‘Manhattan was a Home for Me’
Jul 19, 2024 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Kansas State all-time great Jacob Pullen is back in America and will play a starring role in the TBT Tournament as a member of the Purple Reign team, which is set to play in Wichita on Saturday. It's been an eventful year for Pullen, who finished up his 12th season of professional basketball, and who is spending the summer months training for another year on the basketball court.
Pullen's offseason has been highlighted by a milestone achievement as he was announced on May 31 as one of 10 individuals to be inducted into the K-State Athletics Hall of Fame in August, joining Nick Leckey, Kevin Lockett, Askia Jones, Deb Patterson, Diana Miller, Scott Sellers, Kim Zschau and Carl and Mary Ice.
A four-year letterman (2007-2011) for head coach Frank Martin, Pullen helped the Wildcats to 95 wins and four postseason appearances as well as the 2010 Elite Eight. Pullen scored a school-record 2,132 points and was the first three-time team captain in history. He earned All-America status twice (2010 and 2011) and was the sixth player in Big 12 history to reach 2,000 career points.
Pullen spoke with K-State Sports Extra's D. Scott Fritchen about life, his Hall of Fame achievement, career aspirations and the TBT Tournament:
D. Scott Fritchen: What's your schedule like these days?
Jacob Pullen: Breakfast in morning, drop the kids off at camp, go work out, physical therapy afterward, then pick the kids up from camp, lunch, relax, go work out at night, come back home, make sure the kids are ready for bed, house is clean and everything is good, and go to bed.
Fritchen: When did you return to America?
Pullen: We didn't make the playoffs this year, so I was done May 6 or 7, and then I was back home the 15th. Then went on vacation with the family. We went to Michigan. There are some beach houses in Michigan. We rented some houses.
Fritchen: What is an offseason like for Jacob Pullen?
Pullen: The offseason for me is being at home with the family. My house, I have a lot of nieces and nephews, and everybody is usually at my houses hanging out. I'm the fun uncle in the summer because I don't have a job, so I make sure we have fun, go to amusement parks and movie theaters, and have sleepovers for all the kids. Summertime for me is family time, and I find a way to keep getting my work in and staying in shape.
Fritchen: What keeps you going back to professional basketball?
Pullen: I'm going on my 13th year. What keeps me going back is I'm still competitive, man. My competitive nature, man, I blame it on my older brothers because they made me so competitive that it drives me. Losing bothers me still and I feel like the minute losing doesn't bother me anymore I'll be able to retire and walk away. But as long as the smallest things bother me with the sport, it's hard for me to walk away and to start my next journey — coaching — because I won't feel like I'll give it my all if I still feel like I still have stuff in my tank to play. I feel like I have to burn all the fuel out first, and then I can step into that next phase of my life.
Fritchen: Is coaching a passion of yours for down the road?
Pullen: It's for sure something I believe that I can be really good at just because of my IQ for the game and the way I see the game and just overall with all the basketball I've consumed in this lifetime. I'm a player that's always been good with Xs and Os and sets, and never forget plays, and always knowing everybody's positions. So, drawing up Xs and Os will make it easy to help a coaching staff. Also my experience, being able to tell kids the truth as far as the sacrifice it takes to get to the highest levels of basketball. I think that a lot of coaches can't do that. I really think that'll be my way into really helping a staff and recruiting kids. I think there's a difference when an ex-player walks into a house to recruit a kid. He can look the parent and the kid in the face and tell them I've been in their position before and I know what your son wants and can help him with that. It's different than a regular person walking into their house.
Fritchen: You're a rarity. It was recently announced that you would be inducted into the K-State Athletic Hall of Fame.
Pullen: Man, that's crazy, man. I thought it was a prank call when they called me. I thought it was somebody playing around. I was waiting for Shane Southwell or Jordan Henriquez or Martavious Irving to say, "I got you!" But it was really the call and I said, "Man, that's amazing." I called my parents afterward and my brothers and sister after and told them, "I'm being inducted into the hall of fame!" It was really exciting. It's amazing. It's a blessing, for real, to be inducted with the names that I'll be inducted with. There are a lot of greats, and not just at basketball, but in all sports from football to track. Deb Patterson was coaching when I was at K-State, and she was an amazing coach. I'm a big fan of hers. I have the utmost respect for Deb. I saw her putting in work with Shalee Lehning and the great players, and she held them accountable just like Frank Martin held us accountable. Going into the hall of fame with these people is a blessing. It's something I didn't expect when I first went to college.
Fritchen: What will you tell your kids years from now when you tell them about K-State?
Pullen: I want to tell them that Manhattan was home for me. That's somewhere where I was able to leave a legacy. Hopefully they'll be able to reap the benefits of my success there and to just be able to see it, go out, go to Manhattan at some point, and just see the poster, possibly the jersey, the headstone, all the good stuff. That's probably the biggest thing I can tell my kids is that I was All-American and All-Big 12, but I was at K-State and I was really the man there and they really loved me, and they still love me, so hopefully I show them more than I can tell them.
Fritchen: Who are some K-State teammates you still keep in touch with?
Pullen: Everybody. I haven't talked to Denis Clemente in a few months, and I haven't talked to Dominique Sutton in about five or six months because he's been busy going back and forth, but Curtis Kelly, Shane, JO, Tay, Rodney McGruder. Rod was in Italy this year, so I talked to Rod almost every day at one point. All of us are still in group chats. Shane's wedding is coming up soon, so everybody will be together soon. We talk all the time. The bond and relationship we have from K-State is something that's carried on. We spent a lot of time with each other at that point in our lives. The bond isn't broken through time. Are we all busy with our families and our lives? Yeah, But we still rap when we get the chance.
Fritchen: What keeps you coming back for the TBT?
Pullen: The camaraderie, the friendships. Whenever there's a chance to be able to play with Rod and some guys that I've played with, and even the younger guys, Barry Brown and Xavier Sneed, and those guys I got to watch play who possibly went to K-State because of me, it's just fun to be around them. My competitive juices are still flowing, so when we are all in the gym and get a chance to play pick-up, it's competitive, and we're around each other, so it's fun to me. Whenever JO called to see if my schedule allowed it, I told him I'm in.
I want to build something where over the next five or 10 years everybody that comes out of K-State is really trying to do it over the summer, an event where all the former K-State players are able to hang out, kick it — Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson and Desi Sills — I want everybody to be involved with this, so it becomes a pipeline and a school tradition. We've produced a lot of good players of the past 15 years since I've been there, a lot of guys coming out, and I don't think we get the respect that we should, but that's also because we're not coming together in the summer as we can to show people, "Man, K-State has a lot of guys."
Fritchen: What do you like about the Purple Reign team this year?
Pullen: If we get the roster I hope we can get, there's going to be an opportunity. We're competitive guys, so it's not going to be a walk in the park for anybody who sees us, but we also understand that everybody in the TBT Tournament is full of pros and competitive guys. We know every game is going to be a battle. We want to win and get the money for sure, but just being together and hoop together again would be fun for me at times.
Fritchen: When you think about Jerome Tang what first comes to mind?
Pullen: I told you whenever Tang got the job, Tang can be special for K-State. Tang is one of those guys who doesn't come around often like a Frank Martin and stuff where he can get people to believe and run through a wall for him. If they do that, they're going to have success. They did that. He had success early with Markquis and Keyontae and guys like that, and I believe he's going to have success again. He's going to really retain guys who believe in what he's saying and they're going to do what they need to do to win. Tang is a good coach. I've been fan of Tang since he was at Baylor with Scott Drew. I've known him since then, and I'm happy that he's still at K-State. I hope we can continue to keep him there and allow him to build a foundation and tradition at our school.
I hope K-State has its long-time coach like a Scott Drew, a Coach K, a Bill Self. I'm hoping K-State has found theirs. He's happy in Manhattan and comes out every day and shows he's happy to be there. It's up to the alumni and fans to continue to appreciate him and show him, "Man, you're doing a hell of a job." First year, Elite Eight, that's crazy. And he did it with seven or eight transfers. That's not normal. Tang has something here. And the class that he's bringing in now, I feel like if he can continue to have success over these next two or three years, he could be our long-term coach who we've been looking for.
Kansas State all-time great Jacob Pullen is back in America and will play a starring role in the TBT Tournament as a member of the Purple Reign team, which is set to play in Wichita on Saturday. It's been an eventful year for Pullen, who finished up his 12th season of professional basketball, and who is spending the summer months training for another year on the basketball court.
Pullen's offseason has been highlighted by a milestone achievement as he was announced on May 31 as one of 10 individuals to be inducted into the K-State Athletics Hall of Fame in August, joining Nick Leckey, Kevin Lockett, Askia Jones, Deb Patterson, Diana Miller, Scott Sellers, Kim Zschau and Carl and Mary Ice.
A four-year letterman (2007-2011) for head coach Frank Martin, Pullen helped the Wildcats to 95 wins and four postseason appearances as well as the 2010 Elite Eight. Pullen scored a school-record 2,132 points and was the first three-time team captain in history. He earned All-America status twice (2010 and 2011) and was the sixth player in Big 12 history to reach 2,000 career points.
Pullen spoke with K-State Sports Extra's D. Scott Fritchen about life, his Hall of Fame achievement, career aspirations and the TBT Tournament:
D. Scott Fritchen: What's your schedule like these days?
Jacob Pullen: Breakfast in morning, drop the kids off at camp, go work out, physical therapy afterward, then pick the kids up from camp, lunch, relax, go work out at night, come back home, make sure the kids are ready for bed, house is clean and everything is good, and go to bed.
Fritchen: When did you return to America?
Pullen: We didn't make the playoffs this year, so I was done May 6 or 7, and then I was back home the 15th. Then went on vacation with the family. We went to Michigan. There are some beach houses in Michigan. We rented some houses.
Fritchen: What is an offseason like for Jacob Pullen?
Pullen: The offseason for me is being at home with the family. My house, I have a lot of nieces and nephews, and everybody is usually at my houses hanging out. I'm the fun uncle in the summer because I don't have a job, so I make sure we have fun, go to amusement parks and movie theaters, and have sleepovers for all the kids. Summertime for me is family time, and I find a way to keep getting my work in and staying in shape.
Fritchen: What keeps you going back to professional basketball?
Pullen: I'm going on my 13th year. What keeps me going back is I'm still competitive, man. My competitive nature, man, I blame it on my older brothers because they made me so competitive that it drives me. Losing bothers me still and I feel like the minute losing doesn't bother me anymore I'll be able to retire and walk away. But as long as the smallest things bother me with the sport, it's hard for me to walk away and to start my next journey — coaching — because I won't feel like I'll give it my all if I still feel like I still have stuff in my tank to play. I feel like I have to burn all the fuel out first, and then I can step into that next phase of my life.
Fritchen: Is coaching a passion of yours for down the road?
Pullen: It's for sure something I believe that I can be really good at just because of my IQ for the game and the way I see the game and just overall with all the basketball I've consumed in this lifetime. I'm a player that's always been good with Xs and Os and sets, and never forget plays, and always knowing everybody's positions. So, drawing up Xs and Os will make it easy to help a coaching staff. Also my experience, being able to tell kids the truth as far as the sacrifice it takes to get to the highest levels of basketball. I think that a lot of coaches can't do that. I really think that'll be my way into really helping a staff and recruiting kids. I think there's a difference when an ex-player walks into a house to recruit a kid. He can look the parent and the kid in the face and tell them I've been in their position before and I know what your son wants and can help him with that. It's different than a regular person walking into their house.
Fritchen: You're a rarity. It was recently announced that you would be inducted into the K-State Athletic Hall of Fame.
Pullen: Man, that's crazy, man. I thought it was a prank call when they called me. I thought it was somebody playing around. I was waiting for Shane Southwell or Jordan Henriquez or Martavious Irving to say, "I got you!" But it was really the call and I said, "Man, that's amazing." I called my parents afterward and my brothers and sister after and told them, "I'm being inducted into the hall of fame!" It was really exciting. It's amazing. It's a blessing, for real, to be inducted with the names that I'll be inducted with. There are a lot of greats, and not just at basketball, but in all sports from football to track. Deb Patterson was coaching when I was at K-State, and she was an amazing coach. I'm a big fan of hers. I have the utmost respect for Deb. I saw her putting in work with Shalee Lehning and the great players, and she held them accountable just like Frank Martin held us accountable. Going into the hall of fame with these people is a blessing. It's something I didn't expect when I first went to college.
Fritchen: What will you tell your kids years from now when you tell them about K-State?
Pullen: I want to tell them that Manhattan was home for me. That's somewhere where I was able to leave a legacy. Hopefully they'll be able to reap the benefits of my success there and to just be able to see it, go out, go to Manhattan at some point, and just see the poster, possibly the jersey, the headstone, all the good stuff. That's probably the biggest thing I can tell my kids is that I was All-American and All-Big 12, but I was at K-State and I was really the man there and they really loved me, and they still love me, so hopefully I show them more than I can tell them.
Fritchen: Who are some K-State teammates you still keep in touch with?
Pullen: Everybody. I haven't talked to Denis Clemente in a few months, and I haven't talked to Dominique Sutton in about five or six months because he's been busy going back and forth, but Curtis Kelly, Shane, JO, Tay, Rodney McGruder. Rod was in Italy this year, so I talked to Rod almost every day at one point. All of us are still in group chats. Shane's wedding is coming up soon, so everybody will be together soon. We talk all the time. The bond and relationship we have from K-State is something that's carried on. We spent a lot of time with each other at that point in our lives. The bond isn't broken through time. Are we all busy with our families and our lives? Yeah, But we still rap when we get the chance.
Fritchen: What keeps you coming back for the TBT?
Pullen: The camaraderie, the friendships. Whenever there's a chance to be able to play with Rod and some guys that I've played with, and even the younger guys, Barry Brown and Xavier Sneed, and those guys I got to watch play who possibly went to K-State because of me, it's just fun to be around them. My competitive juices are still flowing, so when we are all in the gym and get a chance to play pick-up, it's competitive, and we're around each other, so it's fun to me. Whenever JO called to see if my schedule allowed it, I told him I'm in.
I want to build something where over the next five or 10 years everybody that comes out of K-State is really trying to do it over the summer, an event where all the former K-State players are able to hang out, kick it — Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson and Desi Sills — I want everybody to be involved with this, so it becomes a pipeline and a school tradition. We've produced a lot of good players of the past 15 years since I've been there, a lot of guys coming out, and I don't think we get the respect that we should, but that's also because we're not coming together in the summer as we can to show people, "Man, K-State has a lot of guys."
Fritchen: What do you like about the Purple Reign team this year?
Pullen: If we get the roster I hope we can get, there's going to be an opportunity. We're competitive guys, so it's not going to be a walk in the park for anybody who sees us, but we also understand that everybody in the TBT Tournament is full of pros and competitive guys. We know every game is going to be a battle. We want to win and get the money for sure, but just being together and hoop together again would be fun for me at times.
Fritchen: When you think about Jerome Tang what first comes to mind?
Pullen: I told you whenever Tang got the job, Tang can be special for K-State. Tang is one of those guys who doesn't come around often like a Frank Martin and stuff where he can get people to believe and run through a wall for him. If they do that, they're going to have success. They did that. He had success early with Markquis and Keyontae and guys like that, and I believe he's going to have success again. He's going to really retain guys who believe in what he's saying and they're going to do what they need to do to win. Tang is a good coach. I've been fan of Tang since he was at Baylor with Scott Drew. I've known him since then, and I'm happy that he's still at K-State. I hope we can continue to keep him there and allow him to build a foundation and tradition at our school.
I hope K-State has its long-time coach like a Scott Drew, a Coach K, a Bill Self. I'm hoping K-State has found theirs. He's happy in Manhattan and comes out every day and shows he's happy to be there. It's up to the alumni and fans to continue to appreciate him and show him, "Man, you're doing a hell of a job." First year, Elite Eight, that's crazy. And he did it with seven or eight transfers. That's not normal. Tang has something here. And the class that he's bringing in now, I feel like if he can continue to have success over these next two or three years, he could be our long-term coach who we've been looking for.
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