From K-State Athletics
Kansas State’s men’s basketball team will be honored for their 2019 Big 12 regular-season championship during Saturday’s football home opener with Nicholls at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
The nine returning members of the team – Cartier Diarra, James Love III, Makol Mawien, Pierson McAtee, Mike McGuirl, Nigel Shadd, Xavier Sneed, Levi Stockard III and Shaun Williams – as well departed seniors Barry Brown, Jr., and Dean Wade – will be recognized during the first quarter, along with head coach Bruce Weber and members of the coaching staff.
Brown and Wade are planning to travel back to Manhattan to be honored on the field after leading K-State to consecutive 25-win seasons for the first time in school history, which included the school’s 21st conference championship. The trio led the Wildcats to an 88-51 (.633) during their four-year careers, including a 71-35 (.670) mark and NCAA Tournament appearances in each of the last three seasons. The trio accounted for 4,533 points in their respective careers, which ranks third all-time in Big 12 history and the top mark in school history.
Brown has been invited to the Minnesota Timberwolves training camp, which begins October 1. He played seven games with the Timberwolves Summer League Team, averaging 8.0 points on 40 percent shooting (20-of-50) with 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 16.6 minutes per game.
Wade signed a two-way contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers in early July, which will allow him to spend up to 45 days with the team during the regular season while playing a majority of the time with their G-League affiliate, the Canton (Ohio) Charge, during the 2019-20 season. Training camp begins October 1.
Fellow departed senior Kamau Stokes will be unable to attend Saturday’s game. He recently signed a contract to play for Polpharma Starogard Gdanski in the Polish Basketball League (Polska Liga Koszykówki), which is the highest-tier league in Poland. The team’s schedule is expected to start in early October.
K-State posted a 25-9 overall record in 2018-19, which included winning a share of the Big 12 regular-season title with a 14-4 mark and a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the 31st time in school history. It was just the seventh 25-win season in school history, including the first time in consecutive seasons, while the 14 in league play tied the school record held by the 1958-59 and 2012-13 teams.
