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I owe you all an apology. Every single one of you reading this – whether you're scrolling on your phone, browsing on your computer, or catching up wherever you are – I owe you an apology. I hyped this team up. I bought into the buzz, the big names, and the potential, and I was wrong.
I saw the roster and got carried away. Coleman Hawkins – a massive name. Dug McDaniel – an electrifying talent. Ugonna Onyenso and Achor Achor – promising pieces. It looked incredible on paper. I envisioned NBA-level talent all over the court, and I fell for the narrative that this team was poised to be special.
But the reality has been drastically different. It all made sense on paper, but the results on the court told another story. I genuinely thought this team had the potential to dominate. Hawkins was projected to be an All-American forward. McDaniel had the capability to be the best point guard in college basketball if he found consistency. Yet, the reality exposed the glaring 'what-ifs':
What if Achor Achor wasn’t satisfied with his role off the bench?
What if Coleman Hawkins' knee issues lingered?
What if Dug McDaniel struggled to find consistency?
These questions turned into realities that derailed the season. It stings, and I realize now that I got swept up in the hype, blinded by the big names and NBA aspirations. That's on me.
The Reality Check
This season has been a wake-up call. It’s easy to look at a roster loaded with star potential and jump to conclusions. I let my optimism cloud my judgment. I gassed up this team without taking a hard, analytical look at the challenges they would face. That was my mistake.
Names alone don’t win basketball games. Potential means nothing if it doesn’t translate on the court. Let me be clear: this isn’t a shot at Dug McDaniel, Coleman Hawkins, or anyone else on the roster. The expectations were sky-high, and I bought into them without fully considering the potential pitfalls.
For example, I underestimated David N'Guessan. I assumed he would be a role player, at best the third option behind Hawkins and McDaniel. Yet, he’s been the best player on the team by a significant margin. While McDaniel and Hawkins have struggled to find consistency, N'Guessan has been a workhorse, showing up every night and delivering.
The Heartbreak of Unfulfilled Potential
Now, the harsh reality is setting in. Coleman Hawkins might be out for the season, potentially ending his college career on a team whose highlight was a six-game win streak. It’s heartbreaking. As a fanbase, we saw Hawkins as a star – a dynamic player who was just as charismatic off the court as he was talented on it. We expected him to lead this team, to be a fan favorite, and to bring excitement to every game.
Instead, the season fell apart. It wasn’t a case of a hot start fading away. It wasn’t a matter of figuring things out before losing it again. No, this team has been consistently inconsistent. The pieces never fit together, and the potential never materialized.
You can blame NIL deals, the transfer portal, the coaching staff, or even the players. But the bottom line is this: Kansas State basketball did not live up to expectations. The formula was flawed, whether it was the roster construction, coaching strategies, or any other factor. It didn’t work, and that’s the harsh truth.
So What Went Wrong?
In the postgame press conference after the Arizona State game last Sunday, Coach Tang took the blame. He admitted that the game plan wasn’t good enough, saying the coaching staff needed to do a better job. I respect his willingness to fall on the sword. But later in the same press conference, he also pointed out that shots just didn’t fall.
It’s a fair point – sometimes, shots don’t drop, and it’s nobody’s fault. But if the game plan was solid and the execution was there, then maybe it was just one of those nights. Still, the contradiction was hard to ignore. If the game plan was sound, why take the blame? And if it was flawed, then what exactly went wrong?
It’s not about pointing fingers. It’s about understanding how a team with so much talent could fail to meet expectations so dramatically. There were moments of hope – stretches where it looked like things were clicking. But inconsistency was the defining theme.
The Takeaway: More Guys Need to Step Up
What stood out most in that press conference, though, came from David N'Guessan. He’s the guy who works hard every single night, no matter the situation. But even he spoke about how the offense often stagnates. Guys aren’t moving. They’re just standing around, waiting for someone else to create.
To simply put it: K-State needs more guys who are willing to step up and make the right plays when it counts. You need more guys who hate playing losing basketball more than losing itself. You need players who live and breathe the game, who put in the work when no one’s watching, who push through those long stretches of nothing happening on offense.
Right now, K-State doesn’t have enough of those guys. A couple of players show up on any given night, but that’s not enough to build consistency. You need players who care about the little things—the hustle, the off-ball movement, the rebounding, the setting screens. Every little detail adds up to a win in the end.
In the words of Coach Tang, you need “dudes” who are willing to put in the work, day in and day out. Right now, K-State doesn't have enough of those guys. You’ve had role players step up at times, but the stars haven’t consistently been stars. And when that happens, it’s hard to win basketball games.
It reminds me of that year with Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell. Those guys were addicted to the process of basketball. They loved the game, they showed up every day, and they made sure to outwork everyone. And now, we’re left hoping to find that same level of commitment from the next group. Until then, this team will continue to fall short. And for the fans, that's a tough pill to swallow.
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