Joe Petrakis living out his dream as Kansas State’s newest scholarship player
When Joe Petrakis scored his first points in a Kansas State basketball uniform earlier this month on a contested layup against Oklahoma State, the walk-on forward summed up the experience with seven words that left everyone within earshot smiling.
“That’s a dream come true right there,” Petrakis said.
He is still living the dream. Fast forward a few weeks and things have only gotten better for him. K-State men’s basketball coach Bruce Weber announced Tuesday that the Wildcats awarded Petrakis with an athletic scholarship that will pay for his education throughout the spring semester.
K-State had a scholarship to spare, and Weber decided that Petrakis deserved a promotion after watching him work tirelessly behind the scenes to help the Wildcats since he arrived on campus two years ago. They have called upon him more than expected this season, as injuries and COVID-19 have sidelined seven players for multiple games, and he has responded in an impressive manner.
Petrakis has played in six games this season, scored a total of nine points and three rebounds. He even made an appearance on “SportsCenter” this week when Scott Van Pelt included his last-second layup against Texas on his “Bad Beats” segment.
If you’re looking for a positive K-State basketball story in an otherwise dismal season, Petrakis seems to be it.
“We did put Joe on scholarship now for the second semester and it is well deserved,” Weber said. “He not only stepped in for that Oklahoma State game and did OK, him and (walk-on) Drew (Honas) have really saved us in terms of having practice some of the time.”
It is always fun to see a walk-on get rewarded in college basketball. But what truly makes the experience special for Petrakis is that he comes from a family of K-State fans.
The 6-foot-9 Wichita native began his college career as a walk-on at Dodge City Community College, where he averaged 4.8 points and 3.1 rebounds, and then talked his way into becoming a walk-on for the Wildcats.
He grew up rooting for them. Playing for them now, in any capacity, is a blessing. Being asked to participate in a press conference after that Oklahoma State game felt surreal.
“When I tell you my whole family came here, I mean it,” Petrakis said. “This was the dream from Day 1, to get out there and actually score it was just crazy.”
Weber didn’t have big plans for him. Petrakis was young for a sophomore when he arrived in Manhattan, and he couldn’t bench press 135 pounds. But he does understand the game and is always eager to help out on the scout team during practice.
Now that he has added some muscle and shown that he can handle practicing with the team’s main rotation and that he can hold his own in a game, perhaps his role will continue to expand.
And maybe his dream will keep getting better.
“He can compete in practice and he has got a great attitude,” Weber said. “He has had to play guard, he has had to play big man, he has had do everything for us. And, along the way, he has kept a great attitude and done whatever we asked. So I’m happy we were able to reward him.”
This story was originally published January 26, 2021 at 2:08 PM with the headline "Joe Petrakis living out his dream as Kansas State’s newest scholarship player."