The world of transaction-based college basketball is exhausting, and that’s where Coach Tang chooses to reside.
Make no mistake, this isn’t a coach getting unlucky with transfers; it’s a coach recruiting the equivalent of college basketball mercenaries.
I don’t blame the players; they chose Kansas State because Kansas State offered them the most money. These guys aren’t hiding their intentions.
Mercenaries are loyal to themselves and whoever puts the most money in their pocket.
The latest round of defections was nothing if not predictable:
Dug McDaniel is moving to his third team in four seasons.
Baye Fall is moving on to his third team in three seasons.
Ugonna Onyenso is moving on to his third team in four seasons.
Brendan Hausen is moving on to his third team in four seasons.
Barring what sounds like a long-shot appeal by Max Jones for an additional season of eligibility, Kansas State will return precisely 0% of its 2024-’25 starting lineup.
The leading returning scorer at this moment is rising senior guard Christian Jones, who averaged 5.7 points per game last season. He’s a solid player but not exactly someone you build your roster around.
It appears that former top 100 recruit, point guard David Castillo, will run it back in Manhattan, and maybe he’s a guy you can build around, but that’s all projection. The freshman guard averaged 2.4 points and .8 assists and was barely an afterthought off the bench during K-State’s best run of form. My main issue with Castillo is shooting, or to be more precise, his inability to shoot. He chucked up 67 threes and hit a paltry 17. To make matters exponentially worse, it wasn’t like he was getting to the basket. In fact, he actively avoided driving the ball. I have no idea how you play 320 minutes of college basketball over a season and go 2-19 from two. I understand that shooting threes is essential in the college game, but if he can’t get into the paint, he can’t play point guard, and if he can’t shoot better than 25% from deep, he can’t play on the wing. The Wildcats desperately need him to be something other than the terrible offensive player he was last season.
I don’t see how this can be a winning strategy. Call me old-fashioned, but I still consider basketball a team sport, and teams tend to be better when they play together for more than six months. I personally didn’t find any joy in last season. Even when things were going well, what was the point?
The team wasn’t going to win the Big 12.
The team wasn’t going to make, much less win, the NCAA tournament.
None of the core players were going to return.
Losing sucks, but sometimes you have to lose as a team before you win as a team. The Wildcats gained nothing from last season.
No character was built.
No bonds were forged in the hard times that will pay off during the future good times.
Frankly, it was embarrassing at times, especially considering the price tag.
