SE: Stokes Eclipses 1,000 Career Points, Continues to Hit Big Shots for K-State
Jan 02, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Kamau Stokes hit a free throw late in the first half of Saturday's win over George Mason for the 1,000th point of his K-State career, but the shots he hit after were much more representative of how he got to the milestone.
"He stepped up and hit big shots," senior guard Barry Brown, Jr., said of Stokes. "We needed it."
"We're very fortunate Kam made some big shots," K-State head coach Bruce Weber added. "We had to have somebody step up, and he did."
Their words followed Stokes' game-high, 20-point outing in which every shot he made seemed to be at a crucial time.
Some examples: He ended an 8-0 run from George Mason with a 3-pointer about midway through the second half. When George Mason responded with another 8-0 spurt, he answered with another trey. Then, he hit another 53 seconds later. Stokes knocked down another big shot with 1:21 to play, extending K-State's lead from three to six.
A senior with 87 starts under his belt, the moment was never too big for Stokes.
"I am definitely comfortable, and my teammates believe in me to make those shots," he said, "so, when I'm open, it's up to me to hit them."
And he's hit a lot of them in his career. Stokes, now with 1,012 career points, has made 162 treys in a K-State uniform to rank seventh in school history behind a host of notable Wildcats. Cartier Martin, for instance, sits in sixth with 178.
"That's a special accomplishment," Weber said of Stokes crossing the 1,000-point barrier. "When you think about it, he's done in a lot less time than a lot of guys because he missed half of his freshman year and a lot of last season also (with injuries). He's put in a lot of time in shooting the ball."
It's shown throughout this career, but especially as of late. In his last four games, Stokes has averaged 16.3 points and hit 13-of-23 (57 percent) from beyond the arc.
Still, after Saturday's win, Stokes focused less on his career achievement and more on what he can do better for his team. Namely, cutting down on his turnovers. He committed all three of his in the second half against George Mason, while his team recorded eight of its 10 for the game in the final 20 minutes.
"I have to take care of the ball at the end of the game," Stokes said. "It doesn't matter how many points I score, if I don't do that it puts us in a tough situation."
Stokes' answer represents a part of what Weber said makes K-State's senior class, with Brown and Dean Wade, special. All three now have scored more than 1,000 points at K-State, making them the first senior class all to do so. Brown also broke the all-time steals record against Vanderbilt, but ultimately Weber said they know it's about wins.
"This group is a special group. They put the time and effort into it. They wanted to be at K-State. When you have guys that want to be here, work at it and believe in the system, they have success," Weber said, as K-State (10-2) opens Big 12 play against Texas on Wednesday at 8 p.m. "Now, I know they're really focused on leaving a true legacy and going on a run and getting a bunch more wins on this stretch."
Kamau Stokes hit a free throw late in the first half of Saturday's win over George Mason for the 1,000th point of his K-State career, but the shots he hit after were much more representative of how he got to the milestone.
"He stepped up and hit big shots," senior guard Barry Brown, Jr., said of Stokes. "We needed it."
"We're very fortunate Kam made some big shots," K-State head coach Bruce Weber added. "We had to have somebody step up, and he did."
Their words followed Stokes' game-high, 20-point outing in which every shot he made seemed to be at a crucial time.
Some examples: He ended an 8-0 run from George Mason with a 3-pointer about midway through the second half. When George Mason responded with another 8-0 spurt, he answered with another trey. Then, he hit another 53 seconds later. Stokes knocked down another big shot with 1:21 to play, extending K-State's lead from three to six.
1,000th career point, 60 seconds
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) December 31, 2018
Kam's milestone day, from shootaround to postgame presser #KStateMBB pic.twitter.com/DbtVXQsq2O
A senior with 87 starts under his belt, the moment was never too big for Stokes.
"I am definitely comfortable, and my teammates believe in me to make those shots," he said, "so, when I'm open, it's up to me to hit them."
And he's hit a lot of them in his career. Stokes, now with 1,012 career points, has made 162 treys in a K-State uniform to rank seventh in school history behind a host of notable Wildcats. Cartier Martin, for instance, sits in sixth with 178.
"That's a special accomplishment," Weber said of Stokes crossing the 1,000-point barrier. "When you think about it, he's done in a lot less time than a lot of guys because he missed half of his freshman year and a lot of last season also (with injuries). He's put in a lot of time in shooting the ball."
It's shown throughout this career, but especially as of late. In his last four games, Stokes has averaged 16.3 points and hit 13-of-23 (57 percent) from beyond the arc.
Still, after Saturday's win, Stokes focused less on his career achievement and more on what he can do better for his team. Namely, cutting down on his turnovers. He committed all three of his in the second half against George Mason, while his team recorded eight of its 10 for the game in the final 20 minutes.
"I have to take care of the ball at the end of the game," Stokes said. "It doesn't matter how many points I score, if I don't do that it puts us in a tough situation."
Stokes' answer represents a part of what Weber said makes K-State's senior class, with Brown and Dean Wade, special. All three now have scored more than 1,000 points at K-State, making them the first senior class all to do so. Brown also broke the all-time steals record against Vanderbilt, but ultimately Weber said they know it's about wins.
"This group is a special group. They put the time and effort into it. They wanted to be at K-State. When you have guys that want to be here, work at it and believe in the system, they have success," Weber said, as K-State (10-2) opens Big 12 play against Texas on Wednesday at 8 p.m. "Now, I know they're really focused on leaving a true legacy and going on a run and getting a bunch more wins on this stretch."
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