Nick McClellan, a first team all-state honoree at Christian Brothers College (Mo.) High School and one of the finest two-way players in the country, had starred in big games in his decorated career. But perhaps the 6-foot, 195-pounder never shined brighter than on October 3 in a meeting between undefeated teams as the Cadets visited Rabun Gap-Nacoochee High School in Georgia.
We're in the back corridor of the T-Mobile Center prior to his official unveiling to Kansas City as a member of the Kansas State Wildcats, and preseason All-American PJ Haggerty, a native of Crosby, Texas, is talking about his fateful eighth-grade summer camp at Baylor when he first met Jerome Tang — and then Haggerty fast forwards and describes recently preparing pizza in Tang's kitchen one warm night in Manhattan.
Kansas State head coach Jeff Mittie said that he loves this time of year. The university is on winter break, meaning academics aren't a part of the equation, which allows full concentration on practice. Mittie said that "this window is pretty important," particularly as the youngest roster of Mittie's last seven years at K-State embarks upon the grueling Big 12 Conference schedule.
They train together, father and son, running hills in northeast Kansas, even now — especially now — as Lawson McGraw finishes his senior year at Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park, Kansas. In less than six months, Lawson will begin a new chapter and tackle new challenges as an incoming freshman at K-State. He'll journey down that familiar Interstate-70 West, like countless times before, and take Coach Bill Snyder Highway down a valley and into the heart of the Little Apple — a place he's known since birth.
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