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SLATE: Purple Friday

Teammates, coaches host players who could not make it home for Thanksgiving

By Luke Sobba
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NOV 16 West Virginia at Kansas State
Horton’s Trey Dishon is among the graduating seniors that K-State will miss next year.
Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Fresh off our turkey and pumpkin pie comas, Wildcat fans are shopping for a Senior Day victory over Iowa State to end the regular season.

Football

With a game on Saturday, K-State’s players could not realistically travel far for Thanksgiving. But teammates and coaches had their backs, and all of the players found someone in the extended family of the team to enjoy the holiday with. It appears that Coach Van Malone, particularly, hosted a large contingent.

Twenty-seven seniors will play their final game at Bill Snyder Family Stadium tomorrow, and Coach Klieman said he appreciates their willingness to allow his staff into their lives in their final year at K-State. (Klieman also had to correct himself after wishing everyone “Happy Easter,” which may suggest something about just how immersive coaching can be.)

Though the championship chance was lost two weeks ago, K-State is still playing for conference position and shooting for a winning record in the Big 12. Also, bowl selection will be impacted, with plenty of opportunities still in the mix. Though the Cyclones are favored by five, at least one outlet thinks the Cats are a solid upset pick.

Former Wichita Northwest running back Breece Hall will make his first appearance against his home-state team. Though he also held an offer from K-State, he signed with the Cyclones a month before Coach Klieman was hired.

Though the article ran a few days ago we’ll post a link here for those who may not have seen it. One of Bill Snyder’s final acts in the K-State locker room may have paid enormous dividends by bringing the team closer together when the new coaching staff came aboard.

Basketball

Luke Thompson reported the sad news of K-State’s demise in the Fort Myers Classic. Kellis Robinett reported that the Bradley loss may hurt the team’s big picture outlook for the season.

The women’s squad heads to warmer climes now, as it tries to bounce back from a disappointing home loss to UTSA in the Junkanoo Jam against Memphis in the Bahamas.

Volleyball

The volleyball squad will close out a disappointing 8-19, 3-12 Big 12 season against Texas Tech in Lubbock at 1:00 Saturday. The Red Raiders are 17-12, 7-8 Big 12. Texas Tech won the first match-up between the squads 3-0 in Manhattan on October 2.