Preview // K-State to Play Liberty in Paradise Jam Semifinals Sunday

GAME 6
KANSAS STATE (4-1) vs. LIBERTY (5-1)
25th Annual U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam Semifinals
Sunday, November 24, 2024 >> 7 p.m., CT >> Elridge Wilburn Blake Sports and Fitness Center >> St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.

Paradise Jam Tournament Website (here)
Paradise Jam Tournament Bracket (here)

TELEVISION
ESPN+ / WatchESPN (link here)

Brad Wells (play-by-play)
Kevin Lehman (analyst)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Satellite Radio: Ch. 388
Online: Varsity Network [free] / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

Brian Smoller (play-by-play)
Ben Boyle (analyst)

LIVE STATS
kstatesports.com
kstate.statbroadcast.com

COACHES
K-State: Jerome Tang [Charter Oak State College '07]
Record at K-State: 49-26/3rd Year
Career Record: 51-26*/3rd Year
vs. Liberty: 0-0 [0-0 neutral site]

Liberty: Ritchie McKay [Seattle Pacific '87]
Record at Liberty: 249-128/12th Year
Career Record: 414-286/23rd Year
vs. K-State: 1-2 [0-1 neutral site]

LAST GAME STARTERS:
K-State (4-1)
G: #3 C.J. Jones
G: #11 Brendan Hausen
G: #2 Max Jones
W: #33 Coleman Hawkins
W: #1 David N'Guessan

Liberty (5-1)
G: #0 Colin Porter
G: #3 Kaden Metheny
G: #32 Jayvon Maughmer
F: #25 Zach Cleveland
F: #8 Owen Aquino

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: First meeting
At Neutral Sites: First meeting
At Paradise Jam: First meeting
Active Streak: n/a
First Meeting: n/a
Last Meeting: n/a
Jerome Tang vs. Ritchie McKay: 0-0

K-STATE TO PLAY LIBERTY IN PARADISE JAM SEMIFINALS SUNDAY
K-State continues play in the 25th annual U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam on Sunday night, as the Wildcats take on C-USA foe Liberty (5-1) at 7 p.m., CT in the semifinals at the Elridge Wilburn Blake Sports and Fitness Center in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. The winner will face either Longwood (6-0) or
McNeese (3-2) in the championship game on Monday at 7 p.m., CT. All games will air on ESPN+.

The eight-team tournament continues on Saturday with matchups between UAB (3-3) and Illinois State (3-2) and George Washington (4-1) and Louisiana (1-4). There will three consolation games prior to the Monday's title contest at 11:30 a.m., CT (seventh-place game), 2 p.m., CT (fourth-place game) and 4:30 p.m., CT (third-place game), respectively.

Six of the eight teams in the Paradise Jam won 18 or more games in 2023-24, while Longwood, McNeese and UAB all advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Previous winners of the Paradise Jam include Big 12 members BYU (2002), Baylor (2007) and Colorado (2017) as well as Arkansas (2004), Wisconsin (2005), Alabama (2006), UConn (2008), Purdue (2009), Marquette (2011) and Creighton (2016). Last season, Missouri State defeated Abilene Christian, 87-69, in the championship game.

LAST TIME OUT
Senior David N'Guessan paced five Wildcats in double figures with a near double-double of 17 points and 9 rebounds, as K-State jumped out to a big lead en route to posting an 83-71 win over George Washington on day one of the 25th annual Paradise Jam on Friday night. N'Guessan has now scored in double figures in 6 consecutive games dating back to last season.

The Wildcats, who shot better than 50 percent in each half, got contributions from across the board, as N'Guessan was joined in double figures by junior Dug McDaniel (13 points), senior Max Jones (12 points), junior Brendan Hausen (11 points) and senior Achor Achor (10 points). It marked the first time that five Wildcats scored in double figures since the 2024 Big 12 Championship.

A sixth Wildcat – senior Coleman Hawkins – narrowly missed double figures with 9 points to go with a game-tying 9 rebounds and team-highs in both steals (3) and blocks (2) in 32 minutes.

KEY STORYLINES

This marks K-State's third appearance (2002, 2018 and 2024) in the Paradise Jam with the Wildcats winning the 2018 Championship with victories over Eastern Kentucky (95-68), Penn (64-48) and Missouri (82-67). The team is 6-2 all-time in the tournament, posting a 1-2 mark in its inaugural appearance in 2002. K-State won the Cayman Islands Classic in coach Jerome Tang's first season in 2022 before finishing as the runner-up at the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship in 2023.
This will be a homecoming for both Tang and assistant coach Jareem Dowling, who spent most of their formative years in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tang was born in San Fernando, Trinidad in the West Indies before migrating to St. Croix as a child. He remained there until his family moved to Texas when he was 10. Dowling was born and raised in St. Croix before moving to Delaware during his high school years. Both Tang and Dowling has spent time working with the U.S. Virgin Islands National Basketball Teams with Dowling serving as the head coach for the Junior National Team.
Newcomers have combined to score 293 of the team's 388 points, including 12 of the 17 double-digit scoring games. Senior returner David N'Guessan (21, 12, 16, 10 and 17 points) is the only Wildcat to score in double figures in the first 5 games, but the next 6 highest scorers are newcomers, including 3 double-digit scoring efforts by junior Brendan Hausen and senior Max Jones.

A K-STATE WIN WOULD…

Advance the Wildcats to the Paradise Jam Championship game.
Give the Wildcats their first win vs. Liberty.
Extend the Wildcats' all-time record to 7-2 at the Paradise Jam.
Push its in-season tournament record to 185-116.
Give the Wildcats an 186-57 non-conference mark since 2006.

NOTES ON LIBERTY

Led by 12th-year head coach Ritchie McKay, Liberty (5-1) is off to a strong start to the season with 4 of its 5 wins coming away from home, including true road wins at Seattle (66-64) and College of Charleston (68-47). The lone loss of the season came to FAU, 77-74, in overtime in the Field of 68 event.
Liberty is averaging 76.8 points on 50 percent shooting, including 36 percent from 3-point range, to go with 33.7 rebounds, 16.8 assists, 8.3 steals and 3.5 blocks per game. The Flames are allowing 60.8 points on 41 percent shooting, including 33.3 percent from 3-point range. They are connecting on 60.2 percent from the free throw line.
Liberty is a balanced scoring team with 7 players averaging at least 6 points per game, including 3 double-digit scorers in senior Kaden Metheny (15.4 ppg.), junior Zach Cleveland (12.0 ppg.) and junior Owen Aquino (10.7 ppg.). Metheny leads the team with 17 made 3-pointers. Cleveland paces the squad in rebounding (6.3 rpg.) and assists (5.3 apg.). Aquino is second in rebounding (6.0 rpg.), while he is tops in blocks (10).
Liberty is led by McKay, who has a 414-286 overall record in 23 seasons as a head coach, including a 249-128 in his 12th season with the Flames. He previously was the head coach at Portland State (1996-98), Colorado State (1998-2000), Oregon State (2000-02), New Mexico (2002-07).

LAST GAME OUT

Liberty won its second consecutive game with a convincing 89-69 win over Louisiana in the first game of the nightcap doubleheader at the Paradise Jam. The Flames connected on 67.4 percent (33-of-49) from the field, including 50 percent (9-of-18) from 3-point range.
Six different players scored in double figures, including a game-high 20 points from senior Kaden Metheny, who connected on 7-of-10 field goals, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Four others - Zach Cleveland, Owen Aquino, Taelon Peter and Isaiah Ihnen - all added 12 points each.

SERIES HISTORY

This is the first meeting between Kansas State and Liberty.
K-State is 10-2 all-time against current members of Conference USA, including 2-1 in neutral site meetings.

SERIES HISTORY [0-0]
First meeting

IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Overall Record: 184-116/92nd Tournament
In-Season Tournament Titles: 17
Last In-Season Tournament Title: 2022 Cayman Islands Classic (3-0)
At Paradise Jam: Third Appearance / 2002
Paradise Jam Record: 6-2

K-State will play in its 92nd in-season tournament this week at the Paradise Jam, including its 12th outside the continental United States and the first since going 3-0 and winning the Cayman Islands Classic on Nov. 21-23, 2022, in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. It is the first overall in-season tournament since going 1-1 at the Baha Mar Hoops Championship in Nassau, The Bahamas on Nov. 17-19, 2023.
K-State now has an 184-116 overall record in playing in 92 in-season tournaments with 17 tournament titles to its credit. The team won its last such title at the 2022 Cayman Islands Classic, defeating Rhode Island (77-57), Nevada (96-87 in OT) and LSU (61-59). In fact, the last 3 titles have come at tournaments outside the continental U.S., in 2011 Diamond Head Classic (Hawai'i), 2018 Paradise Jam (U.S.V.I.) and 2022 Cayman Islands Classic (Cayman Islands).
The Wildcats have played in 12 tournaments outside the continental U.S., starting with the 1985 Maui Invitational. Others include the 1989 Great Alaska Shootout (runner-up), 1993 Hawai'i Nike Festival (champion), 2011 Diamond Head Classic (champion), Maui Invitational (1998 and 2014), Paradise Jam (2002 and 2018), Puerto Rico Tip-Off (2009 and 2013), 2022 Cayman Islands Classic (champion) and 2023 Baha Mar Hoops Championship (runner-up).
This is the third appearance in the Paradise Jam, including the first since winning the tournament title in 2018. K-State went 1-2 in its first appearance in 2002, losing to BYU (64-73) and Toledo (50-58) before defeating Michigan (82-71). In the run to the title in 2018, the Wildcats beat Eastern Kentucky (95-68), Penn (64-48) and Missouri (82-67).

SERIES HISTORIES VS. REMAINING PARADISE JAM OPPONENTS
LONGWOOD (6-0)
Overall: First meeting
At Neutral Sites: 0-0
Active Streak: n/a
Last Meeting: n/a
Tang vs. Longwood: First meeting
K-State vs. Big South: 11-1 [0-0 at neutral sites]
Tang vs. Griff Aldrich: First meeting

McNEESE (3-2)
Overall: K-State leads 1-0
At Neutral Sites: 0-0
Active Streak: K-State, 1
Last Meeting: W, 74-59 (12/21/2021)
Tang vs. McNeese: First meeting
K-State vs. Southland: 13-1 [1-0 at neutral sites]
Tang vs. Will Wade: First meeting

LAST TIME OUT:
K-STATE 83, GEORGE WASHINGTON 71

Senior David N'Guessan paced five Wildcats in double figures with a near double-double, as K-State jumped out to a big lead en route to posting an 83-71 win over George Washington on day one of the Paradise Jam on Friday night before 2,125 fans at the Elridge Wilburn Blake Sports and Fitness Center.
N'Guessan finished a rebound short of a double-double with a team-high 17 points on 5-of-8 field goals and 7-of-10 free throws to go with a game-high tying 9 rebounds and 3 assists in 35 minutes. He has now scored in double figures in 6 consecutive games dating back to last season.
The Wildcats, who shot better than 50 percent in each half, got contributions from across the board, as N'Guessan was joined in double figures by junior Dug McDaniel (13 points), senior Max Jones (12 points), junior Brendan Hausen (11 points) and senior Achor Achor (10 points). It marked the first time this season that five Wildcats scored in double figures and the first time since a win over Texas at the 2024 Big 12 Championship.
A sixth Wildcat – senior Coleman Hawkins – narrowly missed double figures with 9 points to go with a game-tying 9 rebounds and team-highs in both steals (3) and blocks (2) in 32 minutes.
K-State used an emphatic start to upend previously unbeaten GW (4-1), putting together its most complete first half of the season in jumping out to a 19-point halftime lead. Eight different players scored in the opening half, as the Wildcats connected on 51.7 percent (15-of-29) from the field while holding the Revolutionaries to just 25 percent (7-of-28) shooting.
The Wildcats led by 11 points (20-9) at the second media timeout then by 18 points (34-16) after a free throw by N'Guessan with 5:36 before halftime. After the Revs closed to with 37-25 with less than 3 minutes left, they responded with 6 straight points to end the half, including 4 points and an assist from McDaniel to go ahead 46-27 at the break.
GW scored 9 of the first 12 points out of halftime and made numerous attempts at a comeback, including a 10-0 run that closed the deficit to 59-55 with 10:20 to play. However, each time, K-State provided an answer, including a 3-pointer from Hawkins and a 4-point play from senior Max Jones, that pushed the lead back out to 66-57 less than a minute later.
Although the Revs got to within 7 points twice down the stretch, including 71-64 with 7:09 to play, the Wildcats ran off 6 straight points to push the lead back to double figures and maintained it the rest of the way.
K-State finished the night shooting 51.8 percent (29-of-56) from the field, including 34.6 percent (9-of-26) from 3-point range, while posting 19 assists on 29 made field goals. The Wildcats dominated the glass for the second straight game at 42-28, including 11 offensive rebounds.
K-State held GW to 36.4 percent (20-of-55) shooting, including 25 percent (7-of-28) in the first half. The Revolutionaries had just 9 assists on 20 made field goals with more than a third of their points (32) coming from the line.

POSTGAME NEWS & NOTES

K-State now has won 6 straight games at the Paradise Jam dating to 2002.
K-State is now 5-1 all-time against George Washington with 5 consecutive wins in the series... The Wildcats have won back-to-back games at neutral sites.
The Wildcats shot better than 50 percent in each half for the second time this season and the first time since the Cleveland State game, including 51.7 percent (15-of-29) in the first half and 51.9 percent (14-of-27) in the second half.

SUCCESS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY

K-State has posted a 185-57 (.764) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season. During that span, the Wildcats have a 145-17 (.899) mark at home venues (includes games played at Bramlage Coliseum, INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita and the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City) in non-conference play, including a 129-14 (.907) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State's 12-1 non-conference mark in 2022-23 was the best since the 2009-10 team went a program-best 13-1. Last season, the team went 10-3 in non-conference play, including 7-1 at Bramlage Coliseum.

Year	Overall	Home	Bramlage
2006-07	11-4	7-0	7-0
2007-08	10-4	8-1	7-1
2008-09	12-3	11-0	10-0
2009-10	13-1	9-0	8-0
2010-11	12-3	9-1	8-1
2011-12	11-1	7-0	6-0
2012-13	11-2	9-0	8-0
2013-14	10-3	7-1	7-1
2014-15	7-6	6-2	5-2
2015-16	11-2	8-0	8-0
2016-17	11-2	8-0	8-0
2017-18	11-2	8-1	8-0
2018-19	10-3	7-0	6-0
2019-20	7-6	6-2	6-1
2020-21	4-5	4-5	4-5
2021-22	8-5	6-1	6-1
2022-23	12-1	8-0	7-0
2023-24	10-3	8-1	7-1
2024-25	4-1	3-1	3-1
Total	185-57	145-17	129-14

N'GUESSAN STARS IN OPENER

Senior David N'Guessan made quite the debut against New Orleans becoming the first Wildcat with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in an opener since Wesley Iwundu (23 points, 10 rebounds) did it against UMES on Nov. 13, 2015. He scored his 21 points on 10-of-14 field goals to go with 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in nearly 31 minutes. It was his fourth career double-double and his first career 20-point, 10-rebound performance.
N'Guessan has been a part of 86 victories in college, including 3 trips to the NCAA Tournament (2021, 2022, 2023), an NIT appearance in 2024, an ACC Tournament title in 2022 at Virginia Tech and Elite Eight run in 2023 at K-State.
N'Guessan is coming off a career year in 2023-24, in which, he posted career-highs in points (265), double-digit scoring games (14), field goals made (111) and attempted (190), rebounds (230), assists (31), blocks (26), steals (24) and total minutes (935). He also has posted 4 double-doubles.
N'Guessan became the first Wildcat since Mike McGuirl to start 3 straight openers. McGuirl started the openers in 2019, 2020 and 2021. N'Guessan started the opener against UTRGV in 2022 then again last season against USC, in which, he posted his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

A TEAM OF WINNERS

Head coach Jerome Tang has remarked on a number of occasions that he recruits 'winners' as exemplified by the number of championships that the collective group has won in their careers.
There are a combined 7 state championships among the 14 players on the roster highlighted by the 2 won by junioe Dug McDaniel and sophomore Taj Manning. In addition, senior Coleman Hawkins, junior Ugonna Onyenso and sophomore Baye Fall have won state titles in their respective prep careers.
In addition to N'Guessan who has been a part of 83 wins in college, a number of players have been a part of winning college programs, including fellow seniors Achor Achor and Coleman Hawkins. Achor has won 109 games in his college career at Chipola College and Samford with 5 conference championships, 2 NJCAA Championship appearances and an NCAA Tournament appearance. Hawkins was part of 96 wins, 4 Big Ten titles and 4 NCAA Tournament bids at Illinois, including the Elite Eight in 2024.
This championship mentality stretches to the staff, as associate head coach Urlic Maligi has been part of 6 NCAA Tournament and 5 conference title teams in his career. Assistant coach Jareem Dowling has been involved with teams that have won 4 conference titles and earned 5 postseason trips, while assistant coach Rodney Perry led Link Academy to a national runner-up finish at the GEICO National Tournament before accepting the position at K-State in 2022.

TRANSFER CLASS ONE OF THE BEST

K-State brought in one of the top transfer classes in all of college basketball with 11 total newcomers, including 8 Division I transfers, one NJCAA Division II All-American, a Division II walk-on and a one high school prospect.
Among the 11 newcomers are 8 Division I transfers, including Achor Achor (Samford), Baye Fall (Arkansas), Brendan Hausen (Villanova), Coleman Hawkins (Illinois), C.J. Jones (UIC), Max Jones (Cal State Fullerton) and Ugonna Onyenso (Kentucky).
Achor has played in 105 games with 50 starts in his time at Chipola College and Samford, scoring nearly 1,000 points on 56.9 percent shooting. He is coming off a career year at Samford, in which, he led the Bulldogs in 10 categories, including scoring (16.1 ppg.) and rebounding (6.1 rpg.) while earning First Team All-Southern Conference and SoCon Most Outstanding Player honors.
Hawkins, the Preseason Big 12 co-Newcomer of the Year and All-Big 12 Second Team selection, played in 126 games in his Illinois career. He is the only player in school history with at least 900 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, 100 blocks and 100 steals. He was a All-Big Ten selection in 2023-24, averaging 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.
Dubbed the "Amarillo Assassin", Hausen played in 66 games during his time at Villanova, becoming of the BIG EAST's top 3-point shooters. He has knocked down 88 3-point field goals in his college career, connecting on 1.3 makes per game on 39.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
C.J. Jones played in 62 games with 50 starts at UIC, where he averaged 9.0 points, 3.6 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 0.9 steals in 2 seasons. He led the Flames in assists (159) and minutes (1,102) in 2023-24, while he was second in scoring.
Max Jones has scored nearly 1,400 points in college stops at Division II Tampa and Cal State Fullerton. He has played in 84 games with 81 starts and has compiled 26 20-point games and six 30-point games in his career. He ranked among the Big West's top-20 in scoring in both seasons at Fullerton.
McDaniel played 2 seasons at Michigan, where he averaged 11.8 points, 4.1 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 32.8 minutes per game. He led the team in scoring (16.3 ppg.), 3-point field goals (56), assists (4.7 apg.), steals (1.1 spg.) and minutes (35.4 mpg.) as a sophomore in 2023-24.
Onyenso emerged as one of the top shot blockers in his 2 years at Kentucky, compiling 82 blocks in a mere 40 games played. His 2.75 blocks average in 2023-24 would have ranked sixth nationally if he had played enough games.
The team's only McDonald's All-American, Fall played in 9 games as a true freshman at Arkansas in 2023-24.

'CATS PICKED 8TH IN BIG 12 POLL; HAWKINS NAMED CO-NEWCOMER

K-State was picked eighth in the new 16-team Big 12 preseason poll, while senior transfer Coleman Hawkins was named the league's co-Newcomer of the Year, alongside Baylor's Jeremy Roach.
Hawkins is the first Wildcat to be selected as the Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and the fourth to be chosen for a preseason player honor, joining Michael Beasley (2007-08 Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year), Jacob Pullen (2010-11 Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year) and Dean Wade (2018-19 Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year).
Hawkins, who earned All-Big Ten honors at Illinois in 2023-24, was also selected to the preseason All-Big 12 Second Team by the league coaches, joining Baylor's Norchad Omier and Roach, Iowa State's Keshon Gilbert and Kansas' Dajuan Harris Jr.
Hawkins is also the first Wildcat to earn selection to one of the main preseason all-conference teams by the coaches since Barry Brown Jr. and Wade in 2018-19. He is one of eight players in school history to be chosen for preseason all-conference honors dating to Manny Dies in 1998-99. Others include Pullen and Curtis Kelly in 2010-11, Rodney McGruder in 2012-13 and Marcus Foster in 2014-15.
K-State received 133 points to place eighth in the poll, just two points behind seventh-place Texas Tech and 17 points ahead of ninth-place BYU.
Kansas was picked first with 215 points and nine first-place votes followed closely by Houston (211, five first-place votes), third-place Iowa State (194, one first-place vote), fourth-place Baylor (185) and fifth-place Arizona (179, one first-place vote).
Hawkins has also been named to the watch list for the Naismith Trophy as well as the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award.

1700 AND COUNTING

K-State enters the 2024-25 season as one of the winningest programs in Division I history, as the Wildcats have posted a 1,740-1,238 (.584) all-time record which includes 32 NCAA Tournament appearances and 21 conference championships. The 1,740 wins tie Marquette for the 43rd-most in Division I history including the seventh-most among current Big 12 schools.

Preview // K-State to Play Liberty in Paradise Jam Semifinals Sunday

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Coleman Hawkins

C.J. Jones

Max Jones

Taj Manning

Dug McDaniel

David N'Guessan

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Preview // K-State to Play Liberty in Paradise Jam Semifinals Sunday

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David N'Guessan

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