SE: Catching Up with Will Spradling
Mar 06, 2020 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: Scott Retzlaff
Will Spradling has had some time to reflect on his K-State basketball career. As one of the winningest players in program history, he certainly has plenty to reflect upon. It's clear his love for his alma mater remains as strong as ever.
When you're listed among such players as Jacob Pullen and Rodney McGruder in several career statistics, that tells the story. Overall, he was one of a select few players in K-State history to finish with 1,000 points, 300 assists, 300 rebounds and 100 steals in his career. Consistency was the name of the game for the Overland Park native.
Plenty of other stats and numbers stand out from Spradling's career. He made 105 starts and appeared in 134 total games for K-State, but perhaps 92 and 4 might be Spradling's most impressive numbers of all. Spradling helped the Cats to 92 wins and four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. The 2012-13 season was very special, as the Cats went 27-8 and earned a share of the Big 12 title.
"My time at K-State meant a lot," Spradling said. "We were very successful while I was there. We won a lot of games, went to the NCAA Tournament all four years and won a Big 12 Championship. I look back and am proud of what we achieved while I was there."
While all the success was fantastic, Spradling points to something else that he remembers most from his collegiate career and time in Manhattan.
"The thing I liked most was the family atmosphere," he added. "The whole college felt like one big family. I took that with me and have that as a part of my own high school basketball team now."
Spradling chose the coaching route once his playing days were over. Helping his dad with camps and clinics sparked an interest that he couldn't ignore. It wasn't a question of if he would coach. Going into coaching was always something he envisioned for himself. He just had to decide on what level he wanted to coach. He decided on high school and has been in charge of the basketball team at St. Marys since 2017.
"Starting a family right out of college, I knew I wanted to be around and not be on the road as much," Spradling admitted. "High school and youth coaching have been a lot of fun while also being able to be around my family."
Speaking of family, the Spradling household continues to grow. Will and his wife, Meagan, have two children with a third on the way. Several years ago, the couples' daughter, Triss, went through a very serious health scare. She had cysts growing on her lung while in utero, which led to a forced early birth.
"She went into heart failure at 25 weeks," Spradling recalled. "It was crazy to see what the doctors could do to get her through that. They delivered at 31 weeks, and the doctors removed a portion of her lung. She's been phenomenal since that surgery."
Spradling's basketball career and his time as a father have shaped him into the person and coach he is today. While his own coaching schedule sometimes makes it difficult to keep up with K-State athletics, he follows when he can and catches up with his former coaches during the summers.
"We still live around Manhattan since we love it so much," Spradling said. "That family atmosphere at K-State had a huge impact back then and continues to in terms of where I want to be and how I run things."
Now, instead of racking up impressive stats as a player, he has the opportunity to teach kids the game he loves.
His decision to go the high school route has been a good one. Imagine being a high school student-athlete with the luxury of learning from one of the winningest players in K-State basketball history. It's a great opportunity for kids to follow their basketball dreams. It's also an opportunity for those kids to grow, both on and off the court, with a great role model to follow.
It's also a great opportunity for Spradling, who doesn't take his position for granted.
"My background is where they want to get to someday," Spradling remarked. "They tend to listen a bit more when I speak. I can relate to them and tell them what it took for me to get where I wanted to be, especially being a Kansas kid myself. I can relate well with the kids."
Over the years, Spradling's coaches and fans enjoyed watching him grow throughout his basketball career. Now, the tables have turned, and it's Spradling who gets to be that resource for his players, cheering them on as they pursue their goals.
"It's been rewarding," acknowledged Spradling. "That's the biggest thing is just watching the kids grow, become better basketball players, as well as watching them grow off the court. Seeing the players we've worked with in our skills academy or on our teams live out their dreams of playing in college and just watching them be successful has been very rewarding."
Will Spradling has had some time to reflect on his K-State basketball career. As one of the winningest players in program history, he certainly has plenty to reflect upon. It's clear his love for his alma mater remains as strong as ever.
When you're listed among such players as Jacob Pullen and Rodney McGruder in several career statistics, that tells the story. Overall, he was one of a select few players in K-State history to finish with 1,000 points, 300 assists, 300 rebounds and 100 steals in his career. Consistency was the name of the game for the Overland Park native.
Plenty of other stats and numbers stand out from Spradling's career. He made 105 starts and appeared in 134 total games for K-State, but perhaps 92 and 4 might be Spradling's most impressive numbers of all. Spradling helped the Cats to 92 wins and four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. The 2012-13 season was very special, as the Cats went 27-8 and earned a share of the Big 12 title.
"My time at K-State meant a lot," Spradling said. "We were very successful while I was there. We won a lot of games, went to the NCAA Tournament all four years and won a Big 12 Championship. I look back and am proud of what we achieved while I was there."
While all the success was fantastic, Spradling points to something else that he remembers most from his collegiate career and time in Manhattan.
"The thing I liked most was the family atmosphere," he added. "The whole college felt like one big family. I took that with me and have that as a part of my own high school basketball team now."
Spradling chose the coaching route once his playing days were over. Helping his dad with camps and clinics sparked an interest that he couldn't ignore. It wasn't a question of if he would coach. Going into coaching was always something he envisioned for himself. He just had to decide on what level he wanted to coach. He decided on high school and has been in charge of the basketball team at St. Marys since 2017.
"Starting a family right out of college, I knew I wanted to be around and not be on the road as much," Spradling admitted. "High school and youth coaching have been a lot of fun while also being able to be around my family."
Speaking of family, the Spradling household continues to grow. Will and his wife, Meagan, have two children with a third on the way. Several years ago, the couples' daughter, Triss, went through a very serious health scare. She had cysts growing on her lung while in utero, which led to a forced early birth.
"She went into heart failure at 25 weeks," Spradling recalled. "It was crazy to see what the doctors could do to get her through that. They delivered at 31 weeks, and the doctors removed a portion of her lung. She's been phenomenal since that surgery."
Spradling's basketball career and his time as a father have shaped him into the person and coach he is today. While his own coaching schedule sometimes makes it difficult to keep up with K-State athletics, he follows when he can and catches up with his former coaches during the summers.
"We still live around Manhattan since we love it so much," Spradling said. "That family atmosphere at K-State had a huge impact back then and continues to in terms of where I want to be and how I run things."
Now, instead of racking up impressive stats as a player, he has the opportunity to teach kids the game he loves.
His decision to go the high school route has been a good one. Imagine being a high school student-athlete with the luxury of learning from one of the winningest players in K-State basketball history. It's a great opportunity for kids to follow their basketball dreams. It's also an opportunity for those kids to grow, both on and off the court, with a great role model to follow.
It's also a great opportunity for Spradling, who doesn't take his position for granted.
"My background is where they want to get to someday," Spradling remarked. "They tend to listen a bit more when I speak. I can relate to them and tell them what it took for me to get where I wanted to be, especially being a Kansas kid myself. I can relate well with the kids."
Over the years, Spradling's coaches and fans enjoyed watching him grow throughout his basketball career. Now, the tables have turned, and it's Spradling who gets to be that resource for his players, cheering them on as they pursue their goals.
"It's been rewarding," acknowledged Spradling. "That's the biggest thing is just watching the kids grow, become better basketball players, as well as watching them grow off the court. Seeing the players we've worked with in our skills academy or on our teams live out their dreams of playing in college and just watching them be successful has been very rewarding."
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