Kansas State basketball strives for consistency in exhibition game against Emporia State
MANHATTAN — The countdown to Kansas State's basketball season is officially on.
With the regular-season opener just days away, the Wildcats will play their lone exhibition game at 7 p.m. Wednesday against Emporia State at Bramlage Coliseum.
Here are three things that were on second-year coach Jerome Tang's mind Tuesday leading up to the game, which will serve as the final tune-up for Monday's 9 p.m. (central) official opener against Southern California in Las Vegas.
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Good basketball is like good chicken
Tang isn't looking for an endorsement deal when he encourages his players to take a lesson from a national restaurant chain.
It has more to do with the one quality he is looking for from the Wildcats, starting with the exhibition against Emporia State, a member of the NCAA Division II Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
"We're trying to develop consistency," Tang said.
Thus, the restaurant reference.
"I go to Chick-fil-A. Why do we go? It's because we know what we're going to get," Tang said. "We know what it's going to taste like, we know what kind of service we're going to get, that the lemonade is going to be the same. People pay for that.
"I tell (the players) all the time, I'd rather have a guy who I know exactly what I'm going to get from him every day than one day I get 25 points and 15 rebounds and then the next day I get two points and five fouls, because you don't know what to expect. So, we're looking for individuals on the teams to get consistent effort and consistent production so that we can learn to depend and count on them.
Related: Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang has 'no timetable' for Nae'Qwan Tomlin's return
The effect of Nae'Qwan Tomlin's absence
Nae'Qwan Tomlin was suspended indefinitely Monday following his weekend arrest for fighting at a Manhattan bar.
The fact that the 6-foot-10 senior forward started all 36 games last season for a K-State team that went 26-10 and reached the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight, leaves a lineup void. Tomlin was the top returning player from that team after averaging 10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds.
"There's definitely some change," Tang said. "Guys probably have to play some positions that they wouldn't (otherwise) have to play as much.
"It takes away some of our versatility, but it opens some opportunities for somebody else to step up."
The Wildcats also return 6-9 senior David N'Guessan, who started 18 games last year, and brought in 6-7 Creighton transfer Arthur Kaluma, both of whom are likely to start in the frontcourt. Others who could help fill Tomlin's spot are 6-10 redshirt sophomore Jerrell Colbert, 6-7 redshirt freshman Taj Manning, 6-7 true freshman Macaleab Rich and 6-11 Mississippi State transfer Will McNair.
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Glad to be back in Bramlage Coliseum
Tang's stated goal is to fill Bramlage Coliseum for every regular-season game, and while selling out a mid-week exhibition against a Division II opponent might be a tall order, it's the first opportunity for the coach and the fans — especially the student section — to rekindle their affection for one another.
"Man, I'm fired up," Tang said. "I heard that the student tickets have sold out. Those are my people, the students.
"We have the best students in the country, and so I'm thankful for them. And I'm so thankful for everything they do, not just showing up at the Bram, but how they impact our community, and they raise money for so many different philanthropies. And I'm happy that they allow me to be a small part of that."
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State basketball to face Emporia State in exhibition game
