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Posted: Saturday October 26, 2002 9:51 PM Updated: Wednesday October 30, 2002 4:53 PM Kansas State Wildcats
The following preview is provided by Blue Ribbon. For the most thorough preview available of the upcoming season, order the 2002-03 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, on sale now at 1-800-775-2518. Team Preview | Blue Ribbon Analysis
Jim Wooldridge doesn’t want to be a one-hit wonder at Kansas State. The Wildcats’ third-year coach wants to see his program make a steady climb to the top of the Big 12 and stay there. When he was hired before the 2000-01 season, Wooldridge wanted to make the Wildcats competitive in the highly competitive league. They were coming off a 9-19 season and last-place Big 12 finish. His team has steadily improved in each of the past two seasons. He attained his first goal last year -- the Wildcats were competitive -- and if not for a slow start might have earned an NIT bid. "No one was happy with our start last season," Wooldridge said. "If we had played more consistently in November and December, we could have put ourselves in a much better position to reach the postseason. But I think both the players and staff have learned from it. And if this team plays up to its potential, with the quality of players we have returning in the program, I believe we have a good shot at challenging for a postseason berth."
The Wildcats’ biggest loss was point guard Larry Reid, who spent two seasons with the Wildcats after transferring from Northern Oklahoma Junior College. Reid (14.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 5.3 apg) led the team in scoring and assists, starting all 28 games and averaging 35.2 minutes. He was chosen to the All-Big 12 second team. Nick Williams, a 6-foot-4 guard who started all but four games as a freshman, decided to transfer. Williams (9.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg) was the team’s fourth-leading scorer. Also gone is 6-foot-1 guard Phineas Atchison (8.0 ppg, 1.6 rpg), who completed his eligibility. Kansas State’s frontcourt returns almost intact and is led by 6-foot-9 senior forward/low post Pervis Pasco, who was chosen to the Big 12 All-Newcomer team. Pasco (12.1 ppg, 8.4 rpg) was the only player in the Big 12 to rank in the top five in the league in field-goal percentage, rebounding and blocked shots during the regular season. He shot 55.8 percent from the field and had 46 blocks. Pasco hit double-figure scoring in 21 games and had double-figure rebounds 11 times. "Pervis was our most consistent player a year ago," Wooldridge said. "He is a legitimate Big 12 rebounder, and we are going to be relying on him a great deal. He is one of the players who needs to have a good year in order for us to have a good year as a team." Matt Siebrandt, a 6-foot-8 senior, has started 45 of 58 games at power forward since his arrival at Kansas State. Siebrandt (7.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg) played his best late in the season, hitting double-figure scoring in 13 of the last 20 games and averaging 9.6 points in those games. His rebounding also improved late in the season as he averaged 5.2 in the last six games. "Matt has a lot of experience and playing time in the program over the past two years," Wooldridge said. "He is one of the players we will look to early for leadership and stability." Sophomores Travis Canby and Marcelo Da Barrossa are both expected to play backup roles again in the paint. The 6-foot-9 Canby averaged 0.9 points and 1.5 rebounds in 22 games, and the 6-foot-7 Da Barrossa averaged 3.2 points and 1.7 rebounds. Marques Hayden, a 6-foot-7 freshman, could be an impact player in the post. Hayden was rated as one of the nation’s top high school recruits and was the Class 6A Player of the Year in Oklahoma. He averaged 17 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.0 blocks last season and was rated as the nation’s No. 10 power forward by RivalsHoops.com. HoopScoop magazine rated him the No. 56 high school recruit overall. "I really believe Marques is one of those unique guys that can come in and play at this level as a freshman," Wooldridge said. "He is a great competitor with good size and athletic ability. He’s a guy that we are going to be counting on, even though he is a freshman." The Wildcats are hope for a strong return by 6-foot-6 senior Janerio Spurlock (7.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg), who suffered a fractured kneecap in the seventh game of the season. Spurlock will play small forward. Coming out of junior college, Spurlock was one of the nation’s top recruits. "Janerio is a shooter who can also extend a defense," Wooldridge said. "He is also a solid rebounder and I think he is very hungry to play. I think he feels like he missed a real opportunity last year." Quentin Buchanan and Gilson DeJesus are both capable of playing small forward, a position they shared last season. They will battle for the starting job against Spurlock. Buchanan, a 6-foot-7 senior, is the team’s only three-year letter-winner and best wing defender. He averaged 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds last year, starting 14 of 29 games and averaging 15 minutes per game. DeJesus (6.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg) started 13 games and averaged 21.6 minutes. He can play small forward or shooting guard. "Both Quentin and Gilson had some moments last season where they really played well," Wooldridge said. "What we need from them this season is a little more consistency." In the backcourt, several newcomers will play key roles as Wooldridge tries to fill the gaps left by departed players. Point guard Frank Richards and shooting guards Jarrett Hart and Tim Ellis were all highly regarded junior college recruits. Richards, 6-foot-2, combines strength and good size with smooth ball handling skills. He averaged 14 points and 4.6 assists last season at Olney (Ill.) Central Community College. Recruiting analyst Rick Ball of The Sporting News rated Richards as the No. 4 JUCO point guard recruit in the nation. Richards originally signed with Ohio University out of Jefferson High School in Rockford, Ill. The 6-foot-4 Hart averaged 19.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists last season and led Arkansas-Fort Smith to a seventh-place finish in the NJCAA Tournament. He earned third-team All-American honors and was rated as the No. 7 shooting guard by Lindy’s and No. 8 by Future Stars. Hart spent his freshman year at Oklahoma before going to the junior college. Ellis, 6-foot-3, can play shooting guard or small forward. An explosive athlete, Ellis averaged 16.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.3 steals last season at Southern Idaho Community College, shooting 54 percent from the floor. He was rated as the No. 9 shooting guard recruit by Lindy’s and No. 10 by Future Stars. He’s known as a slasher with a good mid-range game and solid 3-point shot. "This backcourt will be a complete contrast to last year’s," Wooldridge said. "It will be much more physical and we are going to have to play to their strengths." Seth Elliott, a 6-foot-3 junior guard, will be a walk-on. Elliott averaged 9.7 points and 2.2 rebounds at Cowley County (Ark.) Community College last season. Wooldridge must integrate his newcomers quickly, and they’ll play a big role in determining the team’s success this season. Replacing All-Big 12 point guard Reid will be the biggest task, and that job likely will go to Richards, one of the transfers. Ellis and Hart, two of the other transfers, also will be counted on in the backcourt. Hayden, a freshman, should make an impact in the frontcourt, where the Wildcats are solid with the return of Pasco and Siebrandt. If Spurlock comes back healthy from his knee injury, he will be a factor or even starter at small forward, but Buchanan and DeJesus also will battle for that spot. "We feel very strongly that the team should be greater than the sum of its parts," Wooldridge said. "We have a lot of players who have the ability to contribute, and if we can get them to work together toward a common goal we can be a good ball club. Like all teams, we have to stay away from injuries, but our biggest challenge will be to get this group to blend together."
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