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All-American
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K-State’s top recruit puts on a show
Beasley says Sunday’s game was the start of a four-year run.
By HOWARD RICHMAN
The Kansas City Star
MANHATTAN, Kan. | It really came as no surprise that when Kansas State basketball recruit Michael Beasley plucked a ball off the rack in pregame Sunday and took his first shot that those inside Bramlage Coliseum went bonkers.
Part of that had to do with Beasley swishing a 45-footer.
There was more of that to come — and it could be just the beginning of a relationship that might last longer than anybody ever would have imagined.
Beasley, a 6-foot-9, 230-pound power forward for Notre Dame Prep of Fitchburg, Mass., who is the top-rated recruit in the country according to Rivals.com, said he has intentions of playing four seasons at K-State.
That’s right. All four years.
“Definitely. Definitely,” Beasley said about being a four-year Wildcat. “I’m coming to Kansas State planning to stay for four years. I want to be a student- athlete, not an athletic student. I want to get my education. Whatever happens on the basketball side of things happens.”
It has been widely assumed that Beasley would stay one season and probably be an NBA draft lottery pick. That’s still a possibility. But after Beasley scored 30 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, leading Notre Dame Prep past IMG Academy of Bradenton, Fla. 107-80 in the All-American Shootout in front of 3,196, he wasn’t talking about being one-and-done at K-State.
Told what Beasley said, K-State coach Bob Huggins worked up a grin.
“That’d be wonderful, wouldn’t it?” Huggins said.
Huggins, though, wouldn’t stand in Beasley’s way when the time is right to move on with his career whether it be after his freshman season or later.
“We’ll find out where he’s going to go (in the draft), and make an intelligent business decision,” Huggins said.
Notre Dame Prep coach Bill Barton thinks Beasley, who made 14 of 26 shots Sunday, is sincere about going the distance at K-State.
“He’s not naive. If the money’s there, the money’s going to be there in four years,” Barton said. “A college education is important to him. I think he’s doing the right thing by saying he’s coming to school to be a student-athlete and not putting a timetable on it.”
Beasley, who scored 22 in the first half and showcased his left-handed three-point shot (overall he made two of five) and the ability to take the ball to the hole and lead the break, just learned he had been awarded one of the highest honors at his level.
McDonald’s All-American.
That puts him in rare company at K-State. Only Tom Freeman in 1977 and Deryl Cunningham, who transferred to the Wildcats from DePaul and was honorable mention All-Big Eight in 1993-94, were McDonald’s All-Americans that played for the Wildcats.
K-State freshman Bill Walker liked what he saw Sunday of Beasley, who had a scary moment when he plowed into a sideline photographer in the second half, came up limping, but shook it off and returned.
“He’s a team player,” Walker said. “He doesn’t try to shoot every shot. He lets his teammates play, too.”
Beasley probably won’t get homesick when he arrives at K-State for his freshman season. His mother, Fatima Smith, said she plans to move to Manhattan from Washington, D.C., where she works as a medical office manager. Also coming will be Beasley’s stepfather Calvin Couch, sisters Mychaela and Tiffany and brother Malik.
Smith provided insight to Beasley the person.
“He eats Pop Tarts, falls asleep on the phone and doesn’t make his bed,” she said. “I call him ‘Little Mike.’ ”
Beasley’s presence at K-State, though, has all the making of something really big. And if the expectations for him as a star never materialize, Beasley plans to be ready for it. He’s thinking about studying business management.
“If I’m not a great basketball player everybody has hyped me up to be, I’ve got to make my money somewhere,” Beasley said.
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The McDonald’s all-american game roster March 28 in Louisville, Ky.
East team College High School
Nick Calathes Florida Winter Park (Fla.) Lake Howell
Jonny Flynn Syracuse Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Austin Freeman Georgetown Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha
Donté Greene Syracuse Baltimore Towson Catholic
J.J. Hickson N.C. State Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler
Kosta Koufos Ohio State Canton Glen Oak
Gani Lawal Georgia Tech Norcross, Ga.
O.J. Mayo Southern Cal Huntington, W.Va.
Patrick Patterson Undecided Huntington, W.Va.
Nolan Smith Duke Oak Hill (Va.) Academy
Corey Stokes Villanova Newark St. Benedict’s Prep
Chris Wright Georgetown Wash. D.C. St. John’s College
West team College High School
Cole Aldrich Kansas Bloomington (Minn.) Jefferson
James Anderson Oklahoma St. Junction City, Ark.
Jerryd Bayless Arizona Phoenix St. Mary’s
Michael Beasley Kansas State Fitchburg (Mass.) Notre Dame
Eric Gordon Indiana Indianapolis North Central
Blake Griffin Oklahoma Edmond (Okla.) Christian
James Harden Arizona St. Rancho Dominguez (Calif.) Artesia
Taylor King Duke Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei
Kevin Love UCLA Lake Oswego, Ore.
Jai Lucas Undecided Houston Bellaire
Derrick Rose Memphis Chicago Simeon
Kyle Singler Duke South Medford, Ore.
K-State’s top recruit puts on a show
Beasley says Sunday’s game was the start of a four-year run.
By HOWARD RICHMAN
The Kansas City Star
MANHATTAN, Kan. | It really came as no surprise that when Kansas State basketball recruit Michael Beasley plucked a ball off the rack in pregame Sunday and took his first shot that those inside Bramlage Coliseum went bonkers.
Part of that had to do with Beasley swishing a 45-footer.
There was more of that to come — and it could be just the beginning of a relationship that might last longer than anybody ever would have imagined.
Beasley, a 6-foot-9, 230-pound power forward for Notre Dame Prep of Fitchburg, Mass., who is the top-rated recruit in the country according to Rivals.com, said he has intentions of playing four seasons at K-State.
That’s right. All four years.
“Definitely. Definitely,” Beasley said about being a four-year Wildcat. “I’m coming to Kansas State planning to stay for four years. I want to be a student- athlete, not an athletic student. I want to get my education. Whatever happens on the basketball side of things happens.”
It has been widely assumed that Beasley would stay one season and probably be an NBA draft lottery pick. That’s still a possibility. But after Beasley scored 30 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, leading Notre Dame Prep past IMG Academy of Bradenton, Fla. 107-80 in the All-American Shootout in front of 3,196, he wasn’t talking about being one-and-done at K-State.
Told what Beasley said, K-State coach Bob Huggins worked up a grin.
“That’d be wonderful, wouldn’t it?” Huggins said.
Huggins, though, wouldn’t stand in Beasley’s way when the time is right to move on with his career whether it be after his freshman season or later.
“We’ll find out where he’s going to go (in the draft), and make an intelligent business decision,” Huggins said.
Notre Dame Prep coach Bill Barton thinks Beasley, who made 14 of 26 shots Sunday, is sincere about going the distance at K-State.
“He’s not naive. If the money’s there, the money’s going to be there in four years,” Barton said. “A college education is important to him. I think he’s doing the right thing by saying he’s coming to school to be a student-athlete and not putting a timetable on it.”
Beasley, who scored 22 in the first half and showcased his left-handed three-point shot (overall he made two of five) and the ability to take the ball to the hole and lead the break, just learned he had been awarded one of the highest honors at his level.
McDonald’s All-American.
That puts him in rare company at K-State. Only Tom Freeman in 1977 and Deryl Cunningham, who transferred to the Wildcats from DePaul and was honorable mention All-Big Eight in 1993-94, were McDonald’s All-Americans that played for the Wildcats.
K-State freshman Bill Walker liked what he saw Sunday of Beasley, who had a scary moment when he plowed into a sideline photographer in the second half, came up limping, but shook it off and returned.
“He’s a team player,” Walker said. “He doesn’t try to shoot every shot. He lets his teammates play, too.”
Beasley probably won’t get homesick when he arrives at K-State for his freshman season. His mother, Fatima Smith, said she plans to move to Manhattan from Washington, D.C., where she works as a medical office manager. Also coming will be Beasley’s stepfather Calvin Couch, sisters Mychaela and Tiffany and brother Malik.
Smith provided insight to Beasley the person.
“He eats Pop Tarts, falls asleep on the phone and doesn’t make his bed,” she said. “I call him ‘Little Mike.’ ”
Beasley’s presence at K-State, though, has all the making of something really big. And if the expectations for him as a star never materialize, Beasley plans to be ready for it. He’s thinking about studying business management.
“If I’m not a great basketball player everybody has hyped me up to be, I’ve got to make my money somewhere,” Beasley said.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The McDonald’s all-american game roster March 28 in Louisville, Ky.
East team College High School
Nick Calathes Florida Winter Park (Fla.) Lake Howell
Jonny Flynn Syracuse Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Austin Freeman Georgetown Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha
Donté Greene Syracuse Baltimore Towson Catholic
J.J. Hickson N.C. State Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler
Kosta Koufos Ohio State Canton Glen Oak
Gani Lawal Georgia Tech Norcross, Ga.
O.J. Mayo Southern Cal Huntington, W.Va.
Patrick Patterson Undecided Huntington, W.Va.
Nolan Smith Duke Oak Hill (Va.) Academy
Corey Stokes Villanova Newark St. Benedict’s Prep
Chris Wright Georgetown Wash. D.C. St. John’s College
West team College High School
Cole Aldrich Kansas Bloomington (Minn.) Jefferson
James Anderson Oklahoma St. Junction City, Ark.
Jerryd Bayless Arizona Phoenix St. Mary’s
Michael Beasley Kansas State Fitchburg (Mass.) Notre Dame
Eric Gordon Indiana Indianapolis North Central
Blake Griffin Oklahoma Edmond (Okla.) Christian
James Harden Arizona St. Rancho Dominguez (Calif.) Artesia
Taylor King Duke Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei
Kevin Love UCLA Lake Oswego, Ore.
Jai Lucas Undecided Houston Bellaire
Derrick Rose Memphis Chicago Simeon
Kyle Singler Duke South Medford, Ore.