Do KC Roos, picked No. 1 in Summit League, feel pressure? ‘I’m just too old for that’
As the Kansas City Roos return their starting five from last season, they’re faced with a new challenge — an expectation that hasn’t been seen before in program history.
A preseason Summit No. 1 ranking.
But for the Roos and head coach Marvin Menzies, now in his third year, that No. 1 is just that: a number.
“It’s interesting, the word pressure,” Menzies said Monday. “I don’t feel any pressure at all, I’m just too old for that. As they say, you’ve gotta have thick skin in this business, and I’ve got like a tortoise shell. It’s very hard to rattle me at this stage of the game.”
Menzies led the Roos to a 16-16 (10-6 Summit) finish last season, securing the No. 2 seed in the Summit League tournament. It was the program’s highest conference tournament seed since the 2014-15 season in the Western Athletic Conference.
Though KC fell to No. 7-seeded Denver in its tournament opener, the Roos are expected to surpass last season’s result.
“Getting picked number one, we can deal with it in different ways,” Menzies said. “I think we have to approach it as: It’s just a pick, right? We have to approach it as we have to earn that respect now.
“It’s good to have hope; we’re giving the city that, the guys that. And it’s good to be in this position.”
While it may be new for the Roos, expectations to this caliber aren’t new for Menzies.
Menzies has made several stops along the way of his coaching career, including as head coach at New Mexico State from 2007-2016. Menzies led the Aggies to five NCAA Tournament berths, winning the WAC Tournament five times.
Drawing on that experience, Menzies can identify what puts the Roos in a position to live up to the preseason hype.
“We have the talent, right? And the continuity,” Menzies said. “But it’s going to come back to details. … Those details are the difference in maintaining.”
He continued.
“We have no idea what some of these other teams have added,” Menzies added. “So a lot of the preseason accolades, you have to stay humble with it and understand that until you lace them up and go beat people, you’re just one of the conference teams. So that’s always going to be in front of us, and we’ve got a goal to reach — try to reach daily, not just game day.”
Menzies and the Roos also welcome in nine newcomers to complement the returning starting five.
“I’m very optimistic about what we added,” Menzies said. “The returners have been very good. There’s no riff between them. It’s an intersection of camaraderie and an intersection of accountability with the guys, which is nice to see. So I think, again, we picked another good group of guys to do something impactful for the city.”
Among the returners is senior Jamar Brown, who was named to the Summit’s preseason first team for 2024-25. Brown was named first-team All-Summit League last season as the Roos’ leading scorer. He was also named the conference’s newcomer of the year.
Starting all 32 games last season, Brown averaged 15 points on 45.4% shooting (33.3% from 3) after transferring in from Phoenix College. Now, he has cemented his role as a leader.
“I would say it had a lot to do with being more of a vocal leader,” Brown said of his mindset going into the season. “Coach Menzies emphasizes that if I’m not saying anything, I’m being selfish, and I took that to heart. I carry that, and instead of just leading by example like I’ve done in the past, I’ve gotten on my teammates, make sure we do the little details as precise and up to par as possible.”
Menzies, Brown continued, has said the senior needs to “amp it up a little bit more this year and just stay connected with the guys and make sure that the guys aren’t falling apart.”
Senior Cameron Faas was another newcomer last season who joins Brown in a leadership role. Faas, a transfer from Scottsdale CC, led the team behind the arc last season, shooting 38.3%.
“Just staying even keeled every day in practice,” Faas said. “Setting the tone, being an example and staying vocal. Just making sure, as coach always says, we don’t get too high with the highs or too low with the lows.”
Melvyn Ebonkoli joins Brown and Faas as returning seniors, along with graduate students Anderson Kopp and Summit League all-defense honoree Babacar Diallo.
That group feels a sense of urgency to make the most of the road ahead.
“Next year, the team will be different,” Faas said. “There’s an opportunity ahead of us now and we don’t want to let that slip at all. It’s really, just, take advantage of the opportunity that was given to us. Not as much of: Let’s do this now, because ... (we’re) worried about something else.
“We have a great opportunity in front of us. Let’s just tackle it and make the most of it.”
The Roos will begin their season on Nov. 4, hosting Hannibal-LaGrange at Swinney Center.
