Q&A with Head Coach Bruce Weber, Part 1
Apr 17, 2020 | Men's Basketball
K-State head coach Bruce Weber met with members of the media on Wednesday afternoon (April 15) via Zoom to discuss the Wildcats' latest two signees (Seryee Lewis and Rudi Williams) among other topics. This Q&A session has been broken into two parts with the first part focused on the signing of Lewis and Williams as well as the rest of recruiting class.
On the signing of Seryee Lewis…
"After we signed that group in the Fall, we felt as a staff we needed to add an athletic forward – big man – who could rebound, run the court and do those type of things and I think he really fits that mold. You have to give DaJuan (Gordon) some credit -- Seryee is a friend of his -- and I don't know how many times that he text me or the staff encouraging us to reach out to him, to watch him. We finally got out there and started to watch him. He's a great young man with a great family.
"He made the decision to go the prep school (AZ Compass Prep). It was a hard decision to leave Chicago, leave home. They have a close-knit family. He will tell you that those first few weeks away from home were really, hard. But, I think in the long run, it has really helped him grow as a man, to become a better basketball player. He made a lot of improvement over the year. He really focused on becoming a better player. He's also a really good student. He had some interest from Ivy League schools, which says a lot about him, his family and his upbringing. We are really, happy with the signing. Just a really, good young man.
"His mom hasn't let him out of the house (with the pandemic) especially in the Chicago, so they finally got him a basketball hoop (for outside). I talked to him Saturday and he was excited about getting that set up. All the gyms and the outdoor courts are shutdown. Although they had a snowstorm in Chicago, so he can't get out there and shoot just yet. That excites me as a coach because it shows how much he wants to work and get better as a player."
On the signing of Rudi Williams…
"After we had some conversations with David Sloan and the possibility that he might leave, we started looking at available point guards. We were very, very fortunate to latch on to Rudi. The first time I called him and if you have the chance to talk to him, you will love his personality, his smile. I love his energy. He rarely wears a shirt, which I'm not sure what that's about. He has a vibrate personality, he's a leader. If you have seen him, he has a pretty good body. Physically, he is really developed, which is probably the reason he doesn't wear a shirt (laughter).
"We feel really good about (fellow signee) Nijel Pack. We feel like he has a chance to be a star in the future, but this gives us some more experience. You can't just live on one point guard and I think there is a chance we could play them together (Pack and Williams). Nijel is a good scorer. They (his coaches at NEO) asked Rudi to be more of a scorer this year. He led the nation in assists at junior college but was still able to score in the 20s (21.0 points per game), so he has that ability as well.
"The big question we had for Rudi was if he could defend. They play a lot of 2-3 zone (at NEO), so I asked his (junior college) coach if he could defend anyone because we don't play much of that here (2-3 zone). But he has taken it more as a challenge. I have talked to his AAU and high school coaches and they told me he was a big-time defender. Growing up he was short, only 5-foot-4 as a sophomore, so he had to be that pesky defender. He promises me that he can guard, so we will see about that as we get him into the program."
On the last scholarship…
"Ideally, we would like to get someone versatile (that can play both in the front and back court) for that last spot, but that might be a stretch at this point. For practice, you need at least six perimeter guys, to go 3-on-3 and to have practice. We have been fortunate to have some good walk-ons over the years. If we could get that seventh guy, it would really help. I always talk about how we were blessed to have Pierson (McAtee) because if one of the bigs was hurt, he could go with the forwards, and he was versatile enough that he could rotate down and also practice with the guards. We are probably not going to have another walk-on like that next year. I think if we could get someone who could do both that would be ideal to fill in the class."
On the excitement for the entire recruiting class…
"I just got off a Zoom call with all the players. It was the first time that we could include both Rudi and Seryee in the call. The first thing I said was I couldn't be more excited about the group we signed to add these two guys late. We feel good about them. You also add Kaosi (Ezeagu; mid-season transfer from UTEP) into the mix as well. It's similar to when we added Barry (Brown), Dean (Wade), Kam (Stokes) and that class. You have some talent, you have some depth, you have some versatility, and I think some scoring. I know that's a concern of ours as coaches, but also of our fans. Who is going to score for us? I think we have some guys who can step right in and score. I think it's got a little bit of everything. Guys who have come from winning programs and I think that's always important.
"You can go down the line. Nijel was on one of the best teams in Indiana and played on a very good AAU teams (Indy Heat). Luke's team (Chaminade) actually beat Davion's team (Mehlville) to go the Final Four, even though they didn't get to play. Both had really, good years. And Selton's team (West Oaks Academy) was one of the best in the country. They did a lot of things that haven't been done in a while. They won at Oak Hill (Academy) and beat Prolific (Prep), who a lot of people think is the best team in the country. Rudi led his team to Hutch (NJCAA National Tournament) as a freshman and won the conference in back-to-back years, so you feel good about that also."
On if you see Rudi Williams as a passing point guard or a passing point guard…
"I think Rudi can give you both. I think he really improved his 3-point shooting this past year. If you talk to his junior college coach (Jeremy Jackson), he had a really good team and he wanted Rudi to be more of a distributor. This year, he had to be more of a scorer, so his 3-point percentage went up to about 38 percent and he was an 80 percent free throw shooter. I really like that he has a mid-range game. He actually has a pull-up jump shot, which is nice, so I think he can do both. The real question is if he can guard. That will be the big question. He does have the physical body and strength that you want. If you look at our conference, you are going to play against Baylor and the physical guards that they have and the best teams in the country, so you going to have to deal with that. I know I teased him about not wearing a shirt, but he is showing off a body that I know can compete in the Big 12."
On if Seryee Lewis has any stretch capabilities or is he just an inside force...
"He has increased his range. I know he wants to be a better 3-point shooter. I think he is very comfortable out to 17 (feet). But his main strengths are his athleticism, his running, jumping and defending. He really, really plays hard and he played on a really talented team at Compass."
On DaJuan Gordon's connection to Seryee Lewis and how that helped with the recruitment…
"I think DaJuan just wanted us to take a look at him. I can't remember what trip it was, but DaJuan text me and said 'Have you talked to my guy, he's really playing well'. That definitely helped that we had his seal of approval. Once you get to know Seryee a little bit, you realize he is a really, good character guy. He had a good upbringing and is quality person. He wants to be a good basketball player."
On the last scholarship, do want to use it on a high school player, transfer, junior college, graduate transfer or whatever is best available…
"I think whatever is the best available. I don't know if I want to add another freshman to where they are almost a majority of your team. But if it's the right player, I would feel good about it. I would even consider a transfer, who might have to sit out. I mean look at Baylor, they have had pretty good success with transfers and made them a better program. And if it's the right grad transfer, we would take a look. We have eyes and ears on everything right now. Obviously, the (NCAA transfer) portal changes every day, so we have to continue to look at that. I wouldn't say we are in a rush. We have been talking to a variety of kids. Just hope to get the best one."
On the signing of Seryee Lewis…
"After we signed that group in the Fall, we felt as a staff we needed to add an athletic forward – big man – who could rebound, run the court and do those type of things and I think he really fits that mold. You have to give DaJuan (Gordon) some credit -- Seryee is a friend of his -- and I don't know how many times that he text me or the staff encouraging us to reach out to him, to watch him. We finally got out there and started to watch him. He's a great young man with a great family.
"He made the decision to go the prep school (AZ Compass Prep). It was a hard decision to leave Chicago, leave home. They have a close-knit family. He will tell you that those first few weeks away from home were really, hard. But, I think in the long run, it has really helped him grow as a man, to become a better basketball player. He made a lot of improvement over the year. He really focused on becoming a better player. He's also a really good student. He had some interest from Ivy League schools, which says a lot about him, his family and his upbringing. We are really, happy with the signing. Just a really, good young man.
"His mom hasn't let him out of the house (with the pandemic) especially in the Chicago, so they finally got him a basketball hoop (for outside). I talked to him Saturday and he was excited about getting that set up. All the gyms and the outdoor courts are shutdown. Although they had a snowstorm in Chicago, so he can't get out there and shoot just yet. That excites me as a coach because it shows how much he wants to work and get better as a player."
On the signing of Rudi Williams…
"After we had some conversations with David Sloan and the possibility that he might leave, we started looking at available point guards. We were very, very fortunate to latch on to Rudi. The first time I called him and if you have the chance to talk to him, you will love his personality, his smile. I love his energy. He rarely wears a shirt, which I'm not sure what that's about. He has a vibrate personality, he's a leader. If you have seen him, he has a pretty good body. Physically, he is really developed, which is probably the reason he doesn't wear a shirt (laughter).
"We feel really good about (fellow signee) Nijel Pack. We feel like he has a chance to be a star in the future, but this gives us some more experience. You can't just live on one point guard and I think there is a chance we could play them together (Pack and Williams). Nijel is a good scorer. They (his coaches at NEO) asked Rudi to be more of a scorer this year. He led the nation in assists at junior college but was still able to score in the 20s (21.0 points per game), so he has that ability as well.
"The big question we had for Rudi was if he could defend. They play a lot of 2-3 zone (at NEO), so I asked his (junior college) coach if he could defend anyone because we don't play much of that here (2-3 zone). But he has taken it more as a challenge. I have talked to his AAU and high school coaches and they told me he was a big-time defender. Growing up he was short, only 5-foot-4 as a sophomore, so he had to be that pesky defender. He promises me that he can guard, so we will see about that as we get him into the program."
On the last scholarship…
"Ideally, we would like to get someone versatile (that can play both in the front and back court) for that last spot, but that might be a stretch at this point. For practice, you need at least six perimeter guys, to go 3-on-3 and to have practice. We have been fortunate to have some good walk-ons over the years. If we could get that seventh guy, it would really help. I always talk about how we were blessed to have Pierson (McAtee) because if one of the bigs was hurt, he could go with the forwards, and he was versatile enough that he could rotate down and also practice with the guards. We are probably not going to have another walk-on like that next year. I think if we could get someone who could do both that would be ideal to fill in the class."
On the excitement for the entire recruiting class…
"I just got off a Zoom call with all the players. It was the first time that we could include both Rudi and Seryee in the call. The first thing I said was I couldn't be more excited about the group we signed to add these two guys late. We feel good about them. You also add Kaosi (Ezeagu; mid-season transfer from UTEP) into the mix as well. It's similar to when we added Barry (Brown), Dean (Wade), Kam (Stokes) and that class. You have some talent, you have some depth, you have some versatility, and I think some scoring. I know that's a concern of ours as coaches, but also of our fans. Who is going to score for us? I think we have some guys who can step right in and score. I think it's got a little bit of everything. Guys who have come from winning programs and I think that's always important.
"You can go down the line. Nijel was on one of the best teams in Indiana and played on a very good AAU teams (Indy Heat). Luke's team (Chaminade) actually beat Davion's team (Mehlville) to go the Final Four, even though they didn't get to play. Both had really, good years. And Selton's team (West Oaks Academy) was one of the best in the country. They did a lot of things that haven't been done in a while. They won at Oak Hill (Academy) and beat Prolific (Prep), who a lot of people think is the best team in the country. Rudi led his team to Hutch (NJCAA National Tournament) as a freshman and won the conference in back-to-back years, so you feel good about that also."
On if you see Rudi Williams as a passing point guard or a passing point guard…
"I think Rudi can give you both. I think he really improved his 3-point shooting this past year. If you talk to his junior college coach (Jeremy Jackson), he had a really good team and he wanted Rudi to be more of a distributor. This year, he had to be more of a scorer, so his 3-point percentage went up to about 38 percent and he was an 80 percent free throw shooter. I really like that he has a mid-range game. He actually has a pull-up jump shot, which is nice, so I think he can do both. The real question is if he can guard. That will be the big question. He does have the physical body and strength that you want. If you look at our conference, you are going to play against Baylor and the physical guards that they have and the best teams in the country, so you going to have to deal with that. I know I teased him about not wearing a shirt, but he is showing off a body that I know can compete in the Big 12."
On if Seryee Lewis has any stretch capabilities or is he just an inside force...
"He has increased his range. I know he wants to be a better 3-point shooter. I think he is very comfortable out to 17 (feet). But his main strengths are his athleticism, his running, jumping and defending. He really, really plays hard and he played on a really talented team at Compass."
On DaJuan Gordon's connection to Seryee Lewis and how that helped with the recruitment…
"I think DaJuan just wanted us to take a look at him. I can't remember what trip it was, but DaJuan text me and said 'Have you talked to my guy, he's really playing well'. That definitely helped that we had his seal of approval. Once you get to know Seryee a little bit, you realize he is a really, good character guy. He had a good upbringing and is quality person. He wants to be a good basketball player."
On the last scholarship, do want to use it on a high school player, transfer, junior college, graduate transfer or whatever is best available…
"I think whatever is the best available. I don't know if I want to add another freshman to where they are almost a majority of your team. But if it's the right player, I would feel good about it. I would even consider a transfer, who might have to sit out. I mean look at Baylor, they have had pretty good success with transfers and made them a better program. And if it's the right grad transfer, we would take a look. We have eyes and ears on everything right now. Obviously, the (NCAA transfer) portal changes every day, so we have to continue to look at that. I wouldn't say we are in a rush. We have been talking to a variety of kids. Just hope to get the best one."
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballK-State Men's Basketball | Postgame Press Conference at Houston
Sunday, February 15
K-State Men's Basketball | Game Replay vs Cincinnati - February 11, 2026
Thursday, February 12
K-State Men's Basketball | Coach Tang Press Conference vs Cincinnati
Thursday, February 12
K-State Men's Basketball | Game Highlights vs Cincinnati
Thursday, February 12
