Michael Beasley wowed by Wildcats point guard Dug McDaniel in return to Kansas State
Michael Beasley returned to Bramlage Coliseum and watched his first game as a Kansas State basketball fan on Saturday.
It’s safe to say the former K-State star enjoyed the experience.
The Wildcats treated him like royalty as he sat in the front row alongside Barry Brown. They also put on a show for him as they whooped rival Kansas 81-73 in a game that felt more lopsided than the final score.
K-State led by as many 15 and its players delivered several highlight moments.
Dug McDaniel was at the center of many of those jaw-dropping plays, and Beasley noticed. He couldn’t contain himself as he watched the K-State point guard drive to the basket and bank home an unlikely layup in the second half as a pair of KU defenders tried to stop him.
Beasley was so impressed by that play, and others, that he routinely rose from his seat and showed McDaniel love by nodding his head and shouting words of encouragement.
At one point, he was so fired up that he moved within inches of the playing surface and a security guard had to ask him to take a seat.
“His creativeness with the ball is amazing,” Beasley said afterward. “He made one pass where he made the whole building think he was passing straight and instead he bounced it between two people and (Max Jones) hit a three from the corner. He is an electric player.”
Many were impressed with McDaniel after the way he played in this game. The Michigan transfer flirted with a triple-double on his way to 15 points, 11 assists and six rebounds.
We are beginning to see why K-State basketball coach Jerome Tang prioritized him in the transfer portal last spring and signed him before any other newcomer.
“He’s doing a great job of knowing when to get rid of the ball and when to go make a play for himself,” K-State forward Coleman Hawkins said. “It’s great to see that. He has been consistent and steady, just not letting anyone’s pressure bother him. It’s great to see that from your point guard.”
Beasley had not returned to Manhattan for a game since his lone season as a player came to an end in 2008. He was an All-American for the Wildcats and then the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft.
So old friends and fans were lining up to take pictures with him at the arena. He said he felt loved by that interaction.
“Everyone is treating me like I’m a cool guy,” Beasley said. “I didn’t realize I would get this much respect as a former player.”
Still, he made sure to find McDaniel when the game was over. As K-State players exited the court, Beasley wrapped his arm around McDaniel and shared words of encouragement with him.
“I just told him I really liked the way he played,” Beasley said, “and to keep it up.”
Beasley and McDaniel both grew up in Washington D.C. They respect each other as players. So much so that McDaniel said he was fired up to play in front of a famous alum.
“He kind of understands my energy,” McDaniel said. “I play with so much fire, because where we are from we wear our heart on our sleeves. He understands that. Just having an alum there that did some great things here and having him emotionally invested into the game definitely boosted us a lot.”
Of course, it’s not this was a breakthrough game for McDaniel. He has been playing at a high level throughout the entirety of K-State’s winning streak, which now stands at five.
He has been a walking bucket during that stretch with scoring outputs of 15, 10, 20, 7 and now 15. But he has been more than a shooter. He has also sent out 37 assists and grabbed 19 rebounds over the past five games.
K-State fans feared that McDaniel was a bust when he couldn’t crack the starting lineup early on this season and didn’t even see playing time during a game against Mississippi Valley State. There were times it seemed like he was feuding with his head coach.
But he has emerged in a good place.
“Dug could always do this,” Tang said. “But there are other things that the point guard has to do as the leader of the team. He’s the guy with the ball in his hands, he’s the point of attack on offense and defense.
“You have to do all that, and that is what he has bought into. Because he’s done that, now the things that he is special at are getting to shine.”
McDaniel’s uptick in play is a big reason why the Wildcats are one of the hottest teams in college basketball.
McDaniel made that abundantly clear to Beasley as he watched from the front row.
This story was originally published February 8, 2025 at 5:45 PM with the headline "Michael Beasley wowed by Wildcats point guard Dug McDaniel in return to Kansas State."