Slate: Weber adds another 2019 Recruit

Previously

Drew showed up yesterday with his thoughts on the Texas game. Reason to hope; reason to mope, basically.

Basketball

Sure, it’s football season. But basketball headlines are providing a respite from gridiron disappointment, so the hardcourt gets the lead today.

After adding two guards for the 2019-2020 season, Bruce Weber got a verbal commitment from 6-8 forward Antonio Gordon on Monday. Gordon, a three-star prospect from Lawton, Oklahoma, became the third pledge in 24 hours, after Damerius Wash and DaJuan Gordon (no relation, we assume) each gave their word on Sunday. The class also includes early commit Montavious Murphy, another 6-8 forward, from Texas. The staff should be congratulated for filling roster needs before this year’s games tip off.

K-State Sports Extra highlighted strength and conditioning coach Ben O’Donnel’s work with the squad, touting significant gains for a number of the players. Several of them—Makol Mawien, Barry Brown and Dean Wade are specifically mentioned—put up impressive sessions in the 185-pound bench press test employed at the NBA combine. Of more important note: Mawien, Nigel Shadd and Austin Trice have all put on 20-25 pounds of muscle in the off-season. That should help with the rebounding woes.

Women’s Basketball

Jeff Mittie, likewise, has emphasized the importance of rebounding with the women’s squad. His method involves sprints as a means of reinforcing the basic fundamentals and effort of blocking out.

The women hosted annual media day yesterday and, like most this time of year, are brimming with optimism.

Football

Fine. We’ll talk about football, too. But only because we have to.

The ‘Cats travel to Waco to take on Baylor at 2:30 Saturday. Want to be angry? K-State opened as a 3-point underdog. Since then, the number has ballooned to five.

Feel however you want to feel about this: Coach Snyder says both Thomson and Delton will play in the game, because both have earned reps. Kellis Robinett and his guest, Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star delved into the ponderous quarterback carousel situation in the weekly K-State podcast.

Since it is the topic on everyone’s mind, watch later this morning for JT’s analysis of Coach Snyder’s never-ending quest to replicate his greatest success at the quarterback position.

The homecoming game against Oklahoma State on October 13 will start in the sub-optimal 11:00 time slot and air on FS1.

Miscellany

Several miscellaneous matters of note:

First, K-State athletics will participate this week in the NCAA’s Diversity and Inclusion Social Media Campaign from October 1-5.

Second, though not directly related to K-State the NCAA has served Baylor a formal notice of allegations asserting the dreaded “lack of institutional control” concerning the school’s handling of the sexual assault allegations by its athletic department.

And, finally, for the fifth straight year, fall enrollment at K-State has declined. Enrollment of 22,221 is down 574 from fall 2017. University officials attribute thirty percent of the decline to a decrease in international enrollment rates.