MANHATTAN, Kan. | The final score of 89-53 didn’t mean all that much to Kansas State basketball coach Frank Martin. The Wildcats easily won their exhibition game against Pittsburg State on Sunday, which was nice, and none of his players got hurt in the process, which was better.
But more than anything, all he wanted to see from his team the first time out was growth. As long as K-State’s five freshmen and newcomer Curtis Kelly could blend in well with their veteran teammates, it would be a good day in his eyes.
“That’s the first time they line up in front of fans, play with referees, play on television,” Martin said. “That takes time to get accustomed to at this level.”
Not much time, apparently.
Kelly, a junior forward who transferred from Connecticut, scored 11 points and snared 10 rebounds. Next to him in the front court, freshmen Jordan Henriquez and Wally Judge were almost as good. Henriquez recorded six rebounds and six blocks. Judge added eight points and 10 rebounds.
Freshman Nick Russell wasn’t bad either, scoring 10 points. Martin was tough on his newcomers, claiming “they were lost” after the game. But combined with strong efforts from Jacob Pullen (17 points and seven assists), Jamar Samuels (16 points) and Denis Clemente (14 points and three assists), K-State had no problems building a 43-point lead in the second half.
So Martin left Bramlage Coliseum in high spirits. What he was happiest about was the way his players shared the wealth on offense.
“We had 20 assists,” Martin said. “And that number is down. In the first half, I thought we missed some shots that we don’t normally miss, and our turnovers were a little high, meaning we lost possessions where we could have had more assists.”
Added Pullen: “We looked at it as ‘We’ instead of ‘I.’ ”
K-State’s misses came early, and it only led 6-3 at the first media timeout. The Wildcats fixed that problem quickly, though, and raced to a 42-20 halftime lead. They showed jitters throughout the game in the turnover department, though. By game’s end, the Wildcats had committed 18 turnovers.
“That’s something we can’t do,” Samuels said. “We’ve gotta work on that in practice.”
K-State will have time this week to improve. It opens the regular season at 7 p.m. Friday at home against Loyola of Chicago. What will Martin be looking for in that one? The same thing he was looking for in this one.
“I think we’ve got some parts,” Martin said, “and there’s times I think we’ve got a chance. There are times that I sit around and I wonder if we can beat anybody. But they’re a fun group and they’re committed to growing.”
•COLON, WERNER SIT: Luis Colon and Justin Werner did not play because of injuries. Colon, a senior center, is still wearing a brace on his hand, and Martin didn’t see the need to play him. He is expected to return to the lineup soon. Werner has an injured shoulder.
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