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With loss to Wisconsin, speculation begins on what future holds for Beasley and Walker
By HOWARD RICHMANThe Kansas City Star
Beasley was one of the few remaining players in the dressing room, perched on a stool, with cameras and microphones jammed in his face after No. 3-seeded Wisconsin eliminated No. 11 K-State 72-55 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Region at the Qwest Center.
“I haven’t put any thought into it,” said Beasley of departing K-State for the NBA. Still, Beasley was hounded for an answer, and coach Frank Martin had heard enough.
“I can’t believe people are asking the poor kid that’s 18 years old (19 now) if he’s going pro after he just got crushed after a loss,” Martin said.
Beasley has until April 27 to declare for the draft, which is June 26. If he doesn’t have an agent, Beasley has until June 16 to withdraw his name from the draft.
If this turns out to be Beasley’s final game at K-State, a significant footnote will be how, for the first time in 12 years, the Wildcats failed to make a three-point basket. They finished zero for 13 from that distance, including nine misses during the second half. That hadn’t happened since 1996 against Arkansas Pine-Bluff, a streak of 347 games.
“We got wide-open looks,” said K-State guard Jacob Pullen, who accounted for three of the long-distance misfires. “It had nothing really to do with (Wisconsin). We got open looks like we did against USC. The difference is they fell against USC. Tonight, they just rolled out.”
Beasley strolled off the court for the final time, at least this season, with 53.9 seconds remaining.
No tears, only a brief hug with teammate Ron Anderson, a firm handshake from senior guard Clent Stewart, who along with Blake Young and walk-on James Franklin are the only Wildcats guaranteed to be gone.
Beasley scored 23 points and grabbed 13 rebounds but made only two field goals after the intermission when Wisconsin pulled away.
“I had two, three defenders around me every time I touched the ball,” said Beasley, whose 28th double-double added to his Big 12 single-season record. “I really can’t play against their whole team by myself. I kind of left it up to my team to try to pull it out.”
That never happened. The Badgers, who won for the 12th straight time and improved to 31-4, shot 52.4 percent after halftime and led by as many as 21.
“A guy like that, I think he’s almost impossible to stop,” Wisconsin’s 6-foot-11 Greg Stiemsma said of Beasley. “You can just try to hope to contain him.”
The Wildcats, who finished 21-12, were built around NBA prospects, and this is what happens now. It comes down to a waiting game on Beasley and freshman Bill Walker.
Beasley, projected in multiple mock drafts to be Dwyane Wade’s future teammate once Beasley becomes the No. 1 overall draft pick by the Miami Heat, isn’t the only underclassman at K-State who may be gone. Walker could be on the way out.
“I’m not answering that question,” Walker quickly responded when asked if he was ready to go. “If anything changes, ya’ll will be the first to know.”
Games such as Saturday’s give Beasley reason to pause about his future. On one hand, he says he’s ready for the next level. Seconds later, however, he doesn’t sound so convinced.
“Another year in college wouldn’t hurt,” he said. “Another two, three years in college wouldn’t hurt. I really don’t know what’s going to happen. I love college, but I want to take my game to the next level.”
Walker, who scored 18 points before fouling out with 2:59 left, thinks Beasley has a tough decision, a choice that will be scrutinized no matter what occurs.
“If Mike wants to come back to school, you all say he’s stupid. If he leaves, somebody will say a different thing,” Walker said.
Leaving for Beasley, whether it’s sooner rather than later, sounds like it will be tougher than he ever imagined.
“I came to college thinking about myself. Now, when I step on the floor, I think about everybody. The players, the coaches, the trainers,” Beasley said. “I didn’t expect to fall in love with the team as much as I did.
“I’m a Wildcat for life. I’m always going to be a Wildcat, no matter what my decision is. One year, 100 years, 500 years from now, I’m always going to be a Wildcat.”