Game 21:
Kansas State (13-7, 3-6 Big 12) at 23/22 Texas (15-7, 4-5 Big 12)
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Frank Erwin Center (16,755)
Austin, Texas
Tipoff: 12:47 p.m. CST
Television: ESPN+Plus (ESPN Regional Television). Big 12 syndicated telecast. Available on WIBW-TV (CBS) in Topeka and Manhattan, KSCC (UPN) in Wichita and WDAF (Fox) in Kansas City. Fred White (play-by-play) and Reid Gettys (color) will serve as the on-air talent.
Radio: Live across the 29-station Mid America Sports Network. A live audio stream will also be available on www.k-statesports.com. Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play) and Ben Boyle (color) will call the action.
The Records: Kansas State is 13-7 and 3-6 in Big 12 play after a 74-65 loss to 3/3 Kansas at home on Wednesday. Texas is 15-7 and 4-5 in Big 12 play after a 88-79 loss at Colorado on Tuesday.
The Rankings: Texas is rated a consensus top 25 team in both major polls, ranking 22nd in the USA Today/ ESPN Coaches’ Top 25 and 23rd in the Associated Press Top 25. K-State is not ranked.
K-State Coach Jim Wooldridge: Wooldridge (Louisiana Tech ’77) is in his fifth season at Kansas State and owns a record of 64-72 (.471). He has amassed a 293-219 (.572) all-time record in this his 18th season as a collegiate head coach. He is 2-3 against Texas, including 0-3 on the road.
Texas Coach Rick Barnes: Barnes (Lenoir-Rhyne ’77) is 156-65 (.706) in his seventh season at Texas and 358-199 (.643) in his 18th season as a head coach. He is 4-2 against K-State.
The Series: Kansas State leads the series, 8-5. However, Texas owns a 4-2 advantage in games played in Austin, including a four-game win streak. Last season, the Wildcats upset the 10th-ranked Longhorns, 58-48, on ESPN. K-State has not won in Austin since a 51-43 victory on Jan. 8, 1983.
Officials: Announced on game day.
Kansas State - Projected Starters
5 Clent Stewart G 6-4 195 Fr. 5.5 ppg., 3.9 apg.
12 Fred Peete G 6-4 200 So. 13.7 ppg., 4.8 rpg.
15 Jeremiah Massey F 6-7 220 Sr. 17.5 ppg., 6.4 rpg.
20 Cartier Martin F 6-7 220 So. 10.9 ppg., 5.2 rpg.
55 Tyler Hughes F 6-11 240 So. 2.8 ppg., 3.1 rpg.
Key Reserves
1 Schyler Thomas G 6-0 185 Jr. 1.6 ppg., 0.4 rpg.
3 Lance Harris G 6-5 190 So. 8.2 ppg., 2.5 apg.
4 Curtis Allen G 6-4 200 Fr. 1.1 ppg., 0.4 rpg.
40 Travis Canby F 6-10 237 Sr. 0.7 ppg., 0.8 rpg.
54 Justin Williams F 6-10 245 Sr. 3.4 ppg., 3.7 rpg.
Injuried
21 Dramane Diarra F 6-8 245 Sr. 0.0 ppg., 0.0 rpg.
23 Marques Hayden F 6-7 225 Jr. 6.8 ppg., 5.3 rpg.
Texas - Projected Starters
1 Daniel Gibson G 6-2 190 Fr. 14.1 ppg., 4.3 apg.
3 Dion Dowell F 6-6 195 Fr. 1.9 ppg., 1.2 rpg.
13 Sydmill Harris G 6-4 200 Sr. 6.4 ppg., 1.9 rpg.
21 Jason Klotz C 6-9 245 Sr. 10.9 ppg., 5.1 rpg.
22 Brad Buchman F 6-8 235 Jr. 11.7 ppg., 8.1 rpg.
Key Reserves
5 Adam Gracely G 5-9 150 Sr. 0.4 ppg., 0.4 rpg.
10 Kenny Taylor G 6-2 190 Sr. 10.4 ppg., 3.9 rpg.
12 Kenton Paulino G 6-0 180 Jr. 7.6 ppg., 1.9 apg.
31 Chris Price F 6-6 230 Jr. 0.6 ppg., 0.4 rpg.
40 Mike Williams F 6-7 220 Fr. 3.5 ppg., 3.9 rpg.
K-State begins brutal two-game road swing with weekend trip to 23/22 Texas
Riding a season-long three-game losing streak, Kansas State (13-7, 3-6 Big 12) begins a tough two-game road stretch on Saturday with a trip to Austin, Texas to battle No. 23/22 Texas (15-7, 4-5) at the Frank Erwin Center beginning at 12:30 p.m. The Wildcats continue their stretch at streaking Iowa State (12-8, 4-5 Big 12) on Tuesday.
Saturday’s game will be carried live by ESPN Plus on participating stations with Fred White (play-by-play) and Reid Gettys (color) calling the action. It will be available on stations throughout the state of Kansas, including WIBW (CBS) in Topeka and Manhattan, KSCC (UPN) in Wichita and WDAF (Fox) in Kansas City.
The contest will also be aired live on the 29-station Mid-America Sports Network with the Voice of the Wildcats, Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play), and Ben Boyle (color) behind the mikes.
Kansas State’s current skid is the longest since the team also dropped three in a row from Feb. 21-28, 2004. The program hasn’t lost four straight games since a six-game losing streak in mid-February 2003. The Wildcats aren’t alone in their troubles, as Texas enters the game also on a three-game losing streak. The Longhorns, whose current skid is the longest since the 1998-99 season, have won four in a row over the Wildcats in Austin. K-State has not won at the Erwin Center since Jan. 8, 1983, while its last win over a ranked team on the road came in a 92-87 win over Iowa State on Feb. 28, 1996.
Last time out: Kansas 74, K-State 65
Kansas State rallied from a double-digit deficit to close within four points against archrival Kansas with less than five minutes to play, however, it couldn’t complete the rally as the Jayhawks pushed their winning streak to 29 games with a 74-65 win on Wednesday. Sophomore Fred Peete turned in 20 points on 6-of-12 field goals, including a career-best six three-pointers, while senior Jeremiah Massey added 20 points for the fourth time in six games in the loss.
Recapping Kansas
For the third time this season, Kansas State started a lineup of senior Jeremiah Massey, sophomores Tyler Hughes and Cartier Martin at the forward spots and sophomore Fred Peete and freshman Clent Stewart at the guard positions. The Wildcats have used five different starting lineups this season. Peete and Stewart have started all 20 games for K-State, while Massey made his 38th in 48 career games.
Kansas now leads the all-time series with Kansas State, 167-88. The Jayhawks extended their winning streak to 29 games and 22 in a row in Manhattan. The Wildcats’ last win in the series came on Jan. 17, 1994, while their last win at home came on Jan. 29, 1983.
Kansas State recorded its first sellout of the season and the first since the Kansas game on Feb. 8, 2003. The previous high at Bramlage Coliseum this season was 11,867 against Missouri on Jan. 15.
Kansas State allowed Kansas to shoot a season-high 53.1 percent from the field, topping Nebraska’s 52.5 percent on Jan. 8. However, the 74 points were the fewest Kansas has scored in Manhattan since 1999.
Sophomore Fred Peete and senior Jeremiah Massey paced three players in double figures with 20 points each. It marked the first time since the Central Missouri State game on Jan. 3 that two players have topped the 20-point barrier in the same game. Peete recorded a career-best six three-pointers in the game, the most by a Wildcat since Gilson DeJesus had seven against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Dec. 4, 2002.
Home Court Advantage
With its 74-54 win over Missouri on Jan. 15, Kansas State secured its 59th consecutive home winning season. The Wildcats are 599-166 (.783) dating back to the start of the streak in 1946-47 season, which has spanned three different arenas - Nichols Gym (1946-50), Ahearn Field House (1950-88) and Bramlage Coliseum (1988-present).
With the win over Central Missouri on Jan. 3, K-State achieved at least nine wins on its home court in 12 of the last 14 seasons. The team has now won at least 10 games at home for four consecutive seasons. In fact, the Wildcats have won 40 of their last 54 games in Bramlage Coliseum dating back to 2001-02. Overall, K-State is 54-25 (.684) at home under head coach Jim Wooldridge.
In its 17th season of hosting Wildcat basketball, Bramlage has seen Kansas State post a 186-75 (.713) record since its opening during the 1988-89 season.
Surprising Beyond the Arc
After all losing its top three guards to graduation, no one in the country expected Kansas State to be a serious three-point shooting threat in 2004-05. However, the Wildcats rank third in the Big 12 and 16th nationally with a 40.6 (119-of-293) shooting percentage, while the team is hitting 42.1 percent (64-of-152) in conference play. K-State has five or more three-point baskets in 16 of the team’s 20 games with 10 or more on three occasions. The Wildcats hit 13-of-19 (68.4 percent) treys against Texas Tech on Jan. 12. It was the most three-pointers in a game since the team had 14 against Nebraska on Feb. 9, 2002.
The team has four players with 15 or more three-point field goals led by sophomore Lance Harris’s 33 treys. Fellow sophomores Fred Peete and Cartier Martin add 32 and 30, respectively, while freshman Clent Stewart posts 18. It is the first time since 2001-02 that the Wildcats have had four players with 15 or more three-pointers and three with 30 or more treys.
Dishing out the Assists
Not only has Kansas State improved its three-point shooting with its new backcourt, but it is also on pace to post its highest assist total in almost seven years. The Wildcats have averaged 16.3 assists through the first 20 games or 325 for the season. The total is on pace to be the highest since the 1998-99 squad tallied 478, while the average is the highest since the team averaged 16.9 in 1997-98. The 16.3 average ranks sixth in the Big 12 and 29th nationally. The average is also almost one assist higher than the previous season-high (15.40; 2002-03) for a Jim Wooldridge team.
In addition, the Wildcats have two players among the Big 12’s top 15 with guards Clent Stewart (10th, 3.85) and Fred Peete (14th, 3.50). The team hasn’t had two players average 3.5 assists per game since Steve Henson and LaKeith Humphrey in 1988-89. Counting sophomore Lance Harris’ 2.5 assists per game, the team has three players averaging 2.5 assists per game, which hasn’t happened since 1982-83.
ESPN Drought
Kansas State will be looking to break its winless streak on ESPN Regional games on Saturday. The Wildcats have dropped 18 in a row on the Big 12’s ESPN package dating back to the 2002-03 season. Ironically, the Wildcats are 1-0 on the main ESPN in that span, beating No. 10 Texas on March 6, 2004.
The book on Texas
Texas (15-7, 4-5 Big 12) has dropped three in a row for just the second time in head coach Rick Barnes’ tenure and for the first time since the 1998-99 season. The Longhorns have dropped two of the three on the road (Kansas and Colorado), while the third came at home in overtime to Iowa State. The team had won three of its last four prior to its recent skid, splitting road contests at Nebraska (63-53) and Oklahoma (60-64) in between home wins over Oklahoma State (75-61) and Texas Tech (80-73). The Longhorns started the season with an 11-2 record with wins over UNLV and Memphis. Texas played just seven scholarship players after losing stars P.J. Tucker and freshman LaMarcus Aldridge.
Texas is averaging 80.6 points on 46.6 percent shooting with 40.7 rebounds, 14.0 assists, 14.5 turnovers, 6.8 steals and 4.8 blocks. The Longhorns are allowing their opponents 70.1 points per game average on 39.8 percent shooting.
Texas has four players averaging double figures scoring led by sensational freshman guard Daniel Gibson’s 14.1 points per game. Junior forward Brad Buckman and senior forward Jason Klotz add 11.7 and 10.9 points, respectively, while senior guard Kenny Taylor averages 10.4 points.
The team is coached by Rick Barnes (Lenior-Rhyne 77), who is 156-65 (.706) in his seventh season at Texas and 358-199 (.643) in his 18th season overall.
K-State-Texas Connections
The Kansas State coaching staff knows the Lone Star State well, as all but one spent time in the state as a head and/or assistant coach at the college level. Head coach Jim Wooldridge led Texas State (formerly Southwest Texas State) from 1991-94, while associate head coach Mike Miller was an assistant there under Wooldridge before assuming the coaching reins from 1994-2000. Miller also spent time at Sam Houston State as an assistant (1990-91), while he played two years at East Texas State (1983-85)... Assistant Jimmy Elgas also coached at Texas State (1995-2000), while director of operations Chad Altadonna tutored at North Texas State (1996-97).
Kansas State sophomore Cartier Martin hails from Houston, Texas along with Texas seniors Jason Klotz and Kenny Taylor and freshman Daniel Gibson.
The last time we met: Mar. 6, 2004
MANHATTAN, Kan. - Tim Ellis hit six free throws in the final 52 seconds and Kansas State, despite setting an arena record for fewest points in a half, stunned No. 10 Texas 58-48 at Bramlage Coliseum.
It was the Wildcats’ first win over a top-10 foe since the team upset No. 9 Oklahoma State in 2002.
Kansas State missed 22 of its first 26 shots, while scoring only 17 points in the first half. Since Bramlage Coliseum opened in 1988, no Wildcat team had scored fewer than 18 in any half. But even though they shot just 19 percent, the Wildcats trailed only 22-17 because the Longhorns tied their low for a half.
Jeremiah Massey scored five points in a 12-3 run and put the Wildcats ahead 40-34 with a free throw. Kenny Taylor then hit two 3-pointers in the next two minutes and tied it 45-all with 3:31 left.
After Jason Klotz hit a bucket to bring Texas to 46-45, Taylor missed a 3-pointer and then Klotz missed, before Ellis began his free throw parade.
With 52 seconds left, he hit two, putting the Wildcats on top 52-48. Then he made it 54-48, and then, with the crowd roaring, gave the Wildcats a 56-48 lead after getting fouled while rebounding Brian Boddicker's missed 3-pointer.
Massey, held to just one point in the first half, got the final two free throws for Kansas State and finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Ellis had 13.
Sticking Fingers
Kansas State’s improvement is also evident in the steals category, where the Wildcats are on pace for its highest per game total of the Jim Wooldridge era. So far this year, K-State has averaged 6.6 steals per game or a total of 132 for the season, which is on pace to be the highest since the 1999-2000 team averaged 6.9. It is more than a steal per game higher than the 2003-04 (5.39) and 2000-01 (5.41) teams, while it is 1.7 higher than the average of the 2002-03 squad (4.93). The Wildcats have tallied five or more steals in 16 games with a season-best 12 against Colorado on Feb. 5. The average is higher in Big 12 contests where the team is averaging 6.78 steals per game, which ties Kansas for the fifth-highest average in the league.
The team has two players ranked among the Big 12’s top 20, as sophomore Fred Peete ranks fifth (1.90) and senior Jeremiah Massey places 11th (1.60). Three other Wildcats - Cartier Martin, Lance Harris and Clent Stewart - have also tallied double digit steals.
Peete has already surpassed any individual total from last season and needs just 13 steals to tie Richie Terry for the most by a sophomore in school history.
Solid from the Stripe
Kansas State has been a pleasant surprise from the free throw line this season, as the Wildcats rank fourth in the Big 12 at 69.6 percent (275-of-395). The team is on pace to post the highest free throw percentage of the Jim Wooldridge era and its highest since the 1988-89 team shot 70.9 percent. The Wildcats have shot almost 100 more free throws (395-307) than their foes and are hitting at a higher percentage (69.6-67.8). Senior Jeremiah Massey ranks fifth in the Big 12 in free throw percentage at 80.1, while five others are shooting 60 or more percent.
Second Half Heroics
Kansas State has shown to be a second half team in its first 20 games. After halftime, the Wildcats are averaging 37.8 points on 46.1 percent shooting (239-of-518) compared to just 31.2 points on 42.6 percent shooting (229-of-537) in the first half. K-State has been more effective from the free throw line from one half to the next, averaging nearly twice as many free throws (13.6) in the second half as the first (6.1). The team has also improved its field goal percentage in the second half in 14 of 20 games, including 22.7-point increase Central Missouri State on Jan. 3.
Cardiac Cats
Kansas State, which scored 17 points in the last 3:34 to shock Wyoming on Dec. 11, has had to rally from second half deficits in seven of its 18 games this season. Although the win over the Wyoming gets the most attention, the Wildcats had to fight from deficits of five or more points in the second half in four of its first eight wins. The Wildcats were down as many as nine points to Oakland before using a 24-10 run in the last seven minutes for the win. The team did not allow a Wyoming field goal in the last 2:09, while the team scored 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 3-of-3 from 3-point range for the win. Although it lost in double overtime, K-State was down as many as 13 points against Nebraska before using a 33-17 run to take a 68-65 lead with 43 seconds left. The team was down as many as 12 points at Missouri on Jan. 29, but used a 36-13 run the last 15:36 to post their first win in Columbia, Mo. since 1985. The Wildcats have outscored their foes, 744-673, in the second half after holding just a 624-593 advantage at halftime.
Clutch Shooting
Kansas State has picked up its offense at the right time in nine of its 13 wins this year. The Wildcats have outscored those nine foes by an average of 6.9 points (230-168) in the last 10 minutes of games. If you take out the six wins in which the Cats had sizeable leads, the team is even better in the last 10 minutes. In the six games in which the team has won after facing a second half deficit, they have outscored their foes by an average of 9.0 points (123-69). Kansas State has outscored seven foes by seven or more down the stretch. K-State outscored Wyoming, 23-15, in the last 10 minutes, including 17-5 in the last 3:34. In the win over Missouri on Saturday, the Wildcats used a 24-10 run in the last 10 minutes to capture their first win in Columbia, Mo., since 1985. Five schools (Rutgers, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, OSU, Colorado) have outscored the Wildcats in the last 10 minutes.
One of the Big 12’s Best
A year after earning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honors, senior forward Jeremiah Massey has continued to evolve into one of the Big 12’s top players. He was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week on Feb. 2 for the second time this season after averaging 20.0 points on 51.9 percent shooting and 8.5 rebounds in wins over Iowa State and Missouri. He continued his stellar play in the losses to No. 10 Oklahoma State and Colorado. Massey turned in a gutsy effort against OSU, scoring a game-high 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting with eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block. He added 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting against Colorado with eight rebounds, four steals and three assists. In Big 12 games, he is averaging 18.4 points on 54.1 percent shooting with 5.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.7 steals.
A More Complete Player
Senior Jeremiah Massey has become a much more complete player in his second year, dramatically improving his assists-to-turnovers and nearly equaling his steal total. After posting nearly two turnovers for every assists last season (52 to 33), he is averaging 1.4 assists for every turnover this season (38 to 27). In Big 12 games, he has 22 assists to 12 turnovers. A threat down low with his quick hands, Massey has already surpassed his steal total of a year ago. After grabbing one steal against Kansas on Wednesday, he has 32 for the season after posting 28 last year.
The team leader in scoring (17.5) and rebounding (6.4), Massey has led the team in scoring on 11 occasions and has tallied double figure scoring in 17 of the team’s 20 games. He posted 20 or more points nine times, including four of the last six games.
Massey ranks among the top 15 in the Big 12 in seven categories, including fifth in scoring and free throw percentage, seventh in field goal percentage, 11th in steals (1.63), 12th in offensive rebounds (2.63) and 14th in rebounding.
Massey Comes Up Massive
Senior Jeremiah Massey came up with one of the biggest performances by a Wildcat in some time against Northern Illinois with a career-best 32 points on 8-of-15 shooting and 16-of-17 free throws. Massey’s 32 points were the most by a Wildcat since Askia Jones scored a school-record 62 points against Fresno State on March 24, 1994. The 32-point effort was also matched twice by Elliot Hatcher against Auburn in 1994 and Marshall in 1995. He is the first Wildcat to score 30 or more points since Pervis Pasco netted 30 against North Texas on Dec. 15, 2001. For his efforts, he was named Big 12 Player of the Week.
Massey also etched his name into the Kansas State record book for free throws, connecting on 16 of 17, including 12 of 13 in the second half. His 16 free throws set a Bramlage Coliseum record and tied for the fourth-most in school history. It was the most by a Wildcat since Steve Henson knocked down 17 against Iowa State on Feb. 24, 1988. His 17 attempts also tied for the most by a Wildcat in Bramlage with Askia Jones, who had 17 against Missouri in 1993.
Second Half Force
Senior Jeremiah Massey has proven to have gotten stronger as the game goes on with better numbers across the board in the second half. He is shooting over 55 percent from the field (65-of-118) and is a solid 73-of-92 from the free throw line after halftime for an average of 10.2 points to go with 3.2 rebounds.
He has scored in double figures in 11 of 20 second halves, including 22 against Northern Illinois. In wins over Missouri and Iowa State, Massey scored 34 of his 40 points in the second half. In contrast, he is shooting 43.8 percent in the first half (53-of-121) with an average of 7.3 points and 2.9 rebounds.
Clutch Performer
Sophomore guard Fred Peete has been a solid addition for Wildcats in 2004-05. The junior college transfer ranks first on the team in minutes (34.5 mpg.) and steals (1.9 spg.), second in scoring (13.7 ppg.) and assists (3.5 apg.) and fourth in rebounding (4.9 rpg.) He has scored in double figures in 15 of 20 games, including 20 or more points in four contests.
Peete was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 co-Rookie of the Week on Dec. 13 after he averaged a team-best 16.5 points on 59.1 percent shooting in helping the Wildcats to wins over Oakland and Wyoming. Peete had one of the best clutch efforts by a Wildcat in school history against Wyoming on Dec. 11. In scoring a career-high 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting, he was one of the main reasons the team rallied from a nine-point deficit with just under four minutes to play. He scored 10 points during the span, including the team’s last eight points. Peete tied it on a three-pointer with 25 seconds then scored the game-winning points on three-point play with one second.
Stop, Thief!
Sophomore Fred Peete has made an even greater impact this season on the defensive end, where he paces the team in steals (38, 1.9 spg.). He has twice registered five steals in a game (against NDSU and UTSA), while he has three or more in four other contests. Overall, Peete has at least one steal in 18 of the team’s 20 games. He ranks fifth in the Big 12, while he is one of just 10 players with 35 or more steals this season. To further illustrate his impact on the defensive end for the Wildcats, his 38 steals already surpasses the team-best totals of 2003-04 (28, Jeremiah Massey & Frank Richards). Peete needs just four more steals to break into the school’s top 15 for a single-season (three players with 42), while he is just 13 away from tying Richie Terry for the most by a sophomore in school history (51, 2001).
Harris Solid Off Bench
A solid player off the bench all season for the Wildcats, sophomore Lance Harris had a career-day against Colorado on Saturday, scoring a career-high 18 points on a career-best four 3-pointers with a career-tying five rebounds. After scoring 11 against Kansas, Harris has now totaled double figure scoring nine times in his career, including seven times this season. After averaging 2.1 points on 28.8 percent shooting as a freshman, including just 23.8 percent from three-point range, Harris is averaging 8.2 points on 42.4 percent shooting this season, including 41.8 percent from beyond the arc. He is averaging 8.9 points on 42.9 percent shooting in his last 15 games. Harris had one of his best efforts against Missouri, as he posted 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting.
Martin Gaining Momentum
After a frustrating freshman campaign, sophomore Cartier Martin is starting to gain momentum at the right time for Kansas State. He ranks first on the squad in three-point field goal (48.4) percentage, second in rebounding and third in field goal percentage (49.7) and scoring (10.9). Martin has been impressive since the start of Big 12 play, averaging 11.8 points on 48.8 percent (40-of-82) shooting from the field, including 48.6 percent (17-of-35) from three-point range, with 5.6 rebounds. He has scored in double figures in 10 of the last 14 contests.
Ahead of the Curve
Despite being a true freshman Clent Stewart has proven to be a solid point guard for the Wildcats in 2004. One of just two players to start in all 20 games, Stewart is averaging 5.4 points on 33.3 percent shooting with 3.9 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 30.9 minutes per game. He ranks 10th in the Big 12 (and second among freshman) in assists, while he has a solid 1.51 assist-turnover ratio. Stewart became the first freshman to start a season opener since 2001.
Despite his youth, Stewart has been a clutch performer for the Wildcats. In the last two minutes against Wyoming, he hit a three-pointer, stole the ball on an in-bounds pass and called timeout while falling out of bounds, produced the game-tying assist on Fred Peete’s three-pointer and grabbed the defensive rebound before Peete’s game-winning lay-up.
Huge Improvement Down Low
Sophomore Tyler Hughes continues to make significant improvement for the Wildcats in the low post. After averaging just 5.3 minutes in 14 games last season, he has seen action in all 20 games with three starts (Iowa State, Colorado and Kansas) Hughes is averaging 2.8 points on 51.1 percent shooting with 3.1 rebounds, but he has averaged 3.6 points since the start of Big 12 play on 48 percent shooting. Hughes had a career-best 10 points against Texas Tech on 3-of-4 field goals and 4-of-4 free throws, while he scored nine points versus Colorado.
Impressive Start
Kansas State’s 10-1 mark during non-conference play is the best by a Wildcat team since the 1993-94 team posted a 13-1 mark. The program has now won 10 or more non-league games 12 times since the 1979-80 season, but just twice in the last 10 seasons. K-State started the season with eight straight wins, which ranks among the top 5 best starts in school history. The team tied the start of the 1979-80 team that also jumped out to an 8-0 start before suffering their first loss at Minnesota. The record, which is the best start during the Wooldridge era, marks the sixth time in school history that a team has started a season 8-0 (starting in 1918-19). The 1918-19 team owns the best start in school history when they won their first 17 games. All seven squads that posted a non-league mark better or equal to that of the 2004-05 team have advanced to postseason play, including four trips to the NCAA Tournament (1980, 1981, 1982, 1993).
Wooly’s Rally Cats
Head coach Jim Wooldridge began a program in the offseason to help the youth of Kansas enjoy the thrill of Wildcat basketball. Rally Cats wishes to donate $20,000 worth of tickets to organizations such as the Boys and Girls Clubs, Boy and Girl Scouts, Special Olympics, YMCA, United Way and local schools. Each group will be given special T-shirts and will receive a special introduction. Wooldridge donated a lead gift of $10,000, while other donors have now stepped up to finish the remaining $10,000 to provide this opportunity to this special group.
Tube Time
Kansas State will make a total of 19 regular-season television appearances during the 2004-05 season, including 12 on Fox Sports Net Midwest. K-State signed a three-year contract with Fox Sports in September 2003 to be the exclusive third-tier television right holder. In addition, ESPN Plus will broadcast seven games during the Big 12 season.
Historic Defense
Kansas State set three new Bramlage Coliseum marks for defense in the 76-42 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 29. The Wildcats held the Golden Lions to records for fewest points in a half (10) and lowest field goal percentage in a half (14.7), while the two combined for the lowest point total in a half (42; 32-10).
The Wildcats Ink Hoskins, Cisse and Sidibe to Letters of Intent
Kansas State head men’s basketball coach Jim Wooldridge and his staff announced the signing of junior college transfer David Hoskins (Schoolcraft College/Central Michigan/Plymouth-Salem High/Canton, Mich.) and renowned international players Ousmane Cisse (Stockbridge (Ga.) Community Christian/Abidjan, Ivory Coast) and Sidiki Sidibe (Asnieres, France) to National Letters of Intent on Nov. 17. Hoskins will enter Kansas State in the fall of 2005 as a sophomore, while Cisse and Sidibe will be freshmen.
“We had specific needs to fill with this class,” said Wooldridge. “We wanted a high-quality perimeter guy that could handle and score the ball and we wanted to add some high impact interior players to replace the four we are losing to graduation. We have accomplished this with the signing of David, Ousmane and Sidiki.”
A 6-foot-5, 225-pound wing from Canton, Mich., Hoskins was considered one of the top high school players in Michigan before signing with Central Michigan as a senior. As a true freshman at CMU, he averaged 8.0 points per game with 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.3 blocks in 22 minutes per game. Hoskins led the team in steals with 36, while he was third in points, rebounds, assists and blocks.
A 6-foot-8, 245-pound forward, Ousmane Cisse (pronounced OOS-mon SEE-say) moved to the United States this year from his native Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He is a senior at Community Christian School in Stockbridge, Ga. Cisse averaged 19 points per game in several youth tournaments in the Ivory Coast.
One of the tallest players to have ever signed with Kansas State, Sidiki Sidibe (pronounced Suh-DEE-kee Suh-DEEB-ee) is a 7-foot-1, 265 pound forward from Asnieres, France. Despite just playing three years of basketball, Sidibe is rated by many NBA and European professional scouts as one of the top 20 basketball prospects on the continent. Sidibe was the captain and starting middle blocker for the French Junior National Volleyball Team in 2004.
K-State to retire jerseys of Boozer, Barrett and Parr
Kansas State Director of Athletics Tim Weiser announced on Nov. 3, 2004 that the Wildcats will retire the jerseys of basketball all-Americans Bob Boozer, Ernie Barrett and Jack Parr in a halftime ceremony during the Colorado game on Feb. 5, 2005. The jersey numbers will hang from the rafters of Bramlage Coliseum.
"It is with great excitement that we begin the process of honoring the players who built K-State's long and storied tradition in the sport of basketball," Weiser said. "This will be the first of several jersey retirement ceremonies to take place in coming years, and what better way to start then with the three All-Americans who were responsible for starting our great basketball tradition in the late 1940s and 1950s.
Headlining the group is Bob Boozer, a 6-8 forward from Omaha, who is K-State's most-decorated player and the landslide leading vote-getter for K-State's All-Century Team announced in 2003. A two-time first-team all-American in 1957-58 and 1958-59, Boozer averaged a K-State record 21.9 points per game for his career, while his 25.6 scoring average during his senior season is still the highest in Wildcat history by almost three points per game.
Another member of K-State's all-century team, Ernie Barrett enjoyed a storybook senior season in 1950-51, as he led the Wildcats to the NCAA Championship game, earned first-team all-America honors and played on the team that opened historic Ahearn Field House. A 6-3 shooting guard from Wellington, Kan., Barrett was the driving force behind K-State's only team to reach the NCAA title game. He led the Wildcats to the Big 7 Championship with an 11-1 conference mark and helped K-State to a 25-4 overall record in 1950-51.
Jack Parr was also a member of K-State's 10-player All-Century Team and almost 50 years after his final game, still holds the two best single-season rebounding averages in K-State history. A 6-foot-9 center from Richmond, Va., Parr burst onto the scene in 1955-56 by averaging 17.4 points and 13.6 rebounds per game to help K-State win the Big 7 Championship and reach the NCAA Tournament.
Preseason Accolades for Massey
Reigning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Jeremiah Massey enters his senior season with high expectations. The Wildcats’ leader in both scoring (14.7 ppg.) and rebounding (6.5 rpg.), Massey was selected to preseason All-Big 12 second team by The Sporting News, CBS Sportsline and Lindy’s. Despite being one of only two returning players (along with Kansas’ Wayne Simien) to rank among the league’s top 10 in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage, he did not receive one vote to the coaches or media’s preseason. Last season, Massey became the Wildcats’ first conference Newcomer of the Year since 1993. He was named to the coaches’ third team all-conference and to its all-newcomer team, while he was honorable mention all-league by the AP.
O, Canada!
Kansas State started the 2004-05 season north of the border in Canada, as the Wildcats embarked upon a five-day, four-game game trip through Vancouver, British Columbia Oct. 8-12. The Wildcats posted a 3-1 record on its trip with wins over Simon Fraser University (80-73), Langara College (68-55) and University of Victoria (92-64) to go with an overtime loss to the University of British Columbia (89-84).
The team averaged 81.0 points during its tour on 53.6 percent shooting with 36.5 rebounds, 16.3 assists, 9.0 steals and 5.5 blocks.
Senior Jeremiah Massey paced the Wildcats with a team-high 19.7 points per game on 68.4 percent (26-of-38) shooting to go with a team-best 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. Sophomores Fred Peete and Cartier Martin also averaged in double figures at 12.8 and 11.5 points per game, respectively. Sophomore Lance Harris led the team in both assists (4.3) and steals (2.0) to go along with 7.5 points per game.
Wooldridge Signs Extension
Head coach Jim Wooldridge received a two-year contract extension on March 9 after guiding K-State to its most overall and league wins in four years.
Wooldridge, who had one year left on his original five-year contract, was named the 20th head coach in school history on March 13, 2000. Despite numerous injuries, he led the Wildcats to a 14-14 overall record and a tie for ninth place in the Big 12 Conference standings with a 6-10 mark this past season. Both the 14 overall wins and six league victories are the most of the Wooldridge era and the most since 1998-99.
New Court
Kansas State will be playing on a new court in 2004-05, as the athletic department in conjunction with Robbins Flooring of Cincinnati, Ohio, introduced a new playing surface in late June.
The new court, which is made of first-grade northern hard maple, features a totally re-designed court surface that will showcase more of the natural wood color as opposed to being painted purple as with the previous floor. The central design of the surface is a larger-sized Powercat logo at center court with the words “Kansas State” painted in purple above the logo. Both design elements face the chairback section of the arena. The design also includes purple free throw lanes with the new Big 12 logo located at the top of each lane. The floor is completed with the word “Wildcats” centered and painted in purple at the end of each baseline.
The 60-by-120 foot floor includes 225 computer-cut pieces in the main floor plus an additional 42 pieces on the extension at the south end. The surface also includes the latest shock absorbers on the underside.
Quick Hitters
Kansas State finished the 2003-04 season with a 14-14 overall record and a ninth place tie in Big 12 Conference play with a 6-10 mark... The 14 overall wins are the most in the four-year tenure of head coach Jim Wooldridge, while the team's six conference wins tie for the most since 2001-02... In fact, the 14 wins and six league victories were the most since the 1998-99 season... Only five squads had more conference wins since 1990-91 than the Wildcats had this season.
The improvement is also evident in the team statistics... Since the team won six games in 2002, the Wildcats have slowly but surely closed the scoring gap during league play... That year, the Wildcats averaged 68.1 points per game, but gave up 74.2 points to league opposition in winning six games... This past year, the Wildcats dropped off in scoring at 66.9 points per game, however, their Big 12 foes averaged just 66.9 points in also winning six games.
K-State continued its stellar play at Bramlage Coliseum under Jim Wooldridge, posting 11 or more victories at home for the third consecutive season... The 12 wins in 2003-04 tie for the most since the 2001-02 squad also registered 12... In fact, the Wildcats are 43-21 (.672) under Wooldridge at home with wins in 29 of their last 39 games.
Kansas State concluded the regular season with an exclamation point their first victory over a top-10 opponent since 2002 with a 58-48 victory over No. 10 Texas... Under Jim Wooldridge, the Wildcats have upset five ranked squads, including at least one each of the past four seasons... The team beat No. 19 Iowa and No. 20 Missouri in 2000-01, No. 9 Oklahoma State in 2001-02, No. 23 Texas Tech in 2002-03 and No. 10 in 2003-04.
Ten of Kansas State's 14 losses in 2003-04 were by a grand total of 58 points (avg. 5.8 ppg.), including nine of its last 12 by 52 points... The Wildcats were a mere 13 points away from being 17-11 and 9-7 in league play... Over half (36) of Jim Wooldridge's 65 losses at Kansas State have been by 10 points or less, including 25 in Big 12 play.
Kansas State finished the non-conference portion of its schedule with an exclamation point on Jan. 10, as the Wildcats overwhelmed Savannah State, 92-51... With the win, K-State entered Big 12 win with its best non-conference mark of the Jim Wooldridge era and the best by a Wildcat squad since the 1998-99 squad went 11-2... The Wildcats went a perfect 8-0 at home during the non-conference season, marking the first unbeaten non-conference mark since the 1998-99 also went 8-0.
One of the biggest factors in Kansas State's success this past season was its play on the defensive end... The Wildcats ranked 25th nationally in field goal percentage defense, while they placed among the Big 12 leaders in several categories... The team finished second in 3-point field goal percentage defense, third in defensive rebounds and fourth in field goal percentage defense, scoring defense and rebounding. The Cats were just as effective in Big 12 play, ranking third in field goal percentage and defensive rebounds and fourth in scoring defense.
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