Fall Recruiting Class Enjoys Successful 2019-20 Seasons

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State's nationally-ranked men's basketball recruiting class of Davion Bradford (St. Louis, Mo./Mehlville), Luke Kasubke (St. Louis, Mo./Chaminade), Selton Miguel (Luanda, Angola/West Oaks Academy [Fla.]) and Nijel Pack (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central) enjoyed successful senior seasons in 2019-20.

The quartet posted a collective 94-22 (.810) record in their final prep seasons in 2019-20 with each advancing to their respective state's playoffs. Kasubke's Chaminade (22-6) team was voted No. 1, along with three other schools, in Missouri's Class 5 by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association (MBCA) after the state semifinals were canceled due to COV-19. Miguel's West Oaks Academy (28-7) team reached the semifinals of The Grind Session World Championship, a postseason showcase for independent teams that play outside traditional state associations. The Flame finished No. 39 in the national boys basketball Fab 50 powered by BallisLife.

Bradford, Kasubke and Pack each repeated All-State honors in each of their state's highest classification their senior seasons, while Miguel was the 2020 regular-season MVP for the Sunshine Independent Athletic Association (SIAA). In addition, all four scored more than 1,000 points in their high school careers.

The current class is rated among the Top 25 by several recruiting services, including No. 14 by Rivals.com, No. 22 by 247Sports.com and No. 24 by ESPN. Historically speaking, it is the highest-rated recruiting class under head coach Bruce Weber and the highest collective class by K-State since recruiting rankings have been kept. All four players are rated among the Top 200 players nationally, while each is a member of the Rivals150.

DAVION BRADFORD
7-0 / 250 / Center / St. Louis, Mo. (Mehlville)

Recruiting Rankings (as of April 8):
247Sports.com – No. 149 nationally | No. 18 center | No. 5 in Missouri
Rivals.com – No. 136 nationally | No. 18 center

2019-20 Season Stats:
14.8 ppg., 8.5 rpg., 3.2 bpg., 69.0 FG%

Season Honors:
MBCA Class 5A All-State, Second Team All-Metro, Suburban Conference (Green Division) Player of the Year

Bradford helped Mehlville High School to a 22-6 overall record, including a 6-0 mark in Suburban Conference play, and a No. 6 final ranking in the STLhighschoolSPORTS.com large school poll. The Panthers lost to Chaminade (led by fellow signee Luke Kasubke), 60-51, in the Missouri Class 5 quarterfinals on March 14 before the entire state tournament was canceled due to COV-19.

Bradford led the Panthers in field goal percentage (69.0%), 2-point field goal percentage (69.2%), double-doubles (11), rebounding (8.5 rpg.) and blocked shots (3.18 bpg.), while he ranked fifth in the St. Louis area in blocked shots. He scored in double figures in 23 of 28 games, including a season-high 33-point scoring effort in a win over Parkway North on Dec. 13, 2019, in which, he connected on 15 of 20 field goals. He also recorded 12 double-digit rebounding games, which included a 22-rebound performance against Hancock on Dec. 6, 2019.

Bradford was part of 78 wins at both Christian Brothers (CBC) and Mehlville in his prep career, which included a 45-14 mark at Mehlville his junior and senior seasons. He posted more than 1,000 points in his career, including 924 in the last 2 seasons alone (15.7 ppg.), on 67.3 percent shooting with 678 rebounds in 98 games.

Head coach Bruce Weber:
"Davion gives you that old-school big guy or as (former Marquette coach) Al Maguire would call 'aircraft carrier.' In modern basketball, you don't see that type of big guy anymore with the big body. He definitely gives us that physical presence inside. He is a young man that got a lot of exposure early who has gotten a lot of support around him to help keep him focused and to continue to work at his game. I thought his summer play was as good as I have seen him -- just his motor and his energy – and he was part of a championship with Luke."

LUKE KASUBKE
6-5 / 185 / Guard / St. Louis, Mo. (Chaminade)

Recruiting Rankings (as of April 8):
247Sports.com – No. 157 nationally | No. 31 shooting guard | No. 6 in Missouri
Rivals.com – No. 149 nationally | No. 31 shooting guard

2019-20 Season Stats:
13.9 ppg., 3.9 rpg., 3.2 apg., 1.8 spg., 52 3-pointers

Season Honors:
MBCA Class 5A All-State, First Team Metro Catholic Conference

Kasubke led Chaminade High School to a 22-6 overall record and a trip to the Missouri Class 5 state semifinals for the fifth time in the last six seasons under head coach Frank Bennett. The Red Devils were voted No. 1, along with CBC, Kickapoo and Staley, by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association (MBCA) after the rest of the tournament was canceled due to COV-19. Ironically, Chaminade knocked off Mehlville led by fellow signee Davion Bradford in the state quarterfinals, 60-51, as Kasubke led all scorers with 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting earning him St. Louis Post-Dispatch Athlete of the Week honors on March 18.

"He's literally one of the hardest workers I've been around," Bennett told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch after Kasubke's performance. "This point of the year it's about playing your best brand of basketball and winning. He's bought in. He does whatever we need him to do. He had a big game for us and it was right on time."

Kasubke paced the Red Devils in 3-point field goals made (52) and attempted (161), free throws made (66) and attempted (86) and steals (48), while averaging 13.9 points on 40.9 percent shooting (128-of-313), including 50 percent (76-of-152) shooting inside the 3-point line, with 3.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. He scored in double figures in 21 of 27 games played, including a season-high 40-point effort in a win over St. Vincent-St. Mary's (alma mater of LeBron James) on Dec. 20, 2019, in which, he connected on 14-of-22 field goals, including 9-of-12 from 3-point range.

A four-year player at Chaminade, Kasubke helped the school to an 84-30 (.737) record, which included three seasons of at least 22 victories. He scored nearly 1,500 points (1,466) in his prep career on 44.7 percent shooting (518-of-1158), including 37.1 percent (218-of-587) from 3-point range. He had at least 50 made 3-pointers in each of his last three seasons, including 73 as a sophomore in 2017-18.

Head coach Bruce Weber:
"Luke (Kasubke) and Davion (Bradford) were a part of the ultra-successful MoKan Elite program who won a championship at the Peach Jam and good some nice recognition from that. Luke is a great shooter, but he is the type of player who wants to get better in all phases of the game and be a complete player. He has pretty good length for a shooting guard and he has really improved his athleticism."

SELTON MIGUEL
6-4 / 195 / Forward / Luanda, Angola (West Oaks Academy [Fla.])

Recruiting Rankings (as of April 8):
247Sports.com – No. 133 nationally | No. 26 small forward | No. 11 in Florida
Rivals.com – No. 98 nationally | No. 23 small forward

2019-20 Season Stats:
20.6 ppg., 4.4 apg., 2.2 rpg., 2.1 spg., 57.0 FG%

Season Honors:
Sunshine Independent Athletic Association (SIAA) regular-season Most Valuable Player

Miguel's West Oaks Academy team was among the best prep schools in the country, collecting wins over No. 2 ranked squads from Oak Hill Academy and Prolific Prep en route to a 28-7 overall record and reached the semifinal round of The Grind Session World Championships. The Flame lost to eventual champion Prolific Prep in the tournament's semifinals on March 12 despite playing without Miguel, who was lost for the season on February 29 due to a thumb injury in a 70-64 win over Victory Rock in the Sunshine Independent Athletic Association (SIAA) state semifinals. The team finished No. 39 in the Ballislife Fab 50 national rankings.

Miguel was solid across the board for the Flame, averaging 20.6 points on 57 percent shooting with 4.4 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game before missing the last 4 games of the season due to his injury. He recorded 19 games at least 20 points with three 30-point contests. He matched his season high of 32 points twice, including against Potter's House on Nov. 12 and St. Pete on Feb. 1. He performed well against some of the best prep teams in the country, including a 23-point, 5-steal effort in a 70-63 win over No. 2 Prolific Prep on Jan. 4 and a 27-point, 3-assist performance in helping the Flame snap No. 2 Oak Hill Academy's 360-game home court winning streak with an 86-81 win on Jan. 27. It was the prep power's first home loss in 23 seasons.

Miguel helped West Oaks to a 76-25 (.752) composite record the past three seasons, including at least 23 wins each season, and runner-up finishes in the Sunshine Independent Athletic Association (SIAA) in 2019 and 2020. He scored more than 1,500 points in his prep career.

Head coach Bruce Weber:
"We really thought one of the key spots – we are going to have to replace Xavier (Sneed) – was to get an athletic wing. We saw Selton early. (Assistant coach) Jermaine (Henderson) did a great job of establishing a relationship with him, his family and his high school coach (Kenny Gillon). It helped a lot with him because of the exposure and success Barry (Brown, Jr.) had here. They knew Barry, so they watched K-State basketball. They appreciated what Barry did and the success he had here. Selton gives you that athletic wing. He is strong and can get to the basket. He is a really good 3-point shooter. And one of the things that I have been most surprised with him is that he is a good creater – a good passer – who can get in the paint and make plays for other people."

NIJEL PACK
5-10 / 165 / Guard / Indianapolis, Ind. (Lawrence Central)

Recruiting Rankings (as of April 8):
247Sports.com – No. 100 nationally | No. 19 point guard | No. 4 in Indiana
Rivals.com – No. 124 nationally | No. 28 point guard
ESPN – No. 84 in ESPN 100 | No. 21 point guard | No. 2 in Indiana

2019-20 Season Stats:
17.7 ppg., 4.2 apg., 4.0 rpg., 2.0 spg., 50.0 FG%, 40.0 3FG%, 93.0 FT%

Season Honors:
IBCA/Subway Senior All-State Supreme 15, All-USA Central Indiana Super Team, Indiana All-Star by Indianapolis Star, First Team All-Marion County

Pack's Lawrence Central team posted a 22-3 overall record and finished No. 3 in the state after losing to archrival Lawrence North, 68-57, in the Sectional 10 Class 4A playoffs on March 4. All 3 of the Bears' losses came to Lawrence North, which advanced all the way to the Regional Championship round before the rest of the playoffs were canceled due to COV-19.

Pack paced the Bears in 3-point field goals made (50) and attempts (124), free throw percentage (92.8%), assists (96) and steals (47), while averaging 17.7 points on 49.7 percent shooting (147-of-296), including 40.3 percent (50-of-124) from 3-point range. He scored in double figures all 23 games, including 8 games of 20 or more points. He scored a game-high 24 points on three occasions.

A four-year player at Lawrence Center, Pack helped the school to an 70-26 (.729) record, which included a 44-7 (.863) mark the last two seasons, and a sectional championship in 2018-19. He scored more than 1,000 points in his prep career on 50.7 percent shooting (388-of-765), including 42.9 percent (149-of-347) from 3-point range, and 86 percent (160-of-186) from the free throw line. He scored 820 (17.1 ppg.) of his 1,085 career points and 199 (4.1 apg.) of his 266 career assists and boasted a 2.55 assist/turnover ratio in his last two seasons.

Head coach Bruce Weber:
"With Nijel (Pack), you have a point guard that is versatile. Not only can he score and is a good long-range shooter, but he also distributes the ball really well. His numbers – both in high school and against high quality competition at the Peach Jam and the rest of the Nike EBYL tour – are some of the best in the country."

Kansas State University Athletics

Fall Recruiting Class Enjoys Successful 2019-20 Seasons

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