assists in Friday's 64-60 win over Troy State. He also played a team-high 33 minutes, not far off his 2000-01 average of 34.8, which ranked third in the Big 12 last year.
Doubling up...
Senior Travis Reynolds continues to be a force for the Wildcats not only on the boards, but also in the scoring column. Reynolds, who tied for sixth in the Big 12 last season with six double-doubles, notched his ninth career double-double game. The 6-foot-7 senior is now within striking distance of reaching the Wildcat career top 10. Four players (Deryl Cunningham, 1992-94, Norris Coleman, 1986-87, Jerry Venable, 1969-70, Wally Frank, 1958-60) are all tied for 10th on the chart with 15 career double-double games.
Veteran Leadership...
The Wildcats will certainly look for contributions from their eight newcomers throughout season, but head coach Jim Wooldridge got key buckets and board work from his veterans in the Troy State victory. In fact, the returning players scored 47 of the Wildcats' 64 points, including three of four free throws from junior forward Matt Siebrandt in the last three minutes to seal the win. The newcomers contributed as well, though, as junior Pervis Pasco collected 10 points and eight rebounds, while freshman guard Nick Williams hit a game-sealing one of two free throws with four seconds remaining in the contest.
Charity Stripe Success...The Wildcats, who connected on 54 percent of their free throws during the two-game exhibition season, may have changed their fortunes with a 14-for-20 second-half performance vs. Troy State. That 70-percent final half included some key free throws in the final four minutes which helped seal the win. Junior Quentin Buchanan connnected on a pair of free throws, Matt Siebrandt hit three of four from the charity stripe and freshman Nick Williams hit one of two in the final five seconds. The second half showing is more in line with six returning players performances in 2000-01 when they combined to hit 72.5 percent of the free throws.
Home Cookin'...
With eight new players on this year's roster, the Wildcats hope to acclimate the newcomers in the friendly confines of Bramlage Coliseum. K-State will play nine of its 11 non-conference games at home, including a six-game homestand to start the season. The Wildcats have not played nine home games vs. non-league foes since facing the same number of out of conference teams during the 1991-92 season. The six-game string is also the longest homestand since 1994-95 when the Wildcats played seven straight games at home (11/29/94 - 12/19/94).
'Cats Tough on NCAA Tourney Teams...
Included in the Wildcats' 11 wins last season, a two-game increase over 1999-2000, were three victories over NCAA Tournament teams. In fact, all three of those teams, Hampton, Iowa and Missouri, advanced to the second round of the "Big Dance."
Tough Slate in 2000-01K-State faced a school-record tying 10 ranked opponents last season. The Wildcats faced nine ranked foes in three of the previous six seasons (1999-00, 1996-97, 1994-95) and a school-record 10 in the 1991-92 campaign. Last season, the Wildcats also played Mississippi (12/5/00), which was ranked in the Top 25 most of the season, but not ranked at the time of their meeting. Right now, KSU will face eight ranked teams in addition to Ole Miss, which like last year is not ranked but receiving votes in the preseason AP poll.
What's back in 2001-02 for the Wildcats...
Starters3
Letterwinners6
Points79.8% (1,470 of 1843)
Field Goals79.5% (532 of 669)
Field Goal Attempts77.9 (1,266 of 1,625)
Three-Pointers85.7% (84 of 98)
Three-Point Attempts78.6% (235 of 299)
Free Throws Made93.9% (382 of 407)
Free Throw Attempts71.0% (444 of 625)
Rebounds58.1% (638 of 1,098)
Assists68.2% (238 of 349)
Blocks33.0% (31 of 94)
Steals54.8% (86 of 157)
Cat Chat Kicks Off Monday
Cat Chat with Jim Wooldridge, a live call-in radio show, will air on a weekly basis throughout the season beginning Monday, Nov. 19. The show is hosted by Voice of the Wildcats Greg Sharpe in front of a live audience at the 12th Street Pub in Manhattan.
K-State Recruiting Class Ranked Among Nation's Best...
The Wildcats' 2001-02 recruiting class was ranked 19th on Hoop Scoop's list of the Top 130 recruiting classes in the nation. That was a jump from the fall of 2000 when K-State's signees were ranked 29th on Hoop Scoop's list of the Top 40 fall recruiting classes. In addition, PrepStars had the Wildcats at No. 48 on its Top 50 recruiting classes for the 2001-02 season., while recruiting analyst Bill Hodge had the 'Cats' incoming class of newcomers ranked in the Top 40 nationally. KSU inked three student-athletes in the November 2000 recruiting period, junior college players Gilson DeJesus and Janerio Spurlock, and prepster Nick Williams, along with four more last spring, junior college transfer Pervis Pasco, and freshmen Marcelo DaBarrosa, Travis Canby and Marcus Hayes. CNNSI.com rated the Wildcats' three junior-college transfers among the Top 60 JC sophomores in the country.
Jim Wooldridge at-A-Glance...
*Jim Wooldridge is in his 15th season as a collegiate head coach with an overall record of 241-165 (.594).
*This is his second season as the Wildcat head coach and his fourth career head coaching position (Central Missouri, 1985-91, Southwest Texas 1991-94, Louisiana Tech, 1994-98). Wooldridge is the 20th head coach in the history of the K-State program.
*Before coming to Manhattan last season, Wooldridge served two seasons (1998-99, 1999-2000) as an assistant coach under Tim Floyd with the Chicago Bulls.
*Wooldridge turned around two struggling programs - Southwest Texas and Louisiana Tech - in his career. Wooldridge took over a SWT program in 1991-92 that had posted seven-straight losing seasons. He had them above .500 in year two and in the NCAA Tournament by year three (1993-94). Wooldridge went on to his alma mater, La. Tech, where he took an NCAA probation ridden 2-25 team to 14-13 in his first season on the job (1994-95).
* All three of his assistant coaches (Mike Miller, Robbie Laing, Charles Baker) have served as a head coach at least once during their careers.
