Weber trying to get this summer right for rebuilding K-State hoops program
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The winter -- or the path that makes it easier to bear -- starts now, in the dog days, the swelter, when the humidity is so blasted thick you could cut the summer air with a butter knife.
Or so said Kansas State men's basketball players present and past -- mostly past -- when asked to pick over the carcass of '14-15, after that March cadaver had finally been laid to rest at Sprint Center, all those moons ago.
They pointed, individually, to the summer of 2014 as the root of the unraveling that would turn the 15-17 season to follow into such a roller coaster, intimating that players didn't take their workouts, their time together, as seriously as they had in years previous.
In hindsight, it does say something that it was one of the few things a disparate, disjointed locker room could point to with almost complete uniformity.
That consensus isn't lost on Bruce Weber, either.
"I think it's real important," the Wildcats' coach said Monday during the Big 12 men's basketball summer coaches conference call. "The offseason is when you become a better player, (when) you make that improvement as an individual and as a team, in that offseason.
"We've talked a lot about the summer, making sure we're doing some kind of team-building, team-interaction type situations, as much as we can, as much as the rules will allow. And just having them together.
"We emphasized to the older guys: We can't have division between older and younger, new and old. And have got to come together. And just if we can get that to happen, I think we'll have a good group next year -- we'll have a good team and we'll be very competitive."
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On paper, Weber had a good group last year at this time, too. But the fractures that would start to tear the 'Cats apart had their seeds sown in June, July and August. From off-guard Marcus Foster (gone) to forward Malek Harris (also gone), Weber thought he knew what he had. Thought he could trust what he had.
Turns out, he was wrong on both counts. And here we are.
"You don't know; I don't think you ever know," Weber said. "And dealing with them, as a parent, dealing with them with your own kids, giving tough love, discipline, it's not an easy thing. It's not a fun thing.
"But it's part of being a leader, part of being a parent, part of being a coach, a teacher, a principal, you know, anytime you're involved with kids, that's part of helping them get (in) the right direction and helping them in the long run. I've been in this a long time, I'm about kids -- that's why I got into it, you know, from teaching fifth grade, through high school and coaching, (as an) assistant coach, the whole thing, I'm about kids and trying to help them. But sooner or later, they've got to figure out there (are) rules and regulations. If we don't have those, we have chaos. And you've got to make sure ... like I said, we need people here that want to be at K-State, that want to represent K-State in the right way."
The Wildcats dismissed Foster, their leading scorer over the past two seasons, to end a relationship that started to turn publicly sour between Christmas and the start of intraleague play. Forward Harris and guard Tre Harris were also booted off after the season, while forward Jack Karapetyan and guards Jevon Thomas and Nigel Johnson -- and the last two seemed ticketed for serious minutes next season -- elected to transfer out.
"I think it's a decision for myself and our athletic department and involves -- we have rules and regulations," Weber explained. "We want people here who want to be here, do things the right way, act the right way, treat people the right way and play the right way and represent K-State in a positive manner. And if they're not going to do that, they don't fit in here, then they don't belong here, and you've got a decision to make, a decision of what's best for K-State basketball. And we made that decision, and we have to move on."
K-State will take the floor in the fall without six of its top nine scorers, with only senior-to-be swingman Justin Edwards (6.3 points per game), junior-to-be forward Wesley Iwundu (5.8 ppg) and senior-to-be big man Stephen Hurt (4.2 ppg) left to build the rest of the roster around again. Enter guards Kamau Stokes (5-foot-10), Carlbe Ervin (6-3) and Barry Brown (6-2) to plug into the backcourt and forwards Dean Wade (6-8), Isaiah Maurice (6-8) and center Dante Williams (6-10) in the post.
It's a gifted group, but raw as hell. In a perfect world, you're working in a few new faces now, a few new faces next summer, rather than throwing it all against an unforgiving Big 12 wall and seeing what sticks and what doesn't. But those are the cards Weber got dealt, the fallout from all that spring reshuffling.
"The one thing, I (think) we're going to have a better team. I'm not saying we have more talent" than a year ago, the coach noted, implying that such strength will come from reading off the same script instead of their own internal monologue.
"You know, if you've been in it long enough, you have years like this," Weber said. "You always would love to have three or four seniors, three or four juniors, three or four sophomores, and then you have a nice build-up in your classes. Bu I think in today's modern basketball, with kids leaving and transfers and all that situation -- I don't know if you can maintain that. You just have got to deal with it.
"We're excited about our new guys. We have some good players that we'd added. Our older guys, our returning players, had a great spring. They've had a good start to this summer. And we're just going to have to mix them together and hope all the ingredients come out in a positive manner."
Stir and simmer, always keeping one watchful eye on the pot. Because you don't want whatever's cooking in June to boil over come December. Been there. Tasted that.
You can follow Sean Keeler on Twitter at @SeanKeeler or email him at seanmkeeler@gmail.com.
