Collin Klein has had almost the full head-coaching experience over the last several months. He’s accepted a job at his alma mater to rapturous acclaim, built a staff, and filled a roster. But on Thursday, the former Wildcat Heisman finalist and Ring of Honor inductee will run his first practice as a head coach when K-State opens 2026 spring practice. “It’s exciting,” Klein said on Wednesday afternoon in his opening spring press conference. “I think I’m just excited to see the players get to reap the rewards of what they’ve done for these last three months.” To view the full…
Author: Tim Everson
A top-10 salary in the Big 12 and over $1 million in potential bonuses highlight new Kansas State men’s basketball head coach Casey Alexander’s contract, which The Mercury obtained Monday afternoon. K-State announced last week that Alexander signed a five-year deal worth $17 million before any bonuses. He will make $3.3 million in the first year, and that will increase by $50,000 every year through the 2030-31 season. That ranks eighth currently in the Big 12 of the 13 available salaries of coaches who are still employed. Arizona State’s Bobby Hurley and Cincinnati’s Wes Miller were fired earlier this month…
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An improbable run through the Big 12 Tournament ended after four games in four days for the 12th-seeded Kansas State women Saturday afternoon at the T-Mobile Center. The Wildcats ran out of steam midway through the fourth quarter, falling to the veteran and size-laden top-seed TCU, 74-62. K-State had a slim lead at the break, thanks in part to first-half TCU turnovers and four 3-pointers in the second quarter, but the Horned Frogs caught fire in the third quarter and couldn’t be caught. The loss ends one of the best Big 12 Tournament runs for the…
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After Friday’s thrilling win over No. 4 Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament, the 12th-seeded Kansas State women are stepping into relatively unknown territory. K-State will play its fourth game in as many days on Saturday, when it takes on No. 1 TCU in the tournament semifinals. The Wildcats have only played four games in four days like this once, in the 1997 Big 12 Tournament. But of all of the concerns that head coach Jeff Mittie might have about facing the conference’s regular-season champions in a high-stakes tournament game, fatigue is…
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A record-breaking offensive explosion led the Kansas State women to a blowout win over Cincinnati in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday afternoon at the T-Mobile Center. A school-record 17 Wildcat 3-pointers powered the 12th-seeded Wildcats over No. 13 Cincinnati 91-66. The 17 three pointers broke the Big 12 tournament record, topping Iowa State’s 14 in 2008, and tied the school record set earlier this season versus Columbia in Cancun. The win advances the Wildcats to a second-round matchup versus fifth-seed Texas Tech on Thursday. Jordan Speiser and Taryn Sides both had…
A promising first half spiraled for the Kansas State women versus an Iowa State team that’s starting to find its footing after a mid-season dip following a red-hot start to the season. The Wildcats (15-16, 8-10 Big 12) used an excellent second quarter to lead by as much as six, but the Cyclones’ physicality down low was too much, led by a 41-point performance from star center Audi Crooks, to handle, as K-State fell 93-79 in Bramlage Coliseum Sunday afternoon. With a win, K-State had a chance to earn a first-round bye in the Big 12 Tournament, but the loss…
A disastrous third quarter for the Kansas State women sunk any hopes of a potential road upset of No. 18 Baylor Monday evening, as the Bears rolled at home, beating the Wildcats 80-54 in Waco, Texas. The Wildcats (15-15, 8-9 Big 12) only trailed by nine at the break, but seven 3-pointers in the third quarter were too much for the Wildcats to contend with, as they dropped their second straight game, and their last true road matchup of the season. “(Our) shot decisions in that stretch were poor,” head coach Jeff Mittie said. “I thought we were weak around…
A member of the Kansas State University men’s basketball coaching staff arrested last week is scheduled to make his first appearance in Riley County District Court on Monday. Mark Randall Vital Jr., 29, of Manhattan is charged with one count of disorderly conduct by engaging in brawling or fighting. He was arrested at 12:20 a.m. Feb. 9 and originally charged one charge of domestic battery, which has since been changed. Also arrested in the same incident was Kristen Blake Whiting-Daniels, 27, of Manhattan. She was originally charged with domestic battery and criminal damage to property but now faces the same…
For the second time in the last three months, Kansas State fans experienced a whirlwind of change in a small amount time over the weekend when former Wildcat men’s basketball head coach Jerome Tang was fired for cause. While most are aware of where things stand as of publication early Monday afternoon, it’s worth looking back at what all transpired over the last week that led to the ouster of the fourth-year head coach and his team that was mired in one of the worst seasons in school history. Wednesday, Feb. 11 Tang goes on a viral rant following a…
Kansas State’s fourth-quarter comeback fell just short Sunday in a road loss at No. 25 Iowa State. The Wildcats (14-13, 7-7 Big 12) trailed by double-digits early in the fourth quarter, but found a way to make a late push to get within a point with just over a minute left. But K-State was unable to get over the hump and came away with a 76-72 loss to the Cyclones (20-6, 8-6) at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. “Proud of the group for battling back,” head coach Jeff Mittie said. “We battled back. We had a double-digit deficit in the…