Bleacher Report - Articles by Hayes Charles

Kansas State Football '08: Return of the "Lynch Mob" or Descent Into Mediocrity?

Hayes Charles — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:49:47 -0400

I never was a Ron Prince fan.

I wasn't a hater either, but to say I was cautiously optimistic about his hiring at Kansas State would be an overstatement.

Ron Prince inherited a no-win situation from the legendary Bill Snyder and did exactly that—he didn't win. Sure, he scraped by with seven wins his first season on the coattails of Snyder's recruiting classes, but 2007 was a dismal failure.

With a record of 5-7, which included a humiliating home loss to rival Kansas, the worst loss in over a decade-and-a-half (a 73-31 beating at Nebraska), and a back-breaking loss to end the year at Fresno State, Ron Prince effectively made himself the most hated man in Manhattan.

In his defense, he hasn't had all that much time to build a program of his own—but on that same note, he hasn't done anything to prove he's even starting. The upcoming class is loaded with JuCo transfer talent, which many see as a last-ditch attempt to save the season.

He has failed all three recruiting seasons to pull together a respectable class, much less put one on the field. There have been some bright spots—Josh Freeman, for example—but for the most part, Ron Prince has been a dud.

Facing a 2008 schedule that would've kept Bill Snyder up at night, I can't imagine how Ron is coping with the impending disaster that is Kansas State's season. Perhaps he's taken a page out of Bob Huggins' book and is drowning the fear of his fast-approaching unemployment with voluminous amounts of alcohol.

Nevertheless, with road games at Louisville, Texas A&M, Kansas, and defending Big 12 North Champions Missouri, Prince's Wildcats will have to rely on their home games to pull them through. However, home contests with Nebraska and Oklahoma don't look promising.

A huge question mark sits squarely over the 2008 recruiting class and offseason shuffling of coaching responsibilities. It'll be up to these incoming players and new coaches to save Prince's behind—and Kansas State's season.

This brings us to the major question for 2008: Can Prince's last-ditch recruiting effort save his season and his job? Let's look at some of the incoming talent and see.

Grant Valentine: four-star defensive end JuCo transfer from Glendale, CA.

THANK GOD! Prince is finally taking a stab at the root of the problem: the defense. Kansas State has been famous for defense ever since Snyder made it his forte.

Switching back to the 4-3 from the 3-4/5 is a smart move. Putting Ian Campbell back on the line where he belongs, and where he is perhaps better than anyone in the country, seems like a no-brainer.

With the addition of Valentine and Daniel Calvin, K-State's defense should see some immediate improvement. How much this adjustment will help is up for debate, but it certainly can't hurt.

Attrail Snipes and Aubrey Quarles: four-star wide receiver JuCo transfers.

Good move, Ron. The loss of Jordy Nelson left K-State's receiver corps a little barren. Hopefully these two transfers will give Josh Freeman a target that he can't miss.

Josh has proven to be a great pocket passer, but he simply hasn't had time to make the good downfield throw, so he has been rushing the shorter, more dangerous balls.

Also, would it kill anyone to let Josh RUN THE BALL?!?

That brings us to the last and perhaps biggest problem, the offensive line—which, surprisingly enough, is the least attended-to deficiency.

Wade Weibert: four-star offensive tackle JuCo transfer from Butler County, KS.

The key to Kansas State's season is in the offensive line. 2007's line looked like scared little boys lining up across from proven defenses like Nebraska and Kansas. Hopefully Wade can calm down the likes of Alesana Alesana and combine him with the other transfer Edward Prince to give Freeman the time he needs.

Regardless of how the new talent fits into the system, or how well the new coaching arrangement works out, I look for the 2008 season to be the last Ron Prince spends in Manhattan. He has made no noteworthy additions in the backfield, and his starting running back is now suspended due to a second DUI.

2009 Result: 5-7 (and that's being nice)

My only hope is that the new AD, Bob Krause, brings in someone who can actually recruit and will lead Kansas State back to the dominance we have become accustomed to. Bob was instrumental in the turnaround of the basketball program, so look for him to do the same for football.

Hold your breath Wildcat fans, 2008 is going to be a stinker! But you can bet I'll be there ravenously cheering them on, because as you know, Every Man A Wildcat!

Kansas State Football: Critiquing the 2008 Wildcats

Hayes Charles — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 22:46:23 -0400

Basketball season has officially ended for Kansas State University. Of course I’m going to watch every minute of the remaining three games—mostly because I have this fantasy where KU goes down in a ball of flames, but my heart has moved on to my first and one true love: Kansas State football.

Let me first say that the last four seasons have not been what Wildcat fans are used to. Instead, the first two were a study in watching the greatest coach in college football history lose in embarrassing fashion to his progeny. (Currently, six Division-1 head coaches owe their jobs to Bill Snyder—Phil Bennett-Southern Methodist University, Bret Bielema-University of Wisconsin, Jim Leavitt-University of South Florida, Mark Mangino-University of Kansas, Bob Stoops-University of Oklahoma, and Mike Stoops-University of Arizona. Bill Snyder was 1-3 against Mangino and Stoops in his last two seasons).

The last two were a combination of excitement over Ron Prince’s hiring and the sad realization that he wasn’t another Bill Snyder. Granted, Bill Snyder didn’t have a winning season until his third year, but he inherited the worst program in the nation—not the case for Ron Prince.

In three years Ron Prince has gone from a winning season to two back-to-back losing seasons—something Wildcat fans aren’t used to (Kansas State had 8-straight and 10 out of 11 winning seasons from ’93-’03).

I’m now going to outline why I think that this is Ron Prince’s last year at Kansas State and why I think the Wildcats won’t fare well in ’08.

Reason No. 1—Kansas State just named Bob Krause the new Athletic Director. After this year, Ron Prince will have had three years to prove he can coach, if he can’t do that, Bob has an easy time bringing in someone he wants—after all, if Oklahoma State can fire Sean Sutton after two years after he gave them twenty plus, Ron Prince is easy to kick out of Manhattan after three.

Reason No. 2—Ron Prince is bringing in five, four-star recruits—all of whom are JuCo transfers (he’s never recruited a five-star player). Those five recruits are equal to the total number of four-star recruits from his first two seasons combined.

I’m not a coach (sometimes I wonder why), but I find it hard to believe that you can build a winning D-1 program with purely JuCo recruits. Leon Patton and Josh Freeman remain the only four-star players Prince has ever recruited that aren’t from a JuCo; while Leon will be a solid running back if Prince can throw a decent offensive line in front of him and everyone keeps telling me Josh is a good quarterback, I still don’t see an offensive line worth writing home about and I would give my left leg to see Carson Coffman get more than five minutes of playing time because I’m positive he would show up Josh.

My point being that Ron Prince has failed to reel in a recruiting class worth noting—not a good way to endear yourself to a new AD or, more importantly, the legions of Wildcats fans that live and die with their team every year. I don’t think that after this year’s schedule, Ron has a chance at another recruiting class.

That brings me to Reason No, 3—Kansas State’s 2008 schedule. After dropping Fresno State in lieu of Montana State, the Wildcats’ pre-conference schedule is weak at best (sans Louisville). In contrast to their pre-conference schedule, Kansas State’s tour of the Big 12 is a brutal gauntlet of games that any team in the conference would have a tough time with.

Road games at Texas A&M, Colorado, Kansas, and conference champions Missouri do not bode well for an undermanned Wildcat squad. In my idealistic world K-State will start 3-1 with their first loss coming at Louisville. After that it’s eight straight conference games that, in my opinion, the ‘Cats will be lucky to win two of.

I see K-State winning two games out of their three contests with Colorado, Kansas, and Iowa State. Either way, I have a real hard time seeing my beloved Wildcats escaping the 2008 season with more than five wins (and that comes from a perennial optimist—I predicted seven wins in 2007 and we ended up with what, five?!).

If the atmosphere and fans in Manhattan are ever to factor into the Wildcats' success, this is the year. K-State will be more reliant than ever on their fans to help them get over the hill in close home games. The 'Cats should be able to steal one road game and if they can win three out of four at home, they will fare better than even I predict they will.

You can bet your life that I’ll be at every home game and at least one road game to cheer on my ‘Cats. I honestly think we can beat our hated rivals to the east—the Jayhawks—but this year will, sadly, not be a diversion from the last four. Yet rest assured Wildcat fans, come 2009 we should, in my opinion, either have a new head coach to guide us back to the glory and dominance we are accustomed to, or have faired well enough in '08 to warrant giving Ron Prince one more go at a winning season.

Since I’m sure I’ve exceeded the attention span of just about everyone reading this article, I’ll save my in-depth critique of Kansas State’s offense and defense for another day. I’ll leave you with my prediction for the Kansas State University Wildcats football team of 2008: an optimistic 6-6 with wins over North Texas, Montana State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Colorado, Kansas, and Iowa State.

Only time will tell, but I'm afraid the Wildcat Nation will have to wait a bit longer for the Wildcats' return to dominance. 2008 will decide the fate of KSU football for at least half a decade to come, let's all hope for the best. But remember, no matter the outcome, every man a Wildcat!

Kansas State Wildcats: Postseason Ready?

Hayes Charles — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:33:28 -0400

After starting 7-1 in the Big 12 with huge wins over then-#9 Texas A&M and then-#2 Kansas, the Wildcats dropped four in a row and five of six in a stretch that dropped them from #1 in the conference to #3 and only one game ahead of #4's Oklahoma and Baylor, not to mention completely out of the Top-25. What was shaping up to be the year when Kansas State returned triumphantly to the Big Dance has now turned into a replay of last year's speculation on whether or not a 10-6 Big 12 team deserves to go.

Granted, this year's 10-6 team is third in a conference that will send at least four teams, and they do have the #1 player in the country, but ask any Wildcat fan about whether or not they thought their team was going dancing last year, and you'll get the same uneasy feelings about this squad.

Winning the last two games of their conference schedule - albeit ugly wins over the two worst teams in the Big 12 - went a long way in helping the Wildcats' résumé. Holding on to third place in one of the best basketball conferences in the nation is no small feat, and although a 10-6 finish may be below the lofty expectations some had for one of the most talented teams in K-State history, it will most likely be enough to get this team into the postseason.

However, there is one more piece of business facing Frank Martin and his Wildcats: the Big 12 Tournament. By securing a first-round bye, the Wildcats will face the winner of Iowa State/Texas A&M. Having already beaten Iowa State twice and A&M once, the Wildcats should face, most likely, Kansas in the third round. If KSU's road performances thus far are any indication of their tournament play, however, the third round of the Big 12 Tournament might be just a dream.

At 3-5 in conference games on the road, it is painfully obvious to Frank Martin and his star-studded squad that having the #1 player in the nation doesn't mean you can't play as a team. Failure to do just that has plagued the Wildcats when away from the friendly home environment that is Bramlage Coliseum. So, assuming the 'Cats get a bid to play in the NCAA Tournament, regardless of how they perform in the Big 12 Tournaent, how will they fare?

Personally, I think the Wildcats will enter the dance as an 8 seed, which means if they win their first game they will probably meet the 1 seed in the second round (most likely Memphis). Barring any melt-down disasters, I agree with Joe Lunardi who has a Wildcat showdown between Kansas State and Kentucky. K-State fans and players alike should be
praying that they don't have to face Kentucky, arguably one of the hottest teams in the country, which has won 6 of the last 7.

In order to allow me to make a prediction, lets assume that the Wildcats get the 8 seed. Regardless of who they play, Kentucky or not, I think Frank Martin will have his team ready to play. Michael Beasley, Bill Walker, and the rest of the team are anxious to prove they deserve all the hype they've been receiving, and I have a hard time seeing them lose their first round game.

The second round is a different story. Facing the #1 team in their division will be no small task. If it is the Tigers, be ready for one heck of a game. Both teams are looking to prove themselves in the postseason, and both have players trying to make an impression on NBA teams, not to mention trying to win a championship. The question is, can K-State's raw talent be pulled together to beat a team like Memphis that can run and gun? Is Michael Beasley dominant enough to slow down Joey Dorsey and his team? I think so, and pick the Wildcats to win their second round game as well, Memphis or not.

Beyond this point, it's too difficult to predict who the 'Cats might face, but if they do manage to make it to the third round, don't be suprised if they get to the Elite 8. My heart says that this team should make a run and is capable of playing with any team in the country. My head, on the other hand, tells my heart it's stupid. Realistically speaking, and on my bracket that I actually turn in, I'm picking Michael Beasley to end his college career by losing in the second round to the 1 seed. Personally, I'm not convinced that Beasley is NBA bound just yet, but once again, my head thinks I'm stupid.

Why Jason Whitlock Is Wrong about Kansas State Basketball

Hayes Charles — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:31:50 -0500

I've never been a Jason Whitlock fan. He has some good analyses, but his
opinion and mine never seem to line up.

Then again, I guess that's what the Kansas City Star
pays him for—his opinion.

The differences between Mr. Whitlock and myself were blatently obvious in his Tuesday column, "K-State Basketball Wallowing in Negativity."

I'm going point out some of the things I agree with Jason on, and why I think he's wrong on other points.

Why I agree with Jason Whitlock

1. He calls Frank Martin an "inexperienced coach who boils from start to finish."

Of course he's inexperienced—it's his first head coaching job. Stunning insight there Jason, but correct nonetheless.

And yes, he is rather animated at times on the sideline. It looks like he never has anything positive to say in the huddle, never pats players on the back, and just yells as his eyes burn through his players.

That's alright sometimes, but for a bunch of basketball players that are barely out of their teens, some positive reinforcement couldn't hurt.

2. He says, "You can't consistently win games while throwing a pity party."

I couldn't agree more, Jason. Bill Walker needs to quit pouting, hustle back on defense for once, and just play basketball.

He gets away with so many cheap fouls during games that it's ridiculous. You're not in the NBA yet, Bill. Go down and play some defense!

Why I disagree with Jason Whitlock

1. He says, "Kansas State’s nucleus, a group made up mostly of freshmen, needs to be filled with positive energy from Martin and fans. All the game-day, over-the-top negative energy/vulgarity directed at the refs, the opposition and (when it comes to Martin) K-State players not named Beasley and Walker is undermining the Wildcats’ growth."

Alright Jason, this is where I start to switch gears.

Yes, the entire team needs to feel the crowd and their coach behind them. I don't think that there is doubt that their fans love them. As for Frank, who can say? We certainly cannot, Mr. Whitlock.

Also, all I ever hear about is Beasley and Walker. When Jacob Pullen had a career game against Kansas, the media couldn't have cared less. But I guess that's all paranoia and complaints that they've been disrespected by the media, right?

K-State's "vulgar" fans make Bramlage one of the toughest places to play in the country; ask Bill Self or Brandon Rush—they'll tell you.

2. He thinks that "The Wildcats are being swallowed by the enmity, paranoia and feeling of victimization that permeates the K-State fan base and fuels first-year head coach Frank Martin’s coaching style."

Jason, take it easy big fella. Frank Martin is intense, but I saw Doc Sadler and Bill Self yell at their teams and referees more than Frank Martin.

Instead of taking shots at a team that you yourself said needs "positive energy" directed towards them, read your column from the perspective of a real basketball fan who is dressed in purple and white.

Frank Martin Finally Appears to be Getting His Young Wildcats on Track.

Hayes Charles — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 07:38:48 -0500

After nearly a decade of mediocrity under the likes of Tom Asbury and the slightly more adept Jim Wooldridge, Bob Huggins put Kansas State basketball back on the map by landing the number one recruiting class in the nation.

While Kansas State's success was largely due to the work of Huggins' assistants, Dalonte Hill and future head coach Frank Martin, Huggins’ name helped land the likes of Michael Beasley, Bill Walker, and Dominique Sutton.

When Huggins jumped ship to take the head coaching job at his alma mater, Frank Martin received the opportunity to prove himself as a first-time head coach. Wildcat fans were thrilled to hear that the recruiting class they had been waiting for would remain intact, but there were major questions about the coaching ability of Frank Martin.

Throughout the first few games of the season, during which the Wildcats struggled against teams like Pittsburg State and Western Illinois, it appeared that Frank Martin was having difficulty reigning in his amazingly talented squad.

Over the course of a month, the ‘Cats dropped a heartbreaker to Oregon, lost to Notre Dame in the Jimmy V. Classic and were run out of town by Xavier. Wildcat fans were beginning to think that Frank Martin simply could not get his team to play as just that, a team.

However, after routing University of Cincinnati, Kansas State turned around and set two NCAA records in an 85-25 shellacking of Savannah State one week later. The Tigers’ 4.35 field goal percentage was the lowest since the introduction of the shot clock in 1986.

In addition, the four points allowed by the Wildcats in the second half was an NCAA record, and the Tigers’ lone field goal tied the record for fewest in a half of basketball. One point is all that separated Frank Martin’s boys from the record for largest margin of victory.

After starting 3-0 for the first time ever in Big 12 play with impressive wins on the road at Oklahoma and Colorado, then at home against then-ninth ranked Texas A&M, it appears that Frank Martin has found a formula that works for his young team and young coaching career.

With back-to-back home games against Iowa State and rival Kansas, the Wildcats have the opportunity to head into the Sunflower Showdown with an impressive 4-0 conference record. With the addition of guard Dominique Sutton, the ‘Cats have more talent depth than they have had since the days of Jack Hartman or Lon Kruger.

The expectations in Manhattan are high for both Frank Martin and his boys, all of whom appear to be thriving on the energy that has once again begun to flow around this storied program.

If this young Wildcat team can continue to defend its home court as well as it has so far this season - going 8-1 so far - and pick up another road win or two in one of the toughest conferences in the country, they will be able to compete with any team in the nation.