‘I have no idea’: K-State Wildcats coach Bruce Weber comments on his uncertain job status
.jpg "Kansas State head coach Bruce Weber talks to his players during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Baylor Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022, in Manhattan, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)")
The end is almost certainly near for Kansas State men’s basketball coach Bruce Weber.
K-State limped to another losing record as the regular season came to a close on Saturday at Bramlage Coliseum when the Wildcats fell short against Oklahoma, 78-71.
The Wildcats (14-16, 6-11 Big 12) are now three years removed from their last postseason appearance, their last winning record and their last home crowd of at least 10,000 fans. That is too long for a coach who took K-State to impressive heights (five NCAA Tournament appearances and two conference championships) during his first seven years on the job.
Weber seems to realize the situation. He did not get defensive when asked about his uncertain job status following his team’s latest defeat. K-State has lost its past five games.
“I don’t know,” Weber said. “I have no idea. I’m just worried about West Virginia. That’s all I can worry about. Obviously, we thought we had higher hopes this year. We’ve improved and we’ve gotten better, but this finish has not been what we had hoped for. We had some pretty good momentum going and it didn’t happen.”
Weber has one year remaining on his contract, which pays him a salary of $2.8 million. His buyout is currently $1 million, but it will drop to $500,000 on April 30.
His time at K-State can best be described as up and down. Weber has guided the Wildcats to an overall record of 184-146, which makes him the third most successful coach in program history in terms of total wins. He also ranks third among K-State coaches in league championships. And who could forget the time he took K-State to the Elite Eight in 2018?
But the Wildcats have also stumbled through four losing seasons under Weber, including this one. The past three years have been particularly ugly with K-State winning a grand total of 34 games.
K-State athletics director Gene Taylor brought Weber back this season with everyone agreeing that a return to the NCAA Tournament, or something awfully close to it, would be needed to justify a contract extension.
That hasn’t happened.
For that reason, this was most likely his final home game as the K-State coach.
The Wildcats can still achieve some of their preseason goals by winning the Big 12 Tournament next week at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. But that is unlikely. No team has ever won four games in four days to hoist a trophy at the event. K-State will play its first game against West Virginia on Wednesday.
Only an unlikely string of victories could change Weber’s fortunes at this juncture.
One thing is for sure: Weber would love nothing more than for that to happen.
“I love coaching,” Weber said. “I love K-State, and I love our guys. All we can worry about is what we can take care of and that’s helping them get ready for West Virginia.”
This story was originally published March 5, 2022 at 6:43 PM with the headline "‘I have no idea’: K-State Wildcats coach Bruce Weber comments on his uncertain job status."