Kansas State University Athletics
Quality Strides in a Short Time
Nov 28, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Dai Dai Ames twisted an ankle, went to the bench, got it taped up, and returned to have one of his most productive practices yet — because he's tough. Macaleab Rich had a highlight putback dunk that made ESPN — because he's a highlight waiting to happen on a given night. RJ Jones is coming off the bench to produce six points in 14 minutes — because he's a willing contributor.
Although it's still early in the regular season, Kansas State appears to have hit a gold mine with its three-member freshman class — and that's nothing but a positive for the 2023 Elite Eight squad awash in new faces but looking to make another NCAA Tournament this season.
K-State landed a highly-regarded 2023 freshman class that ranked in the top 25 by several organizations, including No. 18 by 247Sports, No. 22 by ESPN and No. 24 by Rivals.
They're living up to their billing.
"They're not afraid," K-State head coach Jerome Tang said in his weekly news conference. "They think they're better than the other guys on the team. That's fun. Talentwise they might be (better), (but) they just lack experience."
Ames, Rich and Jones, who each come off the bench, continue to make strides for K-State, 4-2, and their athleticism and playmaking ability will be on hand again in Tuesday's 7 p.m. tipoff against Oral Roberts, 2-3, at Bramlage Coliseum.
"They're so eager to learn and get better," senior point guard Tylor Perry said. "Just seeing them grow on a day-to-day basis. I wasn't at this level that they are, and I wasn't as talented as they are coming into college. I love them all."
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Ames, a Chicago native, came to K-State as a Jordan Brand Classic All-American — the third K-State signee in history to earn such an honor — and is averaging 7.6 points and ranks second behind Perry with 4.6 assists in 25.0 minutes per game. Ames comes off a pair of double-digit scoring performances (10 points against Providence and 14 against Central Arkansas) for the first time this season.
"Every day he's going to continue to get better," Tang said. "The thing about Dai Dai is he really believes in himself and he's tough, mentally, physically, emotionally. You can coach him hard, and he responds the right way. He wants to get better. He works in the gym, watches film, so there's going to be continual growth that's going to take place.
"I'm excited. He has a bright future."
Rich is a 6-foot-7, 240-pound wing out of East St. Louis, Illinois, who averages 6.0 points and 3.8 rebounds in 15.1 minutes. Already likely one of the most athletic players in recent K-State memory, Macaleab "Buddy" Rich exploded with 13 points in 18 minutes against Central Arkansas after combining to score 11 points in three other games against then-No. 21 USC, South Dakota State, and then-No. 12 Miami.
"Buddy is just tough," junior guard Cam Carter said. "He's a monster. Buddy is just Buddy. The dunk was crazy. He literally came out of nowhere. That's just some typical Buddy stuff. He's super athletic."
Rich came to K-State after a standout prep career in which he scored more than 1,700 points and added more than 1,000 rebounds at East. St. Louis High School, where he was the fifth-rated high school prospect out of the state of Illinois.
"I told you all, you haven't seen nothing yet and that (vicious putback dunk) just shows who Buddy is and his athleticism," Perry said. "He has so much untapped potential and when he does tap into it the sky's the limit for him."
Jones scored eight points and made 2-of-6 3-point attempts in 21 minutes against Central Arkansas after scoring a season-high 14 points against South Dakota State on November 13. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound guard is averaging 5.8 points in 14.0 minutes while playing in all six games.
"Anytime you can have a freshman come off the bench and give you six points in 14 minutes it's a plus," Perry said. "He stretches the ball so well, and he's becoming a better defender every day. When he puts it together, he's going to be so much better. He's giving us such a huge boost right now."
Jones, a native of Denton, Texas, arrived at K-State as the top-rated highs school prospect out of the state of Texas. After averaging 19.7 points to go along with 4.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.6 steals as a junior at John Paul II High School in Plano, Texas, he played his senior season at prep powerhouse Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah, leading the Tigers to a No. 9 MaxPrep ranking.
"RJ is so confident," Carter said. "Yesterday he had a great practice. Once he hit one shot it was over with. I was talking trash to him, roughing him up a little bit, and he responded well."
The moxie of Ames, Rich and Jones already is paying dividends. Makes you wonder what is in store as the Wildcats play Villanova, LSU, Nebraska and Wichita State in the month of December.
"We've continued to get better (as a team)," Tang said. "You play USC, Providence and Miami in this stretch, and those are really good teams. We could've played three other teams and our record might be different but might not have improved as much as we have.
"I like what our young guys are doing. They're making strides. Quickly. That's exciting."
What's the potential for this trio of true freshmen?
"Honestly, in the future, all three of the freshmen that we have, they're going to be NBA players," Carter said, "and I truly believe that."
Dai Dai Ames twisted an ankle, went to the bench, got it taped up, and returned to have one of his most productive practices yet — because he's tough. Macaleab Rich had a highlight putback dunk that made ESPN — because he's a highlight waiting to happen on a given night. RJ Jones is coming off the bench to produce six points in 14 minutes — because he's a willing contributor.
Although it's still early in the regular season, Kansas State appears to have hit a gold mine with its three-member freshman class — and that's nothing but a positive for the 2023 Elite Eight squad awash in new faces but looking to make another NCAA Tournament this season.
K-State landed a highly-regarded 2023 freshman class that ranked in the top 25 by several organizations, including No. 18 by 247Sports, No. 22 by ESPN and No. 24 by Rivals.
They're living up to their billing.
"They're not afraid," K-State head coach Jerome Tang said in his weekly news conference. "They think they're better than the other guys on the team. That's fun. Talentwise they might be (better), (but) they just lack experience."
Ames, Rich and Jones, who each come off the bench, continue to make strides for K-State, 4-2, and their athleticism and playmaking ability will be on hand again in Tuesday's 7 p.m. tipoff against Oral Roberts, 2-3, at Bramlage Coliseum.
"They're so eager to learn and get better," senior point guard Tylor Perry said. "Just seeing them grow on a day-to-day basis. I wasn't at this level that they are, and I wasn't as talented as they are coming into college. I love them all."
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Ames, a Chicago native, came to K-State as a Jordan Brand Classic All-American — the third K-State signee in history to earn such an honor — and is averaging 7.6 points and ranks second behind Perry with 4.6 assists in 25.0 minutes per game. Ames comes off a pair of double-digit scoring performances (10 points against Providence and 14 against Central Arkansas) for the first time this season.
"Every day he's going to continue to get better," Tang said. "The thing about Dai Dai is he really believes in himself and he's tough, mentally, physically, emotionally. You can coach him hard, and he responds the right way. He wants to get better. He works in the gym, watches film, so there's going to be continual growth that's going to take place.
"I'm excited. He has a bright future."
Rich is a 6-foot-7, 240-pound wing out of East St. Louis, Illinois, who averages 6.0 points and 3.8 rebounds in 15.1 minutes. Already likely one of the most athletic players in recent K-State memory, Macaleab "Buddy" Rich exploded with 13 points in 18 minutes against Central Arkansas after combining to score 11 points in three other games against then-No. 21 USC, South Dakota State, and then-No. 12 Miami.
"Buddy is just tough," junior guard Cam Carter said. "He's a monster. Buddy is just Buddy. The dunk was crazy. He literally came out of nowhere. That's just some typical Buddy stuff. He's super athletic."
Rich came to K-State after a standout prep career in which he scored more than 1,700 points and added more than 1,000 rebounds at East. St. Louis High School, where he was the fifth-rated high school prospect out of the state of Illinois.
"I told you all, you haven't seen nothing yet and that (vicious putback dunk) just shows who Buddy is and his athleticism," Perry said. "He has so much untapped potential and when he does tap into it the sky's the limit for him."
Jones scored eight points and made 2-of-6 3-point attempts in 21 minutes against Central Arkansas after scoring a season-high 14 points against South Dakota State on November 13. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound guard is averaging 5.8 points in 14.0 minutes while playing in all six games.
"Anytime you can have a freshman come off the bench and give you six points in 14 minutes it's a plus," Perry said. "He stretches the ball so well, and he's becoming a better defender every day. When he puts it together, he's going to be so much better. He's giving us such a huge boost right now."
Jones, a native of Denton, Texas, arrived at K-State as the top-rated highs school prospect out of the state of Texas. After averaging 19.7 points to go along with 4.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.6 steals as a junior at John Paul II High School in Plano, Texas, he played his senior season at prep powerhouse Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah, leading the Tigers to a No. 9 MaxPrep ranking.
"RJ is so confident," Carter said. "Yesterday he had a great practice. Once he hit one shot it was over with. I was talking trash to him, roughing him up a little bit, and he responded well."
The moxie of Ames, Rich and Jones already is paying dividends. Makes you wonder what is in store as the Wildcats play Villanova, LSU, Nebraska and Wichita State in the month of December.
"We've continued to get better (as a team)," Tang said. "You play USC, Providence and Miami in this stretch, and those are really good teams. We could've played three other teams and our record might be different but might not have improved as much as we have.
"I like what our young guys are doing. They're making strides. Quickly. That's exciting."
What's the potential for this trio of true freshmen?
"Honestly, in the future, all three of the freshmen that we have, they're going to be NBA players," Carter said, "and I truly believe that."
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