Here’s what Bruce Weber likes most about Kansas State’s newest basketball signings
By now, anyone who follows Kansas State basketball knows that the Wildcats are bringing in a consensus top 25 recruiting class that is respected by the experts.
It remains to be seen what Bruce Weber will be able to accomplish with that batch of new players next season, but he sure is eager to find out.
“I just got off a Zoom call with the team and ... the first thing I said was ‘I couldn’t be more excited about it, the group that we have been able to sign,’” Weber said during a video conference with reporters. “You feel good about them. It’s a lot like when you had the group with Dean (Wade), Kamau (Stokes) and Barry (Brown), except you have even more guys.”
“You have got talent, some depth, some versatility. I think you have scoring. It’s a concern of ours. I know it’s a concern of our fans. Who is going to score for us? I think you have got some guys who can step right in and score the basketball. I think it has a little bit of everything.”
This certainly seems like an ideal time to hit the reset button and reload with a talented group of incoming players that Rivals ranks No. 18 nationally.
The Wildcats are coming off a disappointing 11 win season and a last-place finish in the Big 12 standings. They lose their top three scorers, and 44.7 points, from their roster. But they will bring in a trio of four-star recruits, a pair of three-star prospects, one junior-college transfer, one traditional transfer and potentially one more player at a later time.
K-State officially added two players to the class Wednesday when junior-college point guard Rudi Williams and incoming freshman forward Seryee Lewis signed with the Wildcats.
Neither player was highly sought-after on the recruiting trail, but Weber thinks they both will make K-State better next season and soften the blow of missing out on four-star guard Donovan Williams earlier this week.
Williams is a 6-foot-3 sophomore from Northeast Oklahoma A&M College who led all junior-college players in assists last season, averaging 8.9. He also averaged 21 points and 6.7 rebounds. Weber hopes he continue being a versatile guard in the Big 12 and help incoming freshman Nijel Pack lead the offense.
“I really believe Rudi can give you both (passing and scoring),” Weber said. “If you talk to his coaches, he really improved his three-point shooting. His first year they had a really good team and he was mainly a distributor. This past year his scoring went up. The thing I really like is he has a mid-range game. He has a pull-up jump shot, which is nice.”
Weber said Williams may need to develop as a defender next season, but he has the size and athleticism to become a stopper.
He is also high on Lewis as an athlete.
The 6-foot-9 forward from Chicago is quick for his size and scored the bulk of his points in prep games by zooming past traditional low-post defenders for high-flying dunks.
“After signing the four guys in the fall, we thought the one missing piece for us was another athletic forward who could give us some more versatility, play the 4 and 5,” Weber said, “someone who could guard a variety of positions and bring a lot of energy.”
Lewis will look to provide depth inside alongside Montavious Murphy, Antonio Gordon, Levi Stockard, Kaosi Eazeagu and Davion Bradford next season.
It’s possible K-State will add another member to its front court his recruiting cycle. After missing on Donovan Williams, Weber said the Wildcats will ideally look to land a versatile wing who can help handle the ball and score inside. He will explore all options, including graduate transfers and traditional transfers.
Next season — whenever it happens — is too far away for Weber to project a starting lineup, but he will be counting on “two or three” players in this recruiting class becoming major factors immediately.
That shouldn’t be a problem if this group of incoming players is as good as advertised.
This story was originally published April 15, 2020 at 4:53 PM with the headline "Here’s what Bruce Weber likes most about Kansas State’s newest basketball signings."