Mike McGuirl is returning for one more season. Here’s what it means for K-State hoops
Mike McGuirl isn’t ready to say goodbye to Kansas State.
Even after four long years with the Wildcats, the 6-foot-2 senior guard from Ellington, Connecticut, has decided he has unfinished business with the only college basketball team he has ever known. On Tuesday, he provided the Wildcats with some welcome news when he announced plans to take advantage of temporary NCAA eligibility rules and return to college for one more season with Bruce Weber.
“This was an easy decision for me,” McGuirl said in a statement. “The coaches and the Kansas State community have been so great to me and I wanted another year with my brothers on the team.”
His return is big for the Wildcats. There’s no other way to say it.
Shortly after four of his teammates announced plans to transfer over the past 10 days, McGuirl provided fans with a renewed jolt of hope about next season, as he was one of the Wildcats’ best players this year.
An honorable mention All-Big 12 performer, McGuirl averaged a career high 11.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists for the Wildcats while playing a whopping 34.4 minutes as a senior. He was far from perfect and actually had a few forgettable games, but he was also among the biggest reasons why the team fought hard all year closed out the season by winning four of its final six games.
McGuirl ranked second on the team in scoring behind only freshman guard Nijel Pack and provided valuable leadership throughout a trying season. In previous years, he came up big for the Wildcats by scoring 17 points in a NCAA Tournament victory over Creighton as a freshman and by scoring 18 points in a wild come-from-behind victory against West Virginia as a sophomore.
He will try to do even more as a “super senior” and help K-State improve on its 9-20 record as an extra scholarship player during the 2021-22 season.
“We are excited to have Mike back for his extra year,” Weber said in a statement. “I have said many times how bad I felt that he didn’t get a freshman season since we had to pull his redshirt late in the year due to some injuries. I told him, ‘God has a path for you, and now you have an opportunity to get your freshman year back.’”
“Obviously, he had a memorable experience in the NCAA Tournament with his great game against Creighton, helping us advance to the Elite Eight. Mike showed so much commitment and sacrifice this year. Despite everything going on, he didn’t miss one practice or game. I’m happy that he has the opportunity to build on the progress that he made this season and hopefully continue how he finished the year. He has the chance to become one of the elite guards in the Big 12 next season.”
That could happen if McGuirl can work within the offense and take better shots. Though his overall production climbed last season, his field goal percentage dropped to 35.6% (from 42.3%) and he only made 31.6% of his threes (down from 39.8%).
But he did do some nice things down the stretch forming a scoring duo with Pack on the perimeter.
With McGuirl back in the fold, K-State’s roster appears in solid shape as the Wildcats turn their attention to next season.
Even after Antonio Gordon, DaJuan Gordon, Joe Petrakis and Rudi Williams entered the NCAA transfer portal recently, K-State is set to return six players that started games this year, and four that finished out the season in the starting rotation — Selton Miguel, Davion Bradford, Pack and McGuirl.
The Wildcats’ young nucleus is mostly intact. And now they have an experienced leader coming back to guide them.
This story was originally published March 23, 2021 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Mike McGuirl is returning for one more season. Here’s what it means for K-State hoops."