SE: Mawien ‘Unbelievable’ for K-State MBB in OT Win vs. TCU in Big 12 Championship Quarterfinal
Mar 09, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — K-State's Makol Mawien is listed as a sophomore, but head coach Bruce Weber really considers him a freshman. In K-State's 66-64 overtime win against TCU in the Big 12 Championship at the Sprint Center on Thursday, Mawien played like a senior.
Mawien led K-State in points (16), rebounds (9) and blocks (3), helping send the Wildcats (22-10) to a semifinal battle with Kansas on Friday at 6 p.m., on ESPN. This season, All-Big 12 First Team selection Dean Wade is the only other K-State player to solely lead the Wildcats in all three of those categories.
"He was everywhere today — blocking shots, getting rebounds, easy dunks," Wade said of Mawien. "He was unbelievable."
Mawien played 30 minutes on Thursday, converting 6-of-7 from the field and hitting 4-of-4 from the free throw line. He served as a reliable option for K-State's guards on offense, finishing around the rim and also showing off his range with a baseline jumper.
"(Big 12 Associate Commissioner) John Underwood said yesterday, 'That number 14 has come a long way,'" Weber said after the game. "Mak has slowly but surely become more of an offensive threat. He's rebounding, he's playing hard. He understands it."
Considering Mawien's path to K-State, it understandably took some time for him to figure things out.
The 6-foot-9 sophomore started his collegiate career at Utah, where he redshirted all season before transferring to New Mexico Junior College. This is why Weber labels Mawien a freshman. His first Division I minutes were as a Wildcat.
"It's my first year playing Division I basketball," Mawien said. "It's been a real learning process."
Learning has undoubtedly taken place.
Mawien said he's taken a little something from every coach on K-State's staff. Specifically, he said associate head coach Chris Lowery taught him to find his spots and how to finish in the lane. Assistant Chester Frazier helped him figure out how to work within K-State's pick-and-roll offense. Weber's biggest impact has been with pick-and-roll defense, which was key against TCU.
"I'm definitely just reacting (now) and just playing the game," Mawien said. "All the coaches take time to show me something new. I think they all had a hand in showing me how to get better."
As Mawien's improved, so has K-State. Without him against TCU, K-State likely never makes it to overtime.
"His confidence is up. He's got that energy that he needs to play with every game," Wade said. "Hopefully we get that from him every night."
There's a notable Mawien-centered stat becoming popular amongst his teammates. When he scores 10 or more points, K-State is 8-0. Thursday was his second double-digit scoring game in a row, making the Wildcats 5-0 against Big 12 opponents when he's at or above 10 points.
"When Mak scores 10 or more points, we're undefeated," said junior Barry Brown, who finished with 12 points, including the game-winning bucket in overtime. "He was big time today. We need him from here on out, throughout the rest of the season, throughout March."
"I definitely know about that stat," added Mawien, "but I'm not really focused on that. I don't want to force anything. I just want to score within our offense and make sure we have the best option on each possession."
Mawien, shooting 63 percent from the floor and 77 percent from the free throw line this season, has played well within his role. When his opportunities come, he's not afraid to take them, however.
"I'm a lot more comfortable," he said. "Throughout the year, it's just been about making progress, really, getting better and learning how to play with the guys."
More than anything else, what Mawien said he has figured out is that his energy and athleticism lead to positives, so that's all he focuses on.
Thursday was a good example of his mindset paying off. Whether it was his ability to guard on the perimeter and down low, his explosiveness to throw down a dunk or pin a shot against the glass, Mawien provided an all-around boost for the Wildcats.
His teammates have seen it coming for a while. On Thursday, he put it on display for the country.
"In the summer, he was so athletic, fast, could jump and he was so strong. It was just, like, 'He's going to be a great player,'" Wade recalled thinking after his first interactions with Mawien. "He just had some confidence issues at the beginning. I think it's up now and he realizes how good he can be. Now he's playing like it."
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — K-State's Makol Mawien is listed as a sophomore, but head coach Bruce Weber really considers him a freshman. In K-State's 66-64 overtime win against TCU in the Big 12 Championship at the Sprint Center on Thursday, Mawien played like a senior.
Mawien led K-State in points (16), rebounds (9) and blocks (3), helping send the Wildcats (22-10) to a semifinal battle with Kansas on Friday at 6 p.m., on ESPN. This season, All-Big 12 First Team selection Dean Wade is the only other K-State player to solely lead the Wildcats in all three of those categories.
"He was everywhere today — blocking shots, getting rebounds, easy dunks," Wade said of Mawien. "He was unbelievable."
Mawien played 30 minutes on Thursday, converting 6-of-7 from the field and hitting 4-of-4 from the free throw line. He served as a reliable option for K-State's guards on offense, finishing around the rim and also showing off his range with a baseline jumper.
Workin' Overtime. #KStateMBB #EMAW pic.twitter.com/uBDPm1lyRa
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) March 9, 2018
"(Big 12 Associate Commissioner) John Underwood said yesterday, 'That number 14 has come a long way,'" Weber said after the game. "Mak has slowly but surely become more of an offensive threat. He's rebounding, he's playing hard. He understands it."
Considering Mawien's path to K-State, it understandably took some time for him to figure things out.
The 6-foot-9 sophomore started his collegiate career at Utah, where he redshirted all season before transferring to New Mexico Junior College. This is why Weber labels Mawien a freshman. His first Division I minutes were as a Wildcat.
"It's my first year playing Division I basketball," Mawien said. "It's been a real learning process."
Learning has undoubtedly taken place.
Mawien said he's taken a little something from every coach on K-State's staff. Specifically, he said associate head coach Chris Lowery taught him to find his spots and how to finish in the lane. Assistant Chester Frazier helped him figure out how to work within K-State's pick-and-roll offense. Weber's biggest impact has been with pick-and-roll defense, which was key against TCU.
"I'm definitely just reacting (now) and just playing the game," Mawien said. "All the coaches take time to show me something new. I think they all had a hand in showing me how to get better."
As Mawien's improved, so has K-State. Without him against TCU, K-State likely never makes it to overtime.
"His confidence is up. He's got that energy that he needs to play with every game," Wade said. "Hopefully we get that from him every night."
There's a notable Mawien-centered stat becoming popular amongst his teammates. When he scores 10 or more points, K-State is 8-0. Thursday was his second double-digit scoring game in a row, making the Wildcats 5-0 against Big 12 opponents when he's at or above 10 points.
"When Mak scores 10 or more points, we're undefeated," said junior Barry Brown, who finished with 12 points, including the game-winning bucket in overtime. "He was big time today. We need him from here on out, throughout the rest of the season, throughout March."
Watch highlights from #KStateMBB's 66-64 win over TCU in the quarterfinals of the 2018 #Big12MBB Championship. pic.twitter.com/E4abOzg0SC
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) March 8, 2018
"I definitely know about that stat," added Mawien, "but I'm not really focused on that. I don't want to force anything. I just want to score within our offense and make sure we have the best option on each possession."
Mawien, shooting 63 percent from the floor and 77 percent from the free throw line this season, has played well within his role. When his opportunities come, he's not afraid to take them, however.
"I'm a lot more comfortable," he said. "Throughout the year, it's just been about making progress, really, getting better and learning how to play with the guys."
More than anything else, what Mawien said he has figured out is that his energy and athleticism lead to positives, so that's all he focuses on.
Thursday was a good example of his mindset paying off. Whether it was his ability to guard on the perimeter and down low, his explosiveness to throw down a dunk or pin a shot against the glass, Mawien provided an all-around boost for the Wildcats.
His teammates have seen it coming for a while. On Thursday, he put it on display for the country.
"In the summer, he was so athletic, fast, could jump and he was so strong. It was just, like, 'He's going to be a great player,'" Wade recalled thinking after his first interactions with Mawien. "He just had some confidence issues at the beginning. I think it's up now and he realizes how good he can be. Now he's playing like it."
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