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After defeating nationally ranked Alabama (71-58) last Saturday night in Kansas City, smiles were abundant on the faces of Kansas State’s basketball players as they boarded their flight to Hawaii to play in the Diamondhead Classic. K-State will play three games in Hawaii.
Two questions come to mind while trying to assess the Wildcats’ 7-1 (as of that win) basketball team: Are they as talented and effective as they appear to be on defense? Are they as helter-skelter and ineffective as they look on offense?
K-State is playing defense the way Coach Frank Martin wants them to and they could really be something by tournament time. As for offense, that’s a riddle. It’s hard to conceive a team playing much worse on offense than the Wildcats did in the first half against Alabama; nevertheless, they were two points ahead at the break.
There’s one thing that’s consistent about this K-State team: They have different players step forward almost every game. Center Jordan Henriquez and freshman point guard Angel Rodriquez led the way against Alabama. Henriquez’s play was particularly encouraging (7-of-9 FGs, 3-of-4 FTs, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks) in the win over Alabama.
The feeling persists that big things are in store for this Kansas State team; if they can defeat a quality team like Alabama while playing very poorly on offense during the first half, then the Wildcats could soon become a formidable ball club.
After the Alabama game, Coach Martin said, “These guys encourage me . . . they’re not perfect, and neither am I. But they never come in and don’t try. Whenever you have that kind of attitude, as a coach, you have to be excited about your team.”
KU’s new football coach, Charlie Weis, is acting like a kid with his first head coaching job — his enthusiasm is infectious.
Weis made a great selection when he chose Tim Grunhard to be his offensive line coach. Grunhard was head coach at Bishop Miege for the last six seasons and an assistant high school coach in the KC area for six years before that.
Grunhard played center for the Kansas City Chiefs for 11 seasons and he knows all the tricks used while playing on the offensive line.
Tim Grunhard will be a perfect fit for recruiting the Kansas City area. After his hiring, Grunhard said, “High school football in Kansas City, I think, is very, very underrated. There are a lot of good football players [in KC] and we need to tap into that. And we will tap into that.”
Coach Weis is making all the right moves. AD Sheahon Zenger may have changed the perception and future of KU football in one fell swoop.
After defeating nationally ranked Alabama (71-58) last Saturday night in Kansas City, smiles were abundant on the faces of Kansas State’s basketball players as they boarded their flight to Hawaii to play in the Diamondhead Classic. K-State will play three games in Hawaii.
Two questions come to mind while trying to assess the Wildcats’ 7-1 (as of that win) basketball team: Are they as talented and effective as they appear to be on defense? Are they as helter-skelter and ineffective as they look on offense?
K-State is playing defense the way Coach Frank Martin wants them to and they could really be something by tournament time. As for offense, that’s a riddle. It’s hard to conceive a team playing much worse on offense than the Wildcats did in the first half against Alabama; nevertheless, they were two points ahead at the break.
There’s one thing that’s consistent about this K-State team: They have different players step forward almost every game. Center Jordan Henriquez and freshman point guard Angel Rodriquez led the way against Alabama. Henriquez’s play was particularly encouraging (7-of-9 FGs, 3-of-4 FTs, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks) in the win over Alabama.
The feeling persists that big things are in store for this Kansas State team; if they can defeat a quality team like Alabama while playing very poorly on offense during the first half, then the Wildcats could soon become a formidable ball club.
After the Alabama game, Coach Martin said, “These guys encourage me . . . they’re not perfect, and neither am I. But they never come in and don’t try. Whenever you have that kind of attitude, as a coach, you have to be excited about your team.”
KU’s new football coach, Charlie Weis, is acting like a kid with his first head coaching job — his enthusiasm is infectious.
Weis made a great selection when he chose Tim Grunhard to be his offensive line coach. Grunhard was head coach at Bishop Miege for the last six seasons and an assistant high school coach in the KC area for six years before that.
Grunhard played center for the Kansas City Chiefs for 11 seasons and he knows all the tricks used while playing on the offensive line.
Tim Grunhard will be a perfect fit for recruiting the Kansas City area. After his hiring, Grunhard said, “High school football in Kansas City, I think, is very, very underrated. There are a lot of good football players [in KC] and we need to tap into that. And we will tap into that.”
Coach Weis is making all the right moves. AD Sheahon Zenger may have changed the perception and future of KU football in one fell swoop.
Why is the Southeastern Conference going to win another national championship without having to earn it on the playing field? That’s what the BCS was supposed to prevent. Why is the championship game between Alabama and LSU instead of Oklahoma State and LSU?
Alabama had their shot at LSU on Nov. 5 and the Crimson Tide lost at home in a boring game (9-6).
Alabama has the same 11-1 record as Oklahoma State. O-State defeated Arizona 37-14 in their toughest nonconference game and also beat Louisiana and Tulsa. Alabama won their most challenging nonconference game against an average Penn State team, 27-11; they also defeated Kent State and North Texas.
Alabama has an excellent football team, but so does Oklahoma State. After all, O-State crushed the proud Sooners of OU (44-10) in their big showdown on Dec. 3. That’s no small feat for any team. And Alabama had their chance against LSU, so it’s only fair that O-State should have that same opportunity. Instead, the national championship will be decided by polls and computers, just like the old days.
For many years the nation’s football fans have been clamoring for a playoff and the university presidents keep ignoring them. A playoff would be so simple to organize; almost any format would be an improvement over what we have. An eight team playoff consisting of the champions of the seven major conferences and one at-large team would be the perfect setup.
This bowl season is a gross injustice to Oklahoma State in particular and college football in general. The SEC has proved it’s been the best football conference in the nation for the past few years, but who is to say it’s the best this season? Perhaps LSU’s formidable defense wouldn’t be so impregnable against the great passing attack of O-State. We’ll never know. The university presidents that are running college football have been making a mess of it for over a half century and they continue to do so.
