Kansas State University Athletics
‘Big 12 Ish’ Shining at Right Time
Jan 23, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
They call him "Big 12 Ish." And there's a reason for this. Ishmael Massoud is all over the place. In the best way possible. He had six points against No. 2 Kansas, but what we'll remember most is Massoud diving for the loose ball in the final seconds to preserve the 83-82 win over the Jayhawks. He had 12 points in Saturday's 68-58 win over Texas Tech, but what we'll remember as much as anything, besides his pair of 3-pointers, are his hustle plays on both ends of the floor, bringing the sold out crowd at Bramlage Coliseum to life again and again.
"He's Big 12 Ish," Markquis Nowell says.
"We call him 'Big 12 Ish,'" K-State head coach Jerome Tang says. "We like his 'Big 12 Ish.'"
No. 13 K-State is 17-2 overall and 6-1 in the Big 12 Conference. After being picked 10th in the Big 12 in the preseason, the Wildcats are alone in first place in the Big 12 standings, and they are off to their best start since 1961-62.
We don't know this for sure, but we're pretty sure that K-State wouldn't be in this position without Big 12 Ish.
There's a story here. Because there was a time when the 6-foot-9, 225-pound Massoud wouldn't dive. It came during the team's Shark Week prior to the season. Shark Week is all about hard work and teamwork and embracing the grind through a battalion of competitions. So anyway, as Tang tells it, all the players were running sprints. They were all running and diving at the end to beat the final horn. Every player except for Massoud. He ran. But he didn't dive.
"Dude," Tang said to him, "every one of your teammates dove to try and make this time and you didn't."
Massoud showed how far he came against KU. He dove on national television. In the final seconds. And the horn sounded. And K-State beat KU. And the crowd went crazy. And the students stormed the court.
"To see that growth, caring about his brothers so much, to sacrifice his body like that, as a coach, that's what really makes your heart swell," Tang says.
Massoud sacrificed himself time and time again against Texas Tech. And he made shots. And his 3-pointer with 96 seconds left gave the Wildcats a 62-52 lead. And the crowd went nuts. Again. And teammates went crazy. Again.
This was Big 12 Ish.
"Anytime you can win and play well, it's an amazing feeling," Massoud says. "Definitely feels good to see my work come into play for sure. It's coming easier when you play with great players like Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson. Defenses have to lock in on them, so I just find my way, whether it's cutting or spotting up for 3s and helping them.
"When you play with great players, it's easy."
Sometimes it takes a player a little bit of time to adjust. That was Massoud at the start of the season. He played more than 15 minutes just twice during the non-conference season. He played just five minutes against Radford on December 21. Tang spoke with Massoud. They had a good conversation. They had a tough conversation. They had a productive conversation. K-State finished the non-conference season 11-1. The Wildcats opened the Big 12 season against No. 24 West Virginia in 10 days.
"I said, 'This is what we need from you,'" Tang says.
Well, Massoud thought long and hard about Tang's words. He went home to East Harlem, New York, during Christmas break.
"I tried to get my mind right and just realized this team is winning and I wanted to be a part of it doing whatever it takes," Massoud says. "I wanted to help us keep winning."
He adds: "It was just a matter of learning and adjusting and seeing what they wanted from me and trying to really lock into that."
Massoud locked in. And boom. He turned into Big 12 Ish. And he's not looking back. Massoud has played at least 15 minutes in every Big 12 game. His 21 minutes against Texas Tech were his most minutes against a league opponent. He's hit at least two 3-pointers in six Big 12 games. He scored a season-high 13 points at No. 19 Baylor. He scored 12 against Texas Tech.
He's all over the place. In the best way possible. The key is this: He's become a two-way player. He's playing offense. He's playing defense. And that's dangerous. And it's essential in the Big 12.
"He's buying into being a complete player," Tang said, "and understanding that all the little things matter and not just the ball going into the hole."
Nowell and Massoud, the duo from Harlem, are the two holdovers from last season. They're connected at the hip. They're always together. So many times, on the court, Nowell will flip a pass over his head to Massoud along the 3-point line. Stand. Shoot. Swish. But there's more to it than that, Nowell will tell you. There's more to it than hitting the shot.
"He's been playing big," Nowell says. "He's doing things on the defensive end that are really translating to the offensive end. He's giving a lot of energy and rebounding more and he's just doing anything possible to help us win.
"When you do stuff like that, good things happen for you, and to you."
Good things are happening for K-State. And for Massoud. The Wildcats are rolling. And Massoud is scoring and rebounding and blocking shots and finding open teammates and doing the little things that don't show up on the stat sheet — like diving for the loose ball against the No. 2 team in the country.
These days, Tang and the team call him "Big 12 Ish."
And he's afraid to dive no more.
They call him "Big 12 Ish." And there's a reason for this. Ishmael Massoud is all over the place. In the best way possible. He had six points against No. 2 Kansas, but what we'll remember most is Massoud diving for the loose ball in the final seconds to preserve the 83-82 win over the Jayhawks. He had 12 points in Saturday's 68-58 win over Texas Tech, but what we'll remember as much as anything, besides his pair of 3-pointers, are his hustle plays on both ends of the floor, bringing the sold out crowd at Bramlage Coliseum to life again and again.
"He's Big 12 Ish," Markquis Nowell says.
"We call him 'Big 12 Ish,'" K-State head coach Jerome Tang says. "We like his 'Big 12 Ish.'"
No. 13 K-State is 17-2 overall and 6-1 in the Big 12 Conference. After being picked 10th in the Big 12 in the preseason, the Wildcats are alone in first place in the Big 12 standings, and they are off to their best start since 1961-62.
We don't know this for sure, but we're pretty sure that K-State wouldn't be in this position without Big 12 Ish.
There's a story here. Because there was a time when the 6-foot-9, 225-pound Massoud wouldn't dive. It came during the team's Shark Week prior to the season. Shark Week is all about hard work and teamwork and embracing the grind through a battalion of competitions. So anyway, as Tang tells it, all the players were running sprints. They were all running and diving at the end to beat the final horn. Every player except for Massoud. He ran. But he didn't dive.
"Dude," Tang said to him, "every one of your teammates dove to try and make this time and you didn't."
Massoud showed how far he came against KU. He dove on national television. In the final seconds. And the horn sounded. And K-State beat KU. And the crowd went crazy. And the students stormed the court.
"To see that growth, caring about his brothers so much, to sacrifice his body like that, as a coach, that's what really makes your heart swell," Tang says.
Massoud sacrificed himself time and time again against Texas Tech. And he made shots. And his 3-pointer with 96 seconds left gave the Wildcats a 62-52 lead. And the crowd went nuts. Again. And teammates went crazy. Again.
This was Big 12 Ish.
"Anytime you can win and play well, it's an amazing feeling," Massoud says. "Definitely feels good to see my work come into play for sure. It's coming easier when you play with great players like Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson. Defenses have to lock in on them, so I just find my way, whether it's cutting or spotting up for 3s and helping them.
"When you play with great players, it's easy."
Sometimes it takes a player a little bit of time to adjust. That was Massoud at the start of the season. He played more than 15 minutes just twice during the non-conference season. He played just five minutes against Radford on December 21. Tang spoke with Massoud. They had a good conversation. They had a tough conversation. They had a productive conversation. K-State finished the non-conference season 11-1. The Wildcats opened the Big 12 season against No. 24 West Virginia in 10 days.
"I said, 'This is what we need from you,'" Tang says.
Well, Massoud thought long and hard about Tang's words. He went home to East Harlem, New York, during Christmas break.
"I tried to get my mind right and just realized this team is winning and I wanted to be a part of it doing whatever it takes," Massoud says. "I wanted to help us keep winning."
He adds: "It was just a matter of learning and adjusting and seeing what they wanted from me and trying to really lock into that."
Massoud locked in. And boom. He turned into Big 12 Ish. And he's not looking back. Massoud has played at least 15 minutes in every Big 12 game. His 21 minutes against Texas Tech were his most minutes against a league opponent. He's hit at least two 3-pointers in six Big 12 games. He scored a season-high 13 points at No. 19 Baylor. He scored 12 against Texas Tech.
He's all over the place. In the best way possible. The key is this: He's become a two-way player. He's playing offense. He's playing defense. And that's dangerous. And it's essential in the Big 12.
"He's buying into being a complete player," Tang said, "and understanding that all the little things matter and not just the ball going into the hole."
Nowell and Massoud, the duo from Harlem, are the two holdovers from last season. They're connected at the hip. They're always together. So many times, on the court, Nowell will flip a pass over his head to Massoud along the 3-point line. Stand. Shoot. Swish. But there's more to it than that, Nowell will tell you. There's more to it than hitting the shot.
"He's been playing big," Nowell says. "He's doing things on the defensive end that are really translating to the offensive end. He's giving a lot of energy and rebounding more and he's just doing anything possible to help us win.
"When you do stuff like that, good things happen for you, and to you."
Good things are happening for K-State. And for Massoud. The Wildcats are rolling. And Massoud is scoring and rebounding and blocking shots and finding open teammates and doing the little things that don't show up on the stat sheet — like diving for the loose ball against the No. 2 team in the country.
These days, Tang and the team call him "Big 12 Ish."
And he's afraid to dive no more.
Players Mentioned
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