Hard Work Paying Off for the Gym Rat
Dec 22, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Thursday might go down as the night David N'Guessan got his groove back. Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang knew it would come. Point guard Tylor Perry knew it would come as well. N'Guessan snarled in the face of up-and-down performances against Villanova, at LSU and against Nebraska, and he put together his best game of the season in the Wildcats' 69-60 win over Wichita State in front of a record-crowd of 18,660 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
N'Guessan needed this: 13 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. He shot 5-for-8 from the floor and 3-of-5 free throws in 34 minutes. The 6-foot-9, 220-pound senior, who has started in all 12 games this season and who ranks top-10 in offensive rebounds, overall rebounds and defensive rebounds, rebounded famously. And there's more to come.
"I've been in the gym a whole lot," N'Guessan said. "Coach Tang tells me the hard work is going to pay off, so don't get too frustrated with the results. Just stay in the gym and keep doing what you're doing and it'll pay off.
"Today was just one of those days."
N'Guessan's night couldn't have started much better. Defensive rebound. Block. Fast-break lay-up. Offensive rebound. Offensive rebound. Block. He had five points, four rebounds and two blocks in the first half as the Wildcats built a 33-29 lead heading into the locker room.
"My teammates were finding me at the right time, and I just want to thank God and the coaching staff for continuing to put that confidence (in me) and for believing in me," N'Guessan said. "They support me even though I'm not playing the greatest. Tonight, shout out to my teammates. They were finding me at the right times, and I was able to finish."
N'Guessan entered the night averaging 6.9 points and 8.0 rebounds. He had four points and 10 rebounds against Villanova, six points and seven rebounds at LSU, and four points and six rebounds against Nebraska.
Against Wichita State, he finished one rebound shy of his second double-double of the season.
"Who almost had a double-double?" Perry asked in the postgame news conference with N'Guessan sitting by his side.
"I did," N'Guessan replied.
Perry smiled.
"No surprise at all," Perry said. "We've been saying that David stays in the gym. He's a gym rat, and hard work always pays off in the end. No matter what's going on in the season, the cream always rises to the top. Tonight was just one of his nights. Now he's just got to continue to do it. We believe in him and he's continuing to believe in himself, and that's all we can ask out of him."
N'Guessan now has 14 career double-figure scoring games, including five this season. His previous high this season was 12 points against North Alabama.
"You know, the whole staff, we've been letting David know that all of his hard work is going to pay off," Tang said. "I told you all before the last game he was in the gym and made 300 free throws. Our thing is, let's not be result driven — let's be process driven. Let's trust our work. All that work, at some point in time hard work pays off. It does."
It certainly did for N'Guessan on Thursday.
Afterward, he did the Wabash Cannonball on the court in celebration.
"It was a great environment," N'Guessan said. "I appreciate all the fans coming out. It was a lot of fun. It felt like a home game, really. Yes, that one felt good for sure."
K-State, 9-3, now takes its holiday break before closing out its non-conference season against Chicago State on January 2.
"We have to continue to get better," N'Guessan said. "Tonight was the first step. After the break, we have to build on that and keep getting better every day."
N'Guessan, a native of De Lier, The Netherlands, will not go home for Christmas.
"I'll be staying in the gym," he said, "getting ready for conference."
Thursday might go down as the night David N'Guessan got his groove back. Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang knew it would come. Point guard Tylor Perry knew it would come as well. N'Guessan snarled in the face of up-and-down performances against Villanova, at LSU and against Nebraska, and he put together his best game of the season in the Wildcats' 69-60 win over Wichita State in front of a record-crowd of 18,660 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
N'Guessan needed this: 13 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. He shot 5-for-8 from the floor and 3-of-5 free throws in 34 minutes. The 6-foot-9, 220-pound senior, who has started in all 12 games this season and who ranks top-10 in offensive rebounds, overall rebounds and defensive rebounds, rebounded famously. And there's more to come.
"I've been in the gym a whole lot," N'Guessan said. "Coach Tang tells me the hard work is going to pay off, so don't get too frustrated with the results. Just stay in the gym and keep doing what you're doing and it'll pay off.
"Today was just one of those days."
N'Guessan's night couldn't have started much better. Defensive rebound. Block. Fast-break lay-up. Offensive rebound. Offensive rebound. Block. He had five points, four rebounds and two blocks in the first half as the Wildcats built a 33-29 lead heading into the locker room.
"My teammates were finding me at the right time, and I just want to thank God and the coaching staff for continuing to put that confidence (in me) and for believing in me," N'Guessan said. "They support me even though I'm not playing the greatest. Tonight, shout out to my teammates. They were finding me at the right times, and I was able to finish."
N'Guessan entered the night averaging 6.9 points and 8.0 rebounds. He had four points and 10 rebounds against Villanova, six points and seven rebounds at LSU, and four points and six rebounds against Nebraska.
Against Wichita State, he finished one rebound shy of his second double-double of the season.
"Who almost had a double-double?" Perry asked in the postgame news conference with N'Guessan sitting by his side.
"I did," N'Guessan replied.
Perry smiled.
"No surprise at all," Perry said. "We've been saying that David stays in the gym. He's a gym rat, and hard work always pays off in the end. No matter what's going on in the season, the cream always rises to the top. Tonight was just one of his nights. Now he's just got to continue to do it. We believe in him and he's continuing to believe in himself, and that's all we can ask out of him."
N'Guessan now has 14 career double-figure scoring games, including five this season. His previous high this season was 12 points against North Alabama.
"You know, the whole staff, we've been letting David know that all of his hard work is going to pay off," Tang said. "I told you all before the last game he was in the gym and made 300 free throws. Our thing is, let's not be result driven — let's be process driven. Let's trust our work. All that work, at some point in time hard work pays off. It does."
It certainly did for N'Guessan on Thursday.
Afterward, he did the Wabash Cannonball on the court in celebration.
"It was a great environment," N'Guessan said. "I appreciate all the fans coming out. It was a lot of fun. It felt like a home game, really. Yes, that one felt good for sure."
K-State, 9-3, now takes its holiday break before closing out its non-conference season against Chicago State on January 2.
"We have to continue to get better," N'Guessan said. "Tonight was the first step. After the break, we have to build on that and keep getting better every day."
N'Guessan, a native of De Lier, The Netherlands, will not go home for Christmas.
"I'll be staying in the gym," he said, "getting ready for conference."
Players Mentioned
W
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballK-State Tennis | Weekend Recap vs Old Dominion & Minnesota
Tuesday, February 24
K-State Track and Field | Sights & Sounds Steve Miller Invitational
Monday, February 23
K-State Baseball | Highlights vs Michigan - Feb. 22, 2026
Monday, February 23
K-State Men's Basketball | Postgame Press Conference at Texas Tech
Sunday, February 22
