By Greg Echlin
FOXSportsKansasCity.com
Jan. 1, 2011
Seventeenth-ranked Kansas State learned a lot about itself the past three games without seniors Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly. But the welcome mat will be out when point guard Jacob Pullen is scheduled to return for the Wildcats' Monday night game against Savannah State (Ga.).
In his first public comments since Dec. 21, when Pullen and Kelly were ruled ineligible by the NCAA, Pullen apologized after watching the Wildcats defeat North Florida during the afternoon of New Year's Eve. Kelly will sit out three more games, both for impermissible benefits on clothing from a department store in Manhattan.
"I had a lapse in judgment and I violated some NCAA rules, and I take full responsibility of my actions," said Pullen. "At this point, the only thing I could do now is continue to work hard to help my team and help my coaching staff so I could move forward and put this issue behind us."
The lesson Pullen learned?
"The NCAA sees everything," he said with a chuckle, but added, "You've just got to use better judgment. That was the main lesson."
The team learned it could use his point production, despite scoring 100 points in his absence Friday against UNF. When practice resumed after the Christmas break, the team concentrated on better execution offensively. It showed in the opening half against the Ospreys when the Wildcats shot 61 percent from the field, a season-high for a half.
Still, Wildcats coach Frank Martin knows Pullen, who moved up to number-4 on the all-time Wildcat scoring list after his last game played (Dec. 18 against Florida), will provide some added juice to the K-State offense.
"I know he understands just how important it is he comes back and he continues to help this team," said Martin. "Not just scoring or whatever, but I think he's seen this the last couple games and, having taking a step away, sees the commitment that these young kids have had to get better. I think he can't wait to become a part of that."
The day Pullen was told to sit out, before the Dec. 21 game against UNLV in Kansas City, he remained in Manhattan and watched the Wildcats loss on television.
"Cheering like I never cheered before," said Pullen. "I've seen the effort and how hard it was for them not knowing what was going on, not knowing the situation and what the outcome would be before the game. I expected to play. They all expected me to play and, for me, not being able to show up for the game
