By Toby Hammes
After years of Kansas State fans hoping to see Michael Beasley suit up for Purple Reign, it’s finally happening — and it will come against Kansas.
The former Wildcat All-American is expected to join K-State’s alumni team for this summer’s edition of The Basketball Tournament, which will feature a first-round best-of-three Sunflower Showdown against KU alumni squad JHX Hoops.
Game 1 of the series is slated to be played inside Bramlage Coliseum from July 21-24, with Game 2 taking place at Washburn’s Lee Arena in Topeka. A deciding Game 3, if necessary, will also return to Manhattan.
For Purple Reign general manager Jordan Henriquez-Roberts, the Wildcats’ all-time leader in blocked shots, the addition of Beasley marks years of work finally paying off.
“I’m very excited,” Henriquez-Roberts said. “I’ve been working my tail off for the last five or six years trying to get Beas on board. To finally get him committed and wanting to come back to Bramlage, put some form of purple on and play in front of the fans again — that excites me the most.
