An Important Summer for Growth
Jun 23, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang carries optimism for the Wildcats in year two. Cam Carter has a year under his belt in the program and will be joined in the backcourt by fifth-year senior transfer Tylor Perry. Nae'Qwan Tomlin has improved his skills and confidence from a year ago. And junior transfer forward Arthur Kamula is a "big time get" in Manhattan.
Fingers crossed, the Wildcats could add another impact player or two as well. They're looking for another guard and want to fill a second spot with the best player available.
"This is what I feel about our team right now," Tang says. "I'm not positive about it, but I feel like we have the talent to have an NCAA Tournament team, but our margin for error right now is very small. The goal is to add a couple more guys who are going to give us a bigger margin for error and add some firepower to the roster.
"Tylor and Cam are working extremely hard. Cam is going to have a terrific year, but it'd be nice to not have to put the type of pressure on him right now that I see that we're putting on our young guys if we can't get another older guard in there."
Tang held a Zoom media session on Thursday, three months after K-State held on for a 98-93 overtime victory over Michigan State for a spot in the Elite Eight. Senior leaders and All-Americans Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell are gone from the squad that finished with a 26-10 record during Tang's first season, but the fire remains strong for a returning group eager to make strides ahead of a highly-anticipated season opener against USC in Las Vegas on November 6.
"I know what we believe in and we have to fight for it every single day because success sometimes breeds complacency," Tang says. "We don't want to be complacent, we don't want to relax, and we don't want any slippage in what we do. We're not going to sneak up on anybody this year. We have to take on the challenge and that starts with what you do going 1-0 in every aspect of the day.
"Just really, as a staff and as a team, we're fighting hard to make sure we don't have a letdown."
Here are Tang's thoughts on many returners that he discussed and all of the newcomers heading toward summer workouts:
Cam Carter: "Having seen the guys in front of him leave, Cam has really taken on the responsibility of leadership and recognizes that this is his opportunity and he's working extremely hard to be ready for it. I anticipate him being an impact guy and having a great year."
Nae'Qwan Tomlin: "You could see the confidence level raise (after NBA workouts). He realizes that he's capable of playing at that level and having an impact, and then he's building better habits. He's more consistent in his work ethic and understanding that he's been given a couple things that he needs to get better at. There's been a major focus on him trying to figure that out. I like the maturity I'm seeing. This is a long summer, and I just want to see it every day and hopefully get him to put his arms around a young guy and bring him along."
David N'Guessan: "I definitely expect there to be a jump. His confidence (has improved) because he works so hard, he's in the gym early in the morning and back at night, and his confidence level should be through the roof as he tries to implement the things that he's been working on."
Taj Manning: "Taj did such a great job last year as a redshirt in competing every day in practice and helping us get better. I hope he continues that workmanlike mindset through the summer. It'll put him into a position to compete for minutes. Size doesn't dictate the ability to rebound. It's all about will, effort and tenacity, and Taj has those things. What I'm telling Taj is don't worry about position. There are only two positions he should worry about — on the floor and on the bench. He's trying to be one of those on-the-floor guys."
Jerrell Colbert: "Jerrell has made huge strides. He was already a talent, and his body has changed and his mindset is changing, and I expect him to play minutes for us this year and impact winning. I don't want the pressure or the burden to be on him to be everything for us on the defensive end, so I hope we can provide him with some help so he can grow naturally and continue to gain confidence in what he's doing. I'm pleased with Jerrell. I wouldn't say I'm surprised, but it's been very pleasant to see his progress."
Tylor Perry: "Tylor is a big-time winner, and he might be a better person than player. He just has a smile on his face, great energy, and we're really excited to have him. He's going to take a lot of leadership role because of his experience and just his personality and we're excited about him."
Arthur Kaluma: "Arthur is obviously a big-time get for us. I love the fact that he's won at a high level. He cares about winning. He's extremely versatile and can play multiple positions and score from a variety of different ways, and he's a versatile defender and can rebound."
Dai Dai Ames: "Dai Dai came in and he's in shape. He's a hard worker. He has a lot of stuff to his game. It's going to take him a little time, but I'm excited about Dai Dai."
Macaleab Rich: "He's a physical specimen and has a lot of gifts and talents. He's working really hard to get himself into college basketball shape, which is a lot different, but he's a great worker and a fun kid to be around."
R.J. Jones: "R.J. is a gifted scorer and plays at a high level. There's an adjustment period that's going to take place, but R.J. is a kid who could play 10 minutes and have nine points because he's such a gifted shooter and scorer."
Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang carries optimism for the Wildcats in year two. Cam Carter has a year under his belt in the program and will be joined in the backcourt by fifth-year senior transfer Tylor Perry. Nae'Qwan Tomlin has improved his skills and confidence from a year ago. And junior transfer forward Arthur Kamula is a "big time get" in Manhattan.
Fingers crossed, the Wildcats could add another impact player or two as well. They're looking for another guard and want to fill a second spot with the best player available.
"This is what I feel about our team right now," Tang says. "I'm not positive about it, but I feel like we have the talent to have an NCAA Tournament team, but our margin for error right now is very small. The goal is to add a couple more guys who are going to give us a bigger margin for error and add some firepower to the roster.
"Tylor and Cam are working extremely hard. Cam is going to have a terrific year, but it'd be nice to not have to put the type of pressure on him right now that I see that we're putting on our young guys if we can't get another older guard in there."
Tang held a Zoom media session on Thursday, three months after K-State held on for a 98-93 overtime victory over Michigan State for a spot in the Elite Eight. Senior leaders and All-Americans Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell are gone from the squad that finished with a 26-10 record during Tang's first season, but the fire remains strong for a returning group eager to make strides ahead of a highly-anticipated season opener against USC in Las Vegas on November 6.
"I know what we believe in and we have to fight for it every single day because success sometimes breeds complacency," Tang says. "We don't want to be complacent, we don't want to relax, and we don't want any slippage in what we do. We're not going to sneak up on anybody this year. We have to take on the challenge and that starts with what you do going 1-0 in every aspect of the day.
"Just really, as a staff and as a team, we're fighting hard to make sure we don't have a letdown."
Here are Tang's thoughts on many returners that he discussed and all of the newcomers heading toward summer workouts:
Cam Carter: "Having seen the guys in front of him leave, Cam has really taken on the responsibility of leadership and recognizes that this is his opportunity and he's working extremely hard to be ready for it. I anticipate him being an impact guy and having a great year."
Nae'Qwan Tomlin: "You could see the confidence level raise (after NBA workouts). He realizes that he's capable of playing at that level and having an impact, and then he's building better habits. He's more consistent in his work ethic and understanding that he's been given a couple things that he needs to get better at. There's been a major focus on him trying to figure that out. I like the maturity I'm seeing. This is a long summer, and I just want to see it every day and hopefully get him to put his arms around a young guy and bring him along."
David N'Guessan: "I definitely expect there to be a jump. His confidence (has improved) because he works so hard, he's in the gym early in the morning and back at night, and his confidence level should be through the roof as he tries to implement the things that he's been working on."
Taj Manning: "Taj did such a great job last year as a redshirt in competing every day in practice and helping us get better. I hope he continues that workmanlike mindset through the summer. It'll put him into a position to compete for minutes. Size doesn't dictate the ability to rebound. It's all about will, effort and tenacity, and Taj has those things. What I'm telling Taj is don't worry about position. There are only two positions he should worry about — on the floor and on the bench. He's trying to be one of those on-the-floor guys."
Jerrell Colbert: "Jerrell has made huge strides. He was already a talent, and his body has changed and his mindset is changing, and I expect him to play minutes for us this year and impact winning. I don't want the pressure or the burden to be on him to be everything for us on the defensive end, so I hope we can provide him with some help so he can grow naturally and continue to gain confidence in what he's doing. I'm pleased with Jerrell. I wouldn't say I'm surprised, but it's been very pleasant to see his progress."
Tylor Perry: "Tylor is a big-time winner, and he might be a better person than player. He just has a smile on his face, great energy, and we're really excited to have him. He's going to take a lot of leadership role because of his experience and just his personality and we're excited about him."
Arthur Kaluma: "Arthur is obviously a big-time get for us. I love the fact that he's won at a high level. He cares about winning. He's extremely versatile and can play multiple positions and score from a variety of different ways, and he's a versatile defender and can rebound."
Dai Dai Ames: "Dai Dai came in and he's in shape. He's a hard worker. He has a lot of stuff to his game. It's going to take him a little time, but I'm excited about Dai Dai."
Macaleab Rich: "He's a physical specimen and has a lot of gifts and talents. He's working really hard to get himself into college basketball shape, which is a lot different, but he's a great worker and a fun kid to be around."
R.J. Jones: "R.J. is a gifted scorer and plays at a high level. There's an adjustment period that's going to take place, but R.J. is a kid who could play 10 minutes and have nine points because he's such a gifted shooter and scorer."
Players Mentioned
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