Weber, Players Hold Annual Media Day Monday

MANHATTAN, Kan. – For the first time in two years, the Kansas State men's basketball team held its annual media day in-person, as area media met with head coach Bruce Weber and players on Monday afternoon to discuss the
fast-approaching 2021-22 season at the Ice Family Basketball Center.

The Wildcats play their lone exhibition game on Thursday night (November 4) at home against Pittsburg State at 7 p.m., CT before opening the regular season on Wednesday, November 10 against Florida A&M at 7 p.m., CT.

Weber held his traditional press conference to start before media were able to talk 1-on-1 with players.

K-State returns four of its top-5 scorers, including senior Mike McGuirl and rising sophomores Davion Bradford, Selton Miguel and Nijel Pack. In all, the Wildcats return nine lettermen, including juniors Kaosi Ezeagu and Carlton Linguard, Jr., and sophomores Luke Kasubke and Seryee Lewis. Lewis will miss the upcoming season due to injury.

The team also added seven newcomers this offseason, including transfers Ismael (Ish) Massoud (Wake Forest), Markquis Nowell (Little Rock) and Mark Smith (Missouri) to go with freshmen Maximus Edwards and Logan Landers.

Season tickets as well as single game and mini-plans are currently on sale with the Wildcats slated to play 18 games at Bramlage Coliseum. Fans can purchase tickets in a variety of ways, including toll free at (800) 221.CATS (2287) and online at www.kstatesports.com/tickets.

Below is a transcript of the media availability.

Gallery: (11-1-2021) Men's basketball media day

BRUCE WEBER, HEAD COACH
Opening statement...
"Well, I think I've said all along to you guys, we really like our team. We like our guys. From last spring, obviously COVID was hard on us in a lot of ways. For our guys to persevere and have a great finish there, we couldn't ask for a better story after a bad start to it and it really led to our guys being very focused and working hard in the spring into the summer into the fall. Coaches that I talked to, you worry about culture and toughness and togetherness because of the portal and new guys, and I think we couldn't be more pleased with the new guys and how they fit in. They almost are the guys that have seemed like they've been here the longest and appreciate it the most. And I really think maybe it's because we do have a good place and we have a good program and we treat people right and it's like, 'man, this is pretty good' and they appreciate it. So, from Mark (Smith) to Ish (Massoud) to Markquis (Nowell) to Max (Edwards) and Logan (Landers), they have really, really fit in with our group.

"I thought our preparation for our scrimmage a week ago was superb. Our coaches did a great job. Our players did a great job. And we went out and played. We played unbelievably hard. We were very physical. We were tough. And we did well. I couldn't be more pleased with that. I think now we're at day 22 for practice today out of 30. We probably hit a little bit of the dog days and we've had some injuries. And so, we're a little short numbered, but it's just like a lot of we're ready for a game now and that's why Thursday's important and next Wednesday. But the thing I've told them is don't get bored with practice. You have to keep getting better and stay focused and let's not have failure be the reason that we got motivated, so we'll just keep getting better.

"We have a good group. I think our leadership has gotten better. And I know our togetherness is really good. Our chemistry is great. They are very, very committed and competitive. The Program, the guys, the military guys at one point grabbed me and they said they were always just competitive and I just kind of laughed because every drill whether it's a shooting drill, whatever it might be, the smallest drill they're competing against each other. That's the way (former Wildcat) Rodney McGruder was, he'd compete at stretching and we don't maybe have that extreme, but we got a lot of guys that love to compete every day. The practices are hard, they're hard fought. They get into it. And you know, it's been fun so far. So, we'll see where we go.

"I think our biggest thing is today, we got several guys injured and are sick. Davion (Bradford) got a little bit of a case of something right now. He won't be here. He missed yesterday, hopefully back by the end of the week. He does not have COVID but he has something else. Obviously, we talked about Seryee (Lewis) with the knee surgery. He's made a lot of progress. But you know, that's a seven month process to come back. I had some tough news on Max (Edwards). He had surgery in the spring at home and a little bit of a recurrence. So, we're gonna have to go do something again with that, so we probably won't have him for a while at least. And then Nijel's (Pack) been slowed up a little bit. We are trying to be cautious with him. He is back at practice and hopefully he'll keep making progress, and then Carlton (Linguard) had this knee procedure in the spring at the end. And he's still kind of hobbling back from that. He's made some progress, but we still don't have the full go so a lot of days now we're down to nine kids in practice. Nine guys and it makes it a little tough, but we're fortunate to have pretty good walk-ons and still got some young coaches that can still get up and down and practice a little bit, which helps us also."

On if there is a projected starting unit...
"We'll see how the week goes and I told staff the other day, I'm not sure they agreed with me. This might be a year where every game might be a little different unit depending how they play. The Greek freak came out after one of the first or second games, you guys might have seen it where he said, 'every game all I worry about is two things; I can control my attitude and my effort'. And we've really used that as a fixture with our guys and I just sat up meeting with Selton (Miguel) here and every day it could be who we're playing, how somebody's playing, your energy, your attitude. And maybe if you want to play you have to come every day in the practice and do what you're supposed to and play your butts off and be prepared. So, I would say the only one for sure, probably just because Davion (Bradford) is out, is Kaosi (Ezeagu). He'll start and probably Ish (Massoud). Guards, with good fortune, so far, we have pretty good depth and versatility and a lot of guys. They're gonna play a lot, and hopefully we can get the most out of them."

On what Mark Smith has brought to the team...
"The first thing and I joked with him a couple times this summer. I said, 'are you always this happy?' Because he comes in here and he's happy. He's got a smile on his face, and I get text messages from his dad that he's so happy to be there. He so appreciates what you guys have done. Has every day been perfect with him? No, he's still learning. It's a new system. We told him, he's been at two high level programs with two different coaches, so he's got all these habits and not that what they do is wrong, but it's different than what we do. So now you have to break some of that, so he's had his tough days. Yet he always comes back with a smile. He's always in the gym. The thing that surprised me the most is his athleticism and physicality. He's had a pretty good week. Now about two weeks ago, he had a little bit of a lull, but I think the nice thing is he appreciates it, comes back, he wants to learn, wants to get better. He is one of the groups that works very, very hard."

On Nijel Pack...
"What we've done is I wouldn't say day-to-day, but his minutes are day-to-day. Just yesterday was probably the most he went. He probably went three quarters of the practice yesterday. At the beginning we were trying to let them do a little section of practice, rest, come back but that wasn't working. He was getting too stiff and so now we're just carving out. (Athletic trainer) Luke (Sauber) comes with me every day and says, 'what do you want him in?' And then we'll go a stretch of, it started 30 minutes, now it's 45, yesterday about an hour and 15 where he was part of it."

On the team's performance in last week's scrimmage...
"I think they played the way I envisioned, and they played much better than I thought we would early, but I think they were very focused, they were ready. We didn't play perfectly by any means. but we were very, very competitive. We were very physical. Rebounding, the play hard chart, all those things and the defensive end was really, really good. We missed some easy ones, and a few too many turnovers. Ironically, it was more of the big guys this time with the turnovers but overall, for this early, I was really, really happy."

On what the scrimmage did for the team...
"We do more. You do timeouts and you can arrange a scrimmage however you want. I had talked with the coach and some of that you have to play by ear. How many guys have injuries, all that stuff. I think they definitely wanted to play more. I think our guys did too. We got to the point where the officials were struggling because we had gone so much. You don't want them to get hurt either."

On areas the team is focused on...
"Turnovers right now. Just learning that we don't have to make a big play every time we touch the ball. I think that would be the thing that we've struggled with most and then the next thing is just figuring out a role (for each player). What's your role? How can you score, how can you make plays and still feel good about it? That's a big thing. We've talked a lot and we'll continue to talk a lot about understanding your role and taking pride in it. Accepting, executing and taking pride in your role and I think that would be the next step as we move forward especially as you get into games and minutes. Use your minutes, don't worry about how many minutes you have. Use the minutes that you get."

On the newcomers adjusting to the team...
"Yeah, those three guys (Massoud, Nowell and Smith), especially the veterans, if they've been one year, two years, three years with a coach. Those are the habits that are ingrained. That's why your older players win because they have great habits, but they also recognize situations and how we're going to guard things. So, it's taken a little time but they're trying and they're making the effort and mindset. We got a lot of guys that come and watch film, and that's really important to learn the game and get better. Now can you take the film to practice and then to the game then go back and do it again? And each time we make a little bit of improvement but the thing we really have right now is we can put great pressure on the ball. That can solve a lot of problems on defense. It's like rushing the quarterback. I think we saw it on Saturday (at the K-State football game). It takes even the best quarterbacks out of games. How do you get to Tom Brady? How do you get to Patrick Mahomes? You put pressure on them, and it changes all things. Same thing in basketball. The ball screen doesn't occur if they're under so much pressure that they can't even get to the ball screen and I think we know from Markquis (Nowell) to Selton (Miguel) to Mike (McGuirl) to Mark (Smith), we have four guys that can really pressure the ball so I think that we can come at people and cause problems."

On where the team is this season compared to last year...
"Oh, God, more than 100 percent. It's not even close. We have more guys sitting here than we had last year in practice at that time."

On Selton Miguel's international experience…
"Well, I think it's always great and I encourage it. Just my opportunities I've been blessed with USA Basketball and then just the team I dealt with 19 and under, how those guys evolved. To see Tyrese Haliburton, go from freshman year to the next year. And some of it is just that confidence and mojo and playing against tough players and tough teams and having that experience. I think the same thing with him. We were doing drills and drill work that he was practicing against older guys. Even in his own group, they are professional players playing overseas, so every day he was the youngest guy in that region. I remember an announcer saying that during a game. Just an unbelievable and valuable experience for him."

On Ismael Massoud…
"I didn't think he was that tall. He is tall. You've got to get a little more meat on him. We've talked about that, and I think he's starting to figure that out. And that'll come over the course of time. I think the thing that surprised me most is how much he loves the game and how much he studies the game and wants to get better every day. They asked me at media day in Kansas City who has worked hardest, and there's at least five or six guys that would be up there tied for first who's in the gym, but he's definitely somebody that's here shooting, in with (strength coach) AJ (Kloss) in the weight room, up watching film, all those things and when you have that, you know you're going to get better."

On Markquis Nowell playing bigger than his height…
"Well, Coach Southwell joked the other day, he's got a chip on his shoulder, but you are 5'8" and you can't change that. But he plays with a big heart, and he's got to realize, worry about what you can do and just do those things because he can create havoc on defense with his pressure. He can. He's got quickness to get by people. And then you gotta play the game, you gotta read the plays and that's something I think he's learning through practice. This is a different level and every day, guys we're gonna play against but also guys you play against in practice are longer, bigger, a little more athletic probably. So, you gotta figure that out and adjust and learn but again he wants to get better and really, really cares. I think it might be the best thing about our whole group. They really care."

On the Seryee Lewis injury…
"I said since the beginning, I thought he could be an X-Factor for us because he gives us the new modern kind of small ball forward that can do some stuff at the hoop, can run, rebound all that and if you watch the scrimmage in Bramlage, which I thought that was his best surge of play that he had, you got excited about it and then a couple days later he said, 'coach my leg is hurting'. We had to shut him down a little bit, but he could have given some depth there at that position. And it's sad. It is what it is, but it means somebody else has to step up."

On what he hopes from the exhibition games…
"I hope we come out and we come very focused and really play at a high level. Even though it doesn't count, it does count, and I think that's the biggest thing. Again, use your minutes. Things we talked about, turnovers, taking care of the ball, shutting people out. We have that capability to do that."

On Davion Bradford's continued progress…
"I thought Davion made huge strides. Our team improved. He improved. Just think about the last game. I've told him that it was his best game of the year against the best team in the country. So, to come from the beginning where Kaosi (Ezeagu) was kicking his butt every day to at the end, because of Kaosi's surgery and being out, Davion took advantage of it and took his game to a whole another level and his biggest thing is just continuing making progress with his body and the physicality of it. If he gets his body right, it's going to help him with his game."

On the most improved player…
"We have a lot of guys who have done well, but I was talking with Selton (Miguel) about who the most improved player is, and it might be Luke (Kasubke) to be honest. Luke has been really, really consistent and efficient and couldn't be more pleased with what he's done. I know last year, some of you guys asked, 'can he ever make a shot'? I said the same thing. I'm sure he did. But I stuck him in a game last year and he had really had five to seven days of practice. And the game we put him in was Texas who had three guys drafted and then their guards probably were the best guards or some of the best guards in the country. When you say throwing somebody to the wolves, we threw Luke to the wolves and he kept working and he got better. And now he's been a really nice surprise for us and has been very, very solid and efficient every day."

MARK SMITH, FIFTH YEAR GUARD
On who the best shooter on the team is…
"If I had to say someone it would be Luke (Kasubke) or Nijel (Pack). I would say in the last three weeks, Luke has not missed an open shot and neither has Nijel. I would say between those two."

On the move to K-State…
"It is definitely just how better I've gotten and just how much better my basketball game has grown. It just feels right and just being around everyone, I feel like I've known everyone for a while and the team just clicks on all cylinders. It is going to be a fun time."

On the biggest thing he brings to K-State Basketball…
"I think my physicality and being able to guard multiple positions. Also, I feel like I can knock down open shots."

MARKQUIS NOWELL, JUNIOR GUARD
On how much pressure he expects to put on the ball…
"I'm definitely going to try to do it as much as possible. It's fun for me, playing defense, pressure and so forth. And you know, getting somebody rattled because people feed off of that energy. People love that energy. We'll have fun while I am doing it. I want to do the best that I can."

On the difference between K-State and Little Rock…
"Intensity. That's pretty much it. The intensity just ramped up a little bit more but in order to be great you got to do things that are uncomfortable like small stuff that you aren't used to. I think I'm getting adjusted to the level of intensity that Coach (Weber) wants to play."

ISMAEL MASSOUD, SOPHOMORE FORWARD
On being new to the team….
"For me, I get along with almost anyone, I have no problems with anyone. I feel like I am relatable. I'm a funny guy, so it was pretty easy, and they made it easy. Coaches made it easy on the transition. It wasn't too hard."

On the culture shock…
"No, before this I was coming from Winston-Salem (North Carolina). Before that was Massachusetts for high school for three years. Manhattan is kind of lit to me (laughter), no complaints over here."

On being on the court…
"On the court you are just learning the different principles and techniques they want you to play on defense and just learn the offense, but other than that I am more comfortable than I have ever been in college. Being here in terms of fully playing my well rounded and versatile game, so it has actually been a great experience."

NIJEL PACK, SOPHOMORE GUARD
On what he has been working on…
"I was mostly a three point shooter last year. That's been my game to be able to get to that basket with some more assists. Guys have just been playing harder, getting cleaned up so I can be more active on the ball, playing defense and things like that."

On Mike McGuirl…
"He's simply a leader. He's really helped me. I was asking a lot of questions. I know you build big teams here. What is the difference between us and other teams? He knows. He's done it all and the Big 12 wins are part of it. Everything everybody does in here, he's done. What he tells us, we listen and it's for the best for us. I just want a great last season for him."

LUKE KASUBKE, SOPHOMORE GUARD
On being excited for the season…
"I can't wait, I am so excited. Everybody improved, our whole team improved, and I think we are going to surprise some people. We see all the rankings and we see we are at the bottom but that just feeds into our hunger and our motivation, so I think we are ready."

On offseason focus…
"Really just learning, getting my jump shot right, working on things I need to work on, getting my body right. But also, a big piece for me was being able to learn the plays and learn the fundamentals from the beginning because I didn't get that last year, so I think that was a big step for me."

On hearing Coach Weber call him the most improved player on the team…
"It feels good because all that hard work you put in through the offseason and staying with it and staying with that grind is starting to pay off. Things are starting to come together."

MAXIMUS EDWARDS, FRESHMAN GUARD
On dealing with his injury…
"It's the first time ever. I had surgery in April and again tomorrow. So, it's just a whole different ball game for me right now. I hope I can play this year, but I'm really not rushing it. I just want to get back to 100 percent. I'm ready to play whenever and my body is telling me I can't right now."

On what has surprised him so far...
"Definitely the pace. They go from drill to drill. They'll go over a play and if you mess it up, they don't wait for you, they'll just go to the next thing. So, it really does matter. The pace is way faster than high school. I was surprised by Ish (Massoud) because he really doesn't miss a lot, makes a lot of tough shots. And for him to be doing that and move like a point guard with his height still amazes me to this day."

LOGAN LANDERS, FRESHMAN FORWARD
On which of the players has been the most surprising…
"We've got a lot of really good guys. College basketball, as a whole, has a lot of good guys but our team has a lot of great players. Markquis (Nowell) always inspires me. Not the tallest but he can defend, he can play and is a leader on the court at all times. He's always there helping me when I kind of get a little frazzled and tells me what I need to do when we get back to it."

On what the team has been working on in the leadup to the season…
"We work on everything probably every single day, every single day working on the same stuff to really define. The defending is obviously something that we need to work on at all times. Offense will come, but if you can be a dominant defensive team, you are going to dominate the game."

How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on K-State men's basketball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Davion Bradford

Maximus Edwards

Kaosi Ezeagu

Luke Kasubke

Logan Landers

Seryee Lewis

Carlton Linguard, Jr.

Ismael Massoud

Mike McGuirl

Selton Miguel

Markquis Nowell

Nijel Pack

Mark Smith

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