Kansas Wesleyan University had three women's soccer student-athletes named to the KCAC Preseason Team for 2023. This year's preseason team is comprised of three returning All-KCAC first-team honorees, six returning All-KCAC second-team honorees, and five returning All-KCAC honorable mention honorees from the 2022 season. <a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/isabella-anderson/7635">Isabella Anderson</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/maleia-jackson/7612">Maleia Jackson</a>,&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/precious-nwosu/7641">Precious Nwosu</a>&nbsp;were named to the preseason list. Anderson received first-team all-conference honors a year ago in her rookie campaign with the Coyotes. The freshman played a pivotal role as an outside back for the Coyotes, as KWU only allowed 12 goals during the conference season and 25 overall. <a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/maleia-jackson/7612">Maleia Jackson</a>&nbsp;was named to the All-KCAC second-team a year ago. She scored seven goals and recorded three assists last season from her attacking midfield position. Nwosu scored four goals and had one assist last season and played a pivotal role in KWU's success last year. FROM THE KCAC… Highlighting the 2023 KCAC Preseason Team are Mallorie Lund of Southwestern College, Payton Eskridge of Tabor College, and Martina Cordova of Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Lund, the Moundbuilders' goalkeeper, was an All-KCAC first-team honoree in 2022. She was second in the conference in goals-against-average (1.13), third in the conference in total goals against (19), and fifth in the conference in save percentage (.750) Eskrigde earned a spot on the All-KCAC second team a season ago. She ranked seventh in the KCAC in total points (30) and third in the conference in total assists (10). Cordova was last season's KCAC Women's Soccer Newcomer of the Year, and earned a spot on last season's All-KCAC second team. The preseason team is comprised of eight seniors, four juniors, and two sophomores.

Kansas Wesleyan University had three women's soccer student-athletes named to the KCAC Preseason Team for 2023. This year's preseason team is comprised of three returning All-KCAC first-team honorees, six returning All-KCAC second-team honorees, and five returning All-KCAC honorable mention honorees from the 2022 season. <a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/isabella-anderson/7635">Isabella Anderson</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/maleia-jackson/7612">Maleia Jackson</a>,&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/precious-nwosu/7641">Precious Nwosu</a>&nbsp;were named to the preseason list. Anderson received first-team all-conference honors a year ago in her rookie campaign with the Coyotes. The freshman played a pivotal role as an outside back for the Coyotes, as KWU only allowed 12 goals during the conference season and 25 overall. <a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/maleia-jackson/7612">Maleia Jackson</a>&nbsp;was named to the All-KCAC second-team a year ago. She scored seven goals and recorded three assists last season from her attacking midfield position. Nwosu scored four goals and had one assist last season and played a pivotal role in KWU's success last year. FROM THE KCAC… Highlighting the 2023 KCAC Preseason Team are Mallorie Lund of Southwestern College, Payton Eskridge of Tabor College, and Martina Cordova of Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Lund, the Moundbuilders' goalkeeper, was an All-KCAC first-team honoree in 2022. She was second in the conference in goals-against-average (1.13), third in the conference in total goals against (19), and fifth in the conference in save percentage (.750) Eskrigde earned a spot on the All-KCAC second team a season ago. She ranked seventh in the KCAC in total points (30) and third in the conference in total assists (10). Cordova was last season's KCAC Women's Soccer Newcomer of the Year, and earned a spot on last season's All-KCAC second team. The preseason team is comprised of eight seniors, four juniors, and two sophomores.

Three Women’s Soccer players named to the KCAC Preseason Team

WICHITA, Kan. —&nbsp;The 2023 KCAC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll was released by the KCAC office and the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes were picked to finish second in the conference race this season. KWU was 11-8-1 roverall and 10-1-1 in the KCAC last season. The Coyotes finished as the No. 2 seed in the KCAC Tournament and reached the conference tournament semifinals for an unprecedented 18th consecutive season. Wesleyan is under the direction of Joe Schwartz in his first season after previously coaching at Southwestern College. Oklahoma Wesleyan was the unanimous preseason favorite, earning 169 total points and 13 of 14 possible first-place votes. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team in the poll, meaning receiving 13 first-place votes is a unanimous pick. KWU was close behind with 152 points and receiving the other first-place vote. Friends was third with 140 points, Southwestern was fourth with 124, Tabor was fifth with 123, Ottawa was sixth with 107, Saint Mary was seventh with 96, Avila was eighth with 85, Bethel was ninth with 78, Evangel and McPherson tied for 10th with 58, Bethany was 12th with 35, York was 13th with 32, and Sterling was 14th with 17 points. The Coyotes open the season on August 23, hosting Concordia (Neb.) at 7 p.m. at JRI Stadium at the Graves Family Sports Complex.

WICHITA, Kan. —&nbsp;The 2023 KCAC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll was released by the KCAC office and the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes were picked to finish second in the conference race this season. KWU was 11-8-1 roverall and 10-1-1 in the KCAC last season. The Coyotes finished as the No. 2 seed in the KCAC Tournament and reached the conference tournament semifinals for an unprecedented 18th consecutive season. Wesleyan is under the direction of Joe Schwartz in his first season after previously coaching at Southwestern College. Oklahoma Wesleyan was the unanimous preseason favorite, earning 169 total points and 13 of 14 possible first-place votes. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team in the poll, meaning receiving 13 first-place votes is a unanimous pick. KWU was close behind with 152 points and receiving the other first-place vote. Friends was third with 140 points, Southwestern was fourth with 124, Tabor was fifth with 123, Ottawa was sixth with 107, Saint Mary was seventh with 96, Avila was eighth with 85, Bethel was ninth with 78, Evangel and McPherson tied for 10th with 58, Bethany was 12th with 35, York was 13th with 32, and Sterling was 14th with 17 points. The Coyotes open the season on August 23, hosting Concordia (Neb.) at 7 p.m. at JRI Stadium at the Graves Family Sports Complex.

Women’s Soccer picked to finish second in KCAC in 2023

Kansas Wesleyan's&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/rylee-serpan/7726">Rylee Serpan</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/josie-deckinger/7708">Josie Deckinger</a>&nbsp;have been named to the Preseason All-KCAC team for the 2023 season. The team is comprised of returning All-KCAC first and second-team players from the 2022 season, in addition to one honoree from Evangel who made the All-Heart of America Conference second team a season ago. Serpan was a first-team All-KCAC selection in 2022 and earned KCAC Freshman of the Year honors and was named as a Honorable Mention NAIA All-America selection. She ranked third in the KCAC in kills per set in conference play at 3.72, and also ranked third in the conference in hitting percentage, at .339 during conference play. Deckinger led the KCAC in assists per set at 8.85 in conference play. She was named to the All-KCAC second-team a year ago.&nbsp; Other players highlighting the 2023 Preseason Team are&nbsp;Radaisy Valdez of Ottawa University and Sophia Wicker of Southwestern College. All three players were first-team All-KCAC honorees a season ago, and Valdez and Serpan were NAIA Honorable Mention All-Americans. Serpan was named the 2022 KCAC Volleyball Freshman of the Year, and Wicker was named the 2022 KCAC Volleyball Defender of the Year. The preseason team includes one graduate student, 11 seniors, three juniors, and four sophomores.&nbsp;

Kansas Wesleyan's&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/rylee-serpan/7726">Rylee Serpan</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/josie-deckinger/7708">Josie Deckinger</a>&nbsp;have been named to the Preseason All-KCAC team for the 2023 season. The team is comprised of returning All-KCAC first and second-team players from the 2022 season, in addition to one honoree from Evangel who made the All-Heart of America Conference second team a season ago. Serpan was a first-team All-KCAC selection in 2022 and earned KCAC Freshman of the Year honors and was named as a Honorable Mention NAIA All-America selection. She ranked third in the KCAC in kills per set in conference play at 3.72, and also ranked third in the conference in hitting percentage, at .339 during conference play. Deckinger led the KCAC in assists per set at 8.85 in conference play. She was named to the All-KCAC second-team a year ago.&nbsp; Other players highlighting the 2023 Preseason Team are&nbsp;Radaisy Valdez of Ottawa University and Sophia Wicker of Southwestern College. All three players were first-team All-KCAC honorees a season ago, and Valdez and Serpan were NAIA Honorable Mention All-Americans. Serpan was named the 2022 KCAC Volleyball Freshman of the Year, and Wicker was named the 2022 KCAC Volleyball Defender of the Year. The preseason team includes one graduate student, 11 seniors, three juniors, and four sophomores.&nbsp;

Serpan and Deckinger Named to KCAC Women's Volleyball Preseason Team

Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference women's volleyball coaches have picked the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes to finish third in the KCAC this season as the coaches conducted their annual preseason poll. KWU, who won the KCAC Tournament last year and represented the conference in the NAIA Opening Round a year ago, return three key players in&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/rylee-serpan/7726">Rylee Serpan</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/josie-deckinger/7708">Josie Deckinger</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/kelcey-hund/7720">Kelcey Hund</a>. Ottawa University was the preseason favorite, earning 164 points and nine of 14 possible first-place votes. Oklahoma Wesleyan was picked second with 159 points and four first-place votes. KWU was third with 132 earning one first-place nod. McPherson was fourth, followed by Saint Mary, Bethel, Evangel, Friends, Southwestern, Avila, Bethany, Sterling, Tabor and York. Wesleyan will open the official regular season on August 19 in a triangular in Baldwin City against Panhandle State and Baker. Wesleyan's home opener is August 29 against Benedictine College at 7 p.m. inside Mabee Arena. 2023 KCAC Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll 1. Ottawa – 164 (9) 2. Oklahoma Wesleyan – 159 (4) 3. Kansas Wesleyan – 132 (1) 4. McPherson – 126 5. Saint Mary – 116 6. Bethel – 109 7. Evangel – 103 8. Friends – 80 9. Southwestern – 70 10. Avila – 58 11. Bethany – 56 12. Sterling – 46 13. Tabor – 41 14. York – 14

Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference women's volleyball coaches have picked the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes to finish third in the KCAC this season as the coaches conducted their annual preseason poll. KWU, who won the KCAC Tournament last year and represented the conference in the NAIA Opening Round a year ago, return three key players in&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/rylee-serpan/7726">Rylee Serpan</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/josie-deckinger/7708">Josie Deckinger</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://kwucoyotes.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/kelcey-hund/7720">Kelcey Hund</a>. Ottawa University was the preseason favorite, earning 164 points and nine of 14 possible first-place votes. Oklahoma Wesleyan was picked second with 159 points and four first-place votes. KWU was third with 132 earning one first-place nod. McPherson was fourth, followed by Saint Mary, Bethel, Evangel, Friends, Southwestern, Avila, Bethany, Sterling, Tabor and York. Wesleyan will open the official regular season on August 19 in a triangular in Baldwin City against Panhandle State and Baker. Wesleyan's home opener is August 29 against Benedictine College at 7 p.m. inside Mabee Arena. 2023 KCAC Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll 1. Ottawa – 164 (9) 2. Oklahoma Wesleyan – 159 (4) 3. Kansas Wesleyan – 132 (1) 4. McPherson – 126 5. Saint Mary – 116 6. Bethel – 109 7. Evangel – 103 8. Friends – 80 9. Southwestern – 70 10. Avila – 58 11. Bethany – 56 12. Sterling – 46 13. Tabor – 41 14. York – 14

Women’s Volleyball picked to finish third in KCAC

Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid Quotes

OPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“Alright great to have the military out here today. It’s a neat thing that the Chiefs do, and it’s a great relationship we have with them. Without them, none of us get to do our jobs, right? So, we appreciate that. Thanks to Missouri Western State University here, they’ve been tremendous again for us. Treating us well, feeding us well, and the hospitality is second to none. Then the fans coming out here, they’ve been incredible. Everyday there’s a load that comes out, and we appreciate that. The players feel – it makes practice, as hard as practice is, it makes it go a little smoother for them, it gets their juices going which is special. As far as the play time goes for this coming game, the ones will go for a half, and then we’ll mix in the twos and the threes in the third and fourth quarter. Obviously, there’s things that happen during the game where – don’t hold me completely accountable for all that if we pull people out whenever. I don’t have an injury list for you, but really it’s the same as yesterday. Nothing’s changed. Okay, do you guys have anything?”

Q:&nbsp;You obviously feel Patrick Mahomes gets value out of playing in the preseason. How do you juggle the injury factor, the injury possibility with getting him the work he needs?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, I try to get – listen, you try to get equal, balance that player against player. So, if you had your druthers, you’d want ones versus ones and that whole deal when you’re in a game, but I just keep that in mind as I go. Then I just take it my gut feeling after that. So, if I pull guys early, it’s just something I feel at that time.”

Q:&nbsp;What about the risk in Patrick Mahomes and other guys getting injured?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, I mean listen, it’s all part of the game. They’ve got to get ready for the game and at the same time – I think it’s tough going into the first game, it’s going to be fast, much faster than what you get presented at practice, a regular season game. This at least is another step up from that, just a little kick up speed wise in the game.”

Q:&nbsp;What do you want to see different from preseason game one?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, you’re always looking for execution as you go. Increased execution from the first one. Not that we’ve spent a ton more time with the guys on the (Arizona) Cardinals, that’s not it. It’s a pretty simple game plan again. They’re another week into those plays, so you’re expecting, particularly the young guys to handle that the right way. Old guys knock the rust off, keep chipping away at that.”

Q:&nbsp;Do you have any concerns about the quality of the field in Arizona?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, we know what the field has been. We’ve checked on it, which we do every week everywhere. It’s actually in pretty good playing shape. It might not look the best when you’re looking at it on tape, but they say it’s gripping well, and that’s what you want. You want the sturdiness of the turf.”

Q:&nbsp;In these past few days, it’s looked like you had La’Mical Perine more plays with the top team. What did you see from him?

REID:&nbsp;“He’s got a knack. He kind of does everything well. You know, he’s good in the pass game, good protection, good in the run game, good eyes, vision, feet. So, he’s been very consistent through the camp, and he picks things up easy so that’s been good for him I think.”

Q:&nbsp;Was this a good camp? Did you accomplish what you needed to?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, up here I just mentioned it to the team that you started this foundation, this is where it starts, you’re building this thing as it goes on. Every week is different, every day is different in this thing, but you have accomplished some things here that’s going to help carry you through the season in a positive way. Then we take it one day at a time from there just like they did when they were up here, you had to focus in, you couldn’t say a month ago that we’re looking for this day right here or you’re not going to get any good work out of it. They figured it out day-by-day and crawled out of bed and got themselves mentally and physically ready to go and practiced hard.”

Q:&nbsp;What’s a guy like Chris Jones miss from not being at camp?

REID:&nbsp;“Probably those things that I just mentioned. You know it’s a fast game, so then when he gets in, he’s going to have to get caught up.”

Q:&nbsp;What did you have for breakfast this morning?

REID:&nbsp;“I actually didn’t eat breakfast this morning. I like your hat (laughter). I didn’t eat breakfast this morning. I know that’s hard to believe (laughter).”

Q:&nbsp;From day one to now, how would you assess camp? How much has the team improved?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I thought it was a good camp. We improved on a lot of stuff. We didn’t add a lot of new receivers but getting those new receivers in and getting them flowing around. The guys that have been here for the second year, you can see the improvements (in) how they practiced. I thought it was a good camp. Offense, defense and special teams kind of just flew around and we competed every day which you always want.”

Q:&nbsp;Over the last month who has caught your eye?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I thought the offensive line did a great job throughout camp just battling. There’s some long days and a lot of plays, I thought they did a good job of keeping that mentality throughout practice. I thought the DBs – a lot of those young DBs were moving around everywhere. (Defensive Coordinator Steve) Spags (Spagnuolo) is really testing them to see what they can really do, and I thought they did a great job of responding to that. I thought throughout (camp) there were days when the offense got the defense, and the defense got the offense, and that’s how you want it in a camp. You just want it competitive every day and you want guys out there competing.”

Q:&nbsp;Why has short yardage been a challenge for you guys?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Probably because my kneecap was on the side of my leg (laughter). I think we were doing pretty good until that. We were really good at it until last year, I mean last year we didn’t do very well at it. We didn’t get that first one in (the) preseason. We went back and evaluated it and hopefully by the time the season comes around we can get back to converting those.”

Q:&nbsp;Any discussion with Head Coach Andy Reid about putting quarterback sneak back in the playbook?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I always want to because I always say, ‘I haven’t got stopped yet.’ Even the one I got hurt on I still got the first down (laughter). I’m pretty sure he’s not going to let me do it unless it’s like for the Super Bowl. I might have to call my own number in the Super Bowl if we get there.”

Q:&nbsp;What did you see as far as growth in Rashee Rice and Justyn Ross in camp?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I thought they did a great job. I think y’all know as much as anybody that the receiver position and the DB position at training camp are that hardest place to be (with) how much running that we do. I thought those guys got better and better and they learned how to finish and how to keep that mentality throughout an entire practice. Their talent – they have the talent – every receiver that I’ve always (worked with) have a lot of talent, but you have to learn how to be consistent every single day and I think they got better and better at that as they continue to go.”

Q:&nbsp;You’ve been here for seven camps now, what do you appreciate about this particular setup for camp?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I really am interested and really have fun meeting people. A lot of times when you’re in the building, you’re with the offense and even though you’re in the team meetings, you don’t get to see the defensive guys except for really on the traveling on gameday and that weekend. So being able to eat lunch, go to Chick-Fil-A, go get some pizza, whatever it is with different guys that you’re not around all year long. You build those relationships and I think that’s the best part about St. Joe is that you get out here and you really get to see those guys you don’t see maybe as much throughout the year and build those relationships. That’s what builds that bond you have whenever times get tough during the regular season.”

Q:&nbsp;What do you want to see in the second preseason game, compared to the first preseason game?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Just better energy, better urgency just from the get-go. I thought the young guys did a great job in the second half of kind of picking it up. But I think just from the get-go, offense and defense, just having that urgency to go out there and compete. It’s a preseason game and obviously the results don’t necessarily matter but they do if you want to build a culture of winning. We have a lot of young guys and even though they won a Super Bowl, they know how to respond and get even better the second year. So, I think just having better urgency from the get-go throughout the entire game, not as much the result, you obviously want to win but you want to have that mentality throughout the entire game.”

Q:&nbsp;Can you tell in camp the difference between the teams the have made it to the Super Bowl and the ones that didn’t get there?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“You can but I think more it’s just the day-to-day grind throughout the entire camp and then to the regular season and throughout thew season. You have to keep that mentality; I’ve had some great camps where we came in and that mentality didn’t go throughout the entire season and you didn’t get that pay off that you wanted. So, even though I feel like we had a great camp, we have to have that mentality, it’s not done. I mean we still have weeks of practice getting ready for the game – first regular season game against the Detroit Lions, a team that’s hungry and ready to come out there and try to beat us. We have to have that mentality, we can’t just be satisfied with how camp went, he have to keep that mentality throughout the entire season.”

Q:&nbsp;You guys are headed back to Arizona, where you just won the Super Bowl. Are there going to be moments that you are going to reminisce about?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I mean, maybe for like a second, we have a lot of stuff that we have to continue to work on, and so I’ve kind of said it after the ring ceremony, it was kind of that’s it, we’re trying to go back and get another one. I’m sure when I first step on the field it’ll be a little of looking around and saying like, ‘Man it was a great time last time we were here.’ But we have a job to do and that to get better – (we’re) playing against a Cardinals team that played a really good first preseason game. We know it’s going to be a mentality of going out there and playing our best football.”

Q:&nbsp;As you leave camp, what do you want to see from this team to prepare for the season?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Yeah, I think it’s just that mindset. I mean the mindset of every single day of just making yourself better and getting the best out of it is something that you have to continue to preach and continue to do with any football team. There’s a lot of parody in this league, anybody can beat anybody, I think you all know that, and so we have to have that mentality every single day or we will get beat. Especially in the division that we are, in the AFC west, and the AFC. Every single week every opponent we play is going to play us to the best of their ability so we have to make sure we go out there with that mentality.”

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 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid QuotesAugust 17, 2023OPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“Alright great to have the military out here today. It’s a neat thing that the Chiefs do, and it’s a great relationship we have with them. Without them, none of us get to do our jobs, right? So, we appreciate that. Thanks to Missouri Western State University here, they’ve been tremendous again for us. Treating us well, feeding us well, and the hospitality is second to none. Then the fans coming out here, they’ve been incredible. Everyday there’s a load that comes out, and we appreciate that. The players feel – it makes practice, as hard as practice is, it makes it go a little smoother for them, it gets their juices going which is special. As far as the play time goes for this coming game, the ones will go for a half, and then we’ll mix in the twos and the threes in the third and fourth quarter. Obviously, there’s things that happen during the game where – don’t hold me completely accountable for all that if we pull people out whenever. I don’t have an injury list for you, but really it’s the same as yesterday. Nothing’s changed. Okay, do you guys have anything?”Q:&nbsp;You obviously feel Patrick Mahomes gets value out of playing in the preseason. How do you juggle the injury factor, the injury possibility with getting him the work he needs?REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, I try to get – listen, you try to get equal, balance that player against player. So, if you had your druthers, you’d want ones versus ones and that whole deal when you’re in a game, but I just keep that in mind as I go. Then I just take it my gut feeling after that. So, if I pull guys early, it’s just something I feel at that time.”Q:&nbsp;What about the risk in Patrick Mahomes and other guys getting injured?REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, I mean listen, it’s all part of the game. They’ve got to get ready for the game and at the same time – I think it’s tough going into the first game, it’s going to be fast, much faster than what you get presented at practice, a regular season game. This at least is another step up from that, just a little kick up speed wise in the game.”Q:&nbsp;What do you want to see different from preseason game one?REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, you’re always looking for execution as you go. Increased execution from the first one. Not that we’ve spent a ton more time with the guys on the (Arizona) Cardinals, that’s not it. It’s a pretty simple game plan again. They’re another week into those plays, so you’re expecting, particularly the young guys to handle that the right way. Old guys knock the rust off, keep chipping away at that.”Q:&nbsp;Do you have any concerns about the quality of the field in Arizona?REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, we know what the field has been. We’ve checked on it, which we do every week everywhere. It’s actually in pretty good playing shape. It might not look the best when you’re looking at it on tape, but they say it’s gripping well, and that’s what you want. You want the sturdiness of the turf.”Q:&nbsp;In these past few days, it’s looked like you had La’Mical Perine more plays with the top team. What did you see from him?REID:&nbsp;“He’s got a knack. He kind of does everything well. You know, he’s good in the pass game, good protection, good in the run game, good eyes, vision, feet. So, he’s been very consistent through the camp, and he picks things up easy so that’s been good for him I think.”Q:&nbsp;Was this a good camp? Did you accomplish what you needed to?REID:&nbsp;“Yeah, up here I just mentioned it to the team that you started this foundation, this is where it starts, you’re building this thing as it goes on. Every week is different, every day is different in this thing, but you have accomplished some things here that’s going to help carry you through the season in a positive way. Then we take it one day at a time from there just like they did when they were up here, you had to focus in, you couldn’t say a month ago that we’re looking for this day right here or you’re not going to get any good work out of it. They figured it out day-by-day and crawled out of bed and got themselves mentally and physically ready to go and practiced hard.”Q:&nbsp;What’s a guy like Chris Jones miss from not being at camp?REID:&nbsp;“Probably those things that I just mentioned. You know it’s a fast game, so then when he gets in, he’s going to have to get caught up.”Q:&nbsp;What did you have for breakfast this morning?REID:&nbsp;“I actually didn’t eat breakfast this morning. I like your hat (laughter). I didn’t eat breakfast this morning. I know that’s hard to believe (laughter).”Chiefs Player QuotesAugust 17, 2023QB PATRICK MAHOMESQ:&nbsp;From day one to now, how would you assess camp? How much has the team improved?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I thought it was a good camp. We improved on a lot of stuff. We didn’t add a lot of new receivers but getting those new receivers in and getting them flowing around. The guys that have been here for the second year, you can see the improvements (in) how they practiced. I thought it was a good camp. Offense, defense and special teams kind of just flew around and we competed every day which you always want.”Q:&nbsp;Over the last month who has caught your eye?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I thought the offensive line did a great job throughout camp just battling. There’s some long days and a lot of plays, I thought they did a good job of keeping that mentality throughout practice. I thought the DBs – a lot of those young DBs were moving around everywhere. (Defensive Coordinator Steve) Spags (Spagnuolo) is really testing them to see what they can really do, and I thought they did a great job of responding to that. I thought throughout (camp) there were days when the offense got the defense, and the defense got the offense, and that’s how you want it in a camp. You just want it competitive every day and you want guys out there competing.”Q:&nbsp;Why has short yardage been a challenge for you guys?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Probably because my kneecap was on the side of my leg (laughter). I think we were doing pretty good until that. We were really good at it until last year, I mean last year we didn’t do very well at it. We didn’t get that first one in (the) preseason. We went back and evaluated it and hopefully by the time the season comes around we can get back to converting those.”Q:&nbsp;Any discussion with Head Coach Andy Reid about putting quarterback sneak back in the playbook?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I always want to because I always say, ‘I haven’t got stopped yet.’ Even the one I got hurt on I still got the first down (laughter). I’m pretty sure he’s not going to let me do it unless it’s like for the Super Bowl. I might have to call my own number in the Super Bowl if we get there.”Q:&nbsp;What did you see as far as growth in Rashee Rice and Justyn Ross in camp?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I thought they did a great job. I think y’all know as much as anybody that the receiver position and the DB position at training camp are that hardest place to be (with) how much running that we do. I thought those guys got better and better and they learned how to finish and how to keep that mentality throughout an entire practice. Their talent – they have the talent – every receiver that I’ve always (worked with) have a lot of talent, but you have to learn how to be consistent every single day and I think they got better and better at that as they continue to go.”Q:&nbsp;You’ve been here for seven camps now, what do you appreciate about this particular setup for camp?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I really am interested and really have fun meeting people. A lot of times when you’re in the building, you’re with the offense and even though you’re in the team meetings, you don’t get to see the defensive guys except for really on the traveling on gameday and that weekend. So being able to eat lunch, go to Chick-Fil-A, go get some pizza, whatever it is with different guys that you’re not around all year long. You build those relationships and I think that’s the best part about St. Joe is that you get out here and you really get to see those guys you don’t see maybe as much throughout the year and build those relationships. That’s what builds that bond you have whenever times get tough during the regular season.”Q:&nbsp;What do you want to see in the second preseason game, compared to the first preseason game?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Just better energy, better urgency just from the get-go. I thought the young guys did a great job in the second half of kind of picking it up. But I think just from the get-go, offense and defense, just having that urgency to go out there and compete. It’s a preseason game and obviously the results don’t necessarily matter but they do if you want to build a culture of winning. We have a lot of young guys and even though they won a Super Bowl, they know how to respond and get even better the second year. So, I think just having better urgency from the get-go throughout the entire game, not as much the result, you obviously want to win but you want to have that mentality throughout the entire game.”Q:&nbsp;Can you tell in camp the difference between the teams the have made it to the Super Bowl and the ones that didn’t get there?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“You can but I think more it’s just the day-to-day grind throughout the entire camp and then to the regular season and throughout thew season. You have to keep that mentality; I’ve had some great camps where we came in and that mentality didn’t go throughout the entire season and you didn’t get that pay off that you wanted. So, even though I feel like we had a great camp, we have to have that mentality, it’s not done. I mean we still have weeks of practice getting ready for the game – first regular season game against the Detroit Lions, a team that’s hungry and ready to come out there and try to beat us. We have to have that mentality, we can’t just be satisfied with how camp went, he have to keep that mentality throughout the entire season.”Q:&nbsp;You guys are headed back to Arizona, where you just won the Super Bowl. Are there going to be moments that you are going to reminisce about?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I mean, maybe for like a second, we have a lot of stuff that we have to continue to work on, and so I’ve kind of said it after the ring ceremony, it was kind of that’s it, we’re trying to go back and get another one. I’m sure when I first step on the field it’ll be a little of looking around and saying like, ‘Man it was a great time last time we were here.’ But we have a job to do and that to get better – (we’re) playing against a Cardinals team that played a really good first preseason game. We know it’s going to be a mentality of going out there and playing our best football.”Q:&nbsp;As you leave camp, what do you want to see from this team to prepare for the season?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Yeah, I think it’s just that mindset. I mean the mindset of every single day of just making yourself better and getting the best out of it is something that you have to continue to preach and continue to do with any football team. There’s a lot of parody in this league, anybody can beat anybody, I think you all know that, and so we have to have that mentality every single day or we will get beat. Especially in the division that we are, in the AFC west, and the AFC. Every single week every opponent we play is going to play us to the best of their ability so we have to make sure we go out there with that mentality.”

Kansas City Chiefs Quotes, Aug. 17

K-State Athletics ABU DHABI, U.A.E.&nbsp;- The Kansas State men's basketball team will play Team Mexico&nbsp;on Thursday morning&nbsp;(August 17)&nbsp;at 8 a.m., CT&nbsp;/&nbsp;5 p.m., local at Etihad Arena.

Fans may view a live stream of the game via the YouTube link&nbsp;<a href="https://m.youtube.com/live/VUe6_hHE0v4" target="_blank">here</a>. It will go live&nbsp;at 7:45 a.m. CT.&nbsp;

K-State won the first game of its historic 10-day trip to Israel and Abu Dhabi with an 94-87 win over the Israeli Select Team on Tuesday (August 14) in Tel Aviv.&nbsp;

Team Mexico is in Abu Dhabi, along with Team USA and others, training for the FIBA World Cup that kicks off in Manila, The Philippines&nbsp;on August 25.

A full recap, along with a photo gallery and highlights, will be posted at&nbsp;<a href="http://kstatesports.com/" target="_blank">kstatesports.com</a>&nbsp;as well as on the team’s social media channels later in the day.

How to follow the ‘Cats:&nbsp;For complete information on K-State men’s basketball, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kstatesports.com/" target="_blank">www.kstatesports.com</a>&nbsp;and follow the team’s social media channels on&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/kstatembb" target="_blank">X (formerly Twitter)</a>, Threads,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/kstatembb/?hl=en" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/kstatembb/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692275177986.jpeg" alt="WATCH LIVE: K-State vs. Team Mexico / Thursday at 8 a.m., CT K-State Photo&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>WATCH LIVE: K-State vs. Team Mexico / Thursday at 8 a.m., CT K-State Photo&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>K-State Athletics ABU DHABI, U.A.E.&nbsp;- The Kansas State men's basketball team will play Team Mexico&nbsp;on Thursday morning&nbsp;(August 17)&nbsp;at 8 a.m., CT&nbsp;/&nbsp;5 p.m., local at Etihad Arena.Fans may view a live stream of the game via the YouTube link&nbsp;<a href="https://m.youtube.com/live/VUe6_hHE0v4" target="_blank">here</a>. It will go live&nbsp;at 7:45 a.m. CT.&nbsp;K-State won the first game of its historic 10-day trip to Israel and Abu Dhabi with an 94-87 win over the Israeli Select Team on Tuesday (August 14) in Tel Aviv.&nbsp;Team Mexico is in Abu Dhabi, along with Team USA and others, training for the FIBA World Cup that kicks off in Manila, The Philippines&nbsp;on August 25.A full recap, along with a photo gallery and highlights, will be posted at&nbsp;<a href="http://kstatesports.com/" target="_blank">kstatesports.com</a>&nbsp;as well as on the team’s social media channels later in the day.How to follow the ‘Cats:&nbsp;For complete information on K-State men’s basketball, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kstatesports.com/" target="_blank">www.kstatesports.com</a>&nbsp;and follow the team’s social media channels on&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/kstatembb" target="_blank">X (formerly Twitter)</a>, Threads,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/kstatembb/?hl=en" target="_blank">Instagram</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/kstatembb/" target="_blank">Facebook</a>.

WATCH LIVE: K-State vs. Team Mexico at 8 a.m. today

Chiefs Assistant General Manager Mike Borgonzi Quotes

OPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“It was good to get a preseason game underway last week to evaluate these guys in game like conditions. I think the competition has been great so far at camp. It’s a credit to our entire personnel department for the work that they’ve done to bring in this talent and competition here to camp. As the roster sits right now, we have 37 new players on the roster that weren’t with us either on the active (roster), practice squad (or) reserve last year. So, with that, that’s new competition at position groups, it’s new relationships and trust that need to be developed. That’s why I think being up here at training camp is so important. (Head) Coach (Andy Reid) always talks about laying that foundation, it’s important for these new guys here, you know free agents that we brought in just to get acclimated to our culture, the way we practice, pick up on our system. And now that these preseason games have kind of ramped up here, our pro (scouting) department is going to be working hard here to evaluate these other 31 teams and assess their team needs, surpluses at certain positions. I think our mindset here is we’re going to stay aggressive; we’re going to evaluate these next weeks with our roster. We’re going to evaluate the entire league, and we’re going to add value to where we feel we need to. We’re trying to get the best 53-man (roster) and 16-man practice squad heading into the first game here. Excited to get this second preseason game underway, another chance to evaluate these guys in game conditions. With that I’ll open it up.”

Q:&nbsp;Can you give us a sense of that process you just talked about of evaluating the other 31 teams?

BORGONZI:&nbsp;“Yeah, so our pro (scouting) department, headed up by (Director of Player Personnel/Pro Scouting) Tim Terry, do a great job. Every scout is assigned a team, we evaluate our roster and see where we might need to upgrade on the 53 (man roster) or practice squad. Those guys will go through a process of identifying those players and then bringing them to (General Manager Brett) Veach, myself, (Senior Director of Player Personnel) Mike Bradway and then we go through the process the next couple of weeks of evaluating. It’s almost like a draft board – these guys get spit out onto an electronic board, and it’s a ranking, we start to rank them – you know guys that we might want to claim, trade for, practice squad transactions headed into the season. We’ve had this formula here for the last 10 years, it’s worked out.”

Q:&nbsp;Is this a deeper group of wide receivers than you’ve had before?

BORGONZI:&nbsp;“Yeah it’s a deep group. I think the competition’s been great with all those guys. There are some young guys trying to figure out their way, trying to figure out the system. There’s a ton of volume that gets thrown at these guys throughout training camp. The goal is to get down the playbook and then play fast. So, guys like Skyy (Moore) in his second year, I think you see him out here playing a lot faster. Guys like Rashee (Rice) – he’s working through it, and he made a couple plays during the preseason game. That’s what we try to do, we want to stack these days with these young guys to build some confidence in the group.”

Q:&nbsp;When does the work on trades that might happen between now and opening day start happening?

BORGONZI:&nbsp;“As soon as we start to identify players – we’ll have our pro (scouting) department and we reach out to teams that we have relationships with to try to figure out what they might need, what they have a surplus (of). Some of those conversations are starting now.”

Q:&nbsp;Do you like the way the roster cut down will work this year all happening on one day?

BORGONZI:&nbsp;“We’ve actually had it a couple of times in the past – COVID might have been one of them – but it gives us an opportunity, another week to evaluate these guys that we (would have) had to move on from before, but maybe they show something in practice or the preseason games. I think it’s good for everybody.”

Chiefs Coordinator and Assistant Coaches Quotes

ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE TOUB&nbsp;

Q:&nbsp;What did you think of the first preseason game?

TOUB:&nbsp;“Everybody played, that was the thing. That’s one of the important things in that first game, (Head) Coach (Andy Reid) wants everybody to play so you see a lot of bodies. We had four different teams going every time. Everybody plays and we were happy with that. The effort was excellent, and I felt like the guys played extremely hard. In the return game, I would like to see (Deneric) Prince get some more, we left a guy unblocked on the first one and got hit on that one and they kind of kicked away from him on the other one to come back across the field. I want to see him get some more next week. (Richie) James I thought did a great job in his kick return, didn’t get any opportunities to get a punt return with the ones, hopefully we’ll get something this week. Other than that, I mean I like Nic Jones, I thought (he) showed up and did a good job, he hurt his hand obviously, but he’ll be back. Other guys like Anthony Cook did a nice job number 47 (he) showed up. These are some new faces; Cam Jones, number 44 did a nice job, but I just think our ones, they came out a little bit sluggish, and I’m talking about my ones as well. We need to have a better showing this week.”

Q:&nbsp;You see everyone returning kickoffs in the preseason, how do you expect that to change in the regular season?

TOUB:&nbsp;“I think there’s going to be more fair catches on those high kicks for sure. I think you have to play the analytic game if you want to help your team, get them out to the 25 automatically. You still have to make the fair catch and you still have to block everybody up and they’re going to be coming down the field and coming hard. If we bobble it, I mean that’s – you’re taking a chance there. Yeah, I think there will be more fair catches for sure. I think there will be more squib kicks, too, at the same time. You saw the Saints working on that against us, and we didn’t handle it great. You know 82 (Ihmir Smith-Marsette) back there didn’t pick it up cleanly. You’ll see more squibs; you’ll see more fair catches I think for sure no question.”

Q:&nbsp;How are you going to play the kickoff in the regular season, squib kicks, fair catch?

TOUB:&nbsp;“We’re working on (Harrison) Butker’s high kick down to the goal line. We know guys want to return. I’m trying to evaluate our kickoff team right now, and we know teams aren’t going to fair catch it now. The best thing we can do is kick a high kick down to the goal line, so it creates hang time to let your guys get down the field and cover, that’s why we did it. We’ll do that during the season as well rather than just – Butker can bang a touchback pretty much any time he wants. Now you want to try and make them make a play at least if they want to get the ball to the 25, and we’ll kick it high and make them make a fair catch. They’re still going to be going to get it at the 25 just like if we were kicking a touchback. You know it’s something we’re looking at for sure.”

Q:&nbsp;Thoughts on the two new tackles Jawaan Taylor and Donovan Smith?

HECK:&nbsp;“Really pleased to have both Donovan (Smith) and Jawaan (Taylor) here. They are talented tackles; they are experienced and in terms of how they have fit in and adaptive I think very well. I mean they integrated right into our room; we got a great room. The guys communicate well. They like each other; they like being around each other. In their own way, they inserted themselves as leaders. Donovan (Smith) is a vocal guy, physical guy. We can draw a lot from his experience there. He’s been a very rugged player over his career. Jawaan (Taylor) is very talented, does a nice job with pass protection, so I’m super pleased with those guys.”

Q:&nbsp;What areas does Joe Thuney need to improve on and what would you like to see from him this year?

HECK:&nbsp;“You know I would say similarly about Joe (Thuney) as a top-notch player, perhaps one of the best pass protectors in this league. He’s that much more familiar with what it is that we’re trying to do. So much that of what we do when you talk about the run game or mixing our offense formationally is little details, and so there’s a thousand of them that you can’t get in one install. It just takes rep after rep to pick up all these little details and nuances. Super sharp guy he’s going to – he’s not going to make many mistakes, and if he does, he’s not going to make them twice. Joe (Thuney) as I would say a smaller guard in this league to be more effective in the run game, playing with proper pad level and be a more explosive. Those are the things he’s working on.”

Q:&nbsp;You have a swing tackle position open, and you’ve been having Wanya Morris, Lucas Niang, and Prince Tega Wanogho get reps for that position, how are you evaluating that role?

HECK:&nbsp;“I’ve been trying to get them equal amount of work right and left. If you are going to be at that swing tackle, you got be comfortable on both sides. It’s been very good competition; I like the way all three men have worked. They’ve got different things they are working on. We’ll continue to evaluate that as we go through camp with a similar rotation.”&nbsp;

Q:&nbsp;Can you evaluate how far Jawaan Taylor has come in camp and what he still needs to work on?

HECK:&nbsp;“I would say all of us, not just Jawaan (Taylor), all of us are still working on coordinating all of our efforts. Our angles have to be so precise and in tune with what the back’s doing, what the guy next to you is doing, the front side versus the back side and there’s a lot to it. Similar to when we brought a new group together several years ago, that’s a work in progress.”

WIDE RECEIVERS COACH CONNOR EMBREE

Q:&nbsp;How has Rashee Rice gotten himself into the flow with the guys?

EMBREE:&nbsp;“He’s been good, he’s been working hard. He came in (during) rookie camp and got to learn how we do stuff. Over the summer I thought he did a good job of getting in better shape. He came back in good shape, and he’s just been working hard all of training camp and (is) very coachable, so I like where he’s at.”

Q:&nbsp;Rashee Rice worked a little bit with Patrick Mahomes down in Texas before he was drafted. Did that allow him to come in ahead of where most rookies are?

EMBREE:&nbsp;“Yeah, he knew some of our routes, some of how we call some stuff. Other than that, he is a rookie, so he might have had a little step up but not much.”

Q:&nbsp;When you’re not talking in the receiver room who is taking command?

EMBREE:&nbsp;“That’s one thing, I think we have a good group, I think we have a good vet group of dudes that have done it before in other places so it’s kind of by committee. All of them chime in and try to help each other out. I think that’s something special with the group we have.”

Q:&nbsp;What have you learned about Richie James and what role fits him best?

EMBREE:&nbsp;“I actually have known Richie (James) for a while. He was out at San Fran (The 49ers) and I got to work with him for a little out there. He’s a true vet. He knows what to do, ever since day one he’s been in here, he picked up the playbook real fast, and then if you tell him something once, he’s not going to make the same mistake. I like it.”

DEFENSIVE BACKS COACH DAVE MERRITT

Q:&nbsp;Last year you had the “Fab Five” (Trent McDuffie, Bryan Cook, Joshua Williams, Jaylen Watson, and Nazeeh Johnson). There are not that many rookies this year, but what do you like about the young guys you have this year?

MERRITT:&nbsp;“You know, when you go into a new season and you’re looking at the group that you had last year, that group has changed. I really haven’t used the “Fab Five” name as much this year of course because all of these guys are going into their sophomore year. (The) new guys that we have, Chamarri (Conner), he has done a great job. We’re using him in a couple of different spots, whether it’s nickel, whether its dime, whether it’s safety. So, he’s done a great job, and then of course Nic Jones who came in. He’s a quick twitch athlete, has done a good job for us as well playing in the slot. This new group is stepping up. Ekow (Boye-Doe), young guy that’s outside out of K-State (Kansas State). Kahlef (Hailassie), another young guy that’s outside, he’s doing a great job. Fresh blood is in the room and so it's been good.”

Q:&nbsp;What do you see from Trent McDuffie and what do you like about his skillset in the nickel?

MERRITT:&nbsp;“Yeah Trent (McDuffie) is smart, smooth athlete. (He’s) a guy who is not a repeat offender, so if Trent makes a mistake once, it’s not too often that he’s going to have that same mistake that’s going to show up. That’s just one of the things that Trent brings to the table, is the fact that he’s able to comprehend what you’re trying to teach and then go out and actually perform it. I like where he is, and he’s playing a lot outside as well. He’s progressing the way I would like to see him progress.”

Q:&nbsp;Bryan Cook should get a lot more playing time this year. Is he ready for that and is he showing you everything that you want from him in practice?

MERRITT:&nbsp;“(Bryan) Cook has done a great job. He’s a vocal guy, high energy guy. One of the things that we’ve been working on is basically understanding splits and formations and understanding that as a post safety, as a strong safety, you have to understand that if you’re ever in the center of the field, you have to make sure you and the quarterback are battling one another. So just getting him to where he understands the splits and understands where help is needed. He’s gradually getting there, but he’s doing a good job.”&nbsp;

Q:&nbsp;What have you seen from Felix Anudike-Uzomah?

CULLEN:&nbsp;“I tell you; he’s (Felix Anudike-Uzomah) really progressing every day. You know Felix is one of the younger guys in the draft, he’s 21, but he really – he hit 34 snaps the other night, he had some really good pressure, a couple hits on the quarterback, he’s playing the run better, he’s just going like that (upwards motion) every day.”

Q:&nbsp;What are your expectations from Felix Anudike-Uzomah?

CULLEN:&nbsp;“I think we have to get him ready to play and I really think he’s going to help us. I think he’ll be in the rotation, he’s a good pass rusher but he can also play the run well, and he’ll work his way into a rotation.”

Q:&nbsp;What do you think about Danny Shelton compared to last year?

CULLEN:&nbsp;“He’s (Danny Shelton) in better shape. Danny is lighter, he’s moving quicker and it showed in the game. He had a couple tackles, he had a sack, and Danny hasn’t missed a rep at all in the preseason so that’s helped him out.”

Q:&nbsp;What did you think about your pass rush performance from the first group in this first preseason game?

CULLEN:&nbsp;“Well there were a couple opportunities on that 3rd&nbsp;and 8. I thought we added decent pressure, but we had to collapse the pocket and there was a 3rd&nbsp;and 3 in there we had to - I’d like to get off the field with the rush, so we have to improve there.”

Q:&nbsp;How have you seen Noah Gray develop and gain confidence over the years?

MELVIN:&nbsp;“Well sure, every year you’re going to get a year better and he’s got a lot of playing time. He’s done a great job because we move him around to all the different positions we have, as far as the formations are concerned and he’s able to handle all of those. (He’s a) really smart, instinctual kid and he’s gotten better at knowing what he’s doing and perfecting that, knowing what the defense is doing. Now in his third year, he’s starting to set things up and that’s the progression you look for. He’s doing a real good job in camp right now with that.”

Q:&nbsp;Do you have to coach differently with the guys who might run more than a 15-yard route and how fun is that for you given that it’s not a traditional part of a tight end’s role?

MELVIN:&nbsp;“Yeah it keeps expanding for me. I have to talk to the wide receiver coaches now about being the individual receiver out there and how that differs from being in the slot, number three or number two. It’s helped me expand as far as what I’m doing and how much technique I have to work with them on, and the different coaching points and scouting reports that we have to give for those guys. So, it challenges me, but then them too, so they have to get a bigger picture of what’s going on. That’s helped us all along, everybody, just knowing more and more about what everybody’s doing, and we have to do it not just how that’s going to set me up or how I can set the route up, I might be out there too. So, it's expanded a lot of what we have to cover each day in our room.”

Q:&nbsp;On the evolution of the tight end position.&nbsp;

MELVIN:&nbsp;“Well it’s a cyclical league, so you always see – you get trends, or the offense does – and the defense catches up. Now the defense’s traditional coverages, you rarely see anymore. They’re multiple, they have combination coverages to where they’re trying to call versus where your guys are and match up a coverage with that. The challenge is always going to be (rolling gesture with hands) – (Head) Coach (Andy Reid) says keep it fresh. We’re always doing something new because so is the defense. They’re catching up and it becomes just a matchup, and if you can’t just win on matchups now you have to come up with something different or make them have to think, challenge them on making an adjustment. That’s the cat-and-mouse game that you play all the time.”

Q:&nbsp;You have been coaching with Head Coach Andy Reid for a long time. Are you amazed with how he never seems to slow down and continues to have this drive? Do you have any fun stories about him in the offseason when he doesn’t seem to take a day off?

MELVIN:&nbsp;“I do, but I can’t share them with you (laughter). No, he is phenomenal with his life energy, constantly going. He’s somebody who can survive on not a lot of sleep; I can’t do that the way he is. He’s a brilliant man and he’s curious about things and it’s not just football. It’s all parts of life. (He’s) just a great human being and he’s not going to be bored at anything that he chooses to do. He finds a way to get involved in it, (he is) well-rounded in all aspects of life. So, I’ve been very fortunate to be with him since `82 when he was my position coach. So, it’s been a little while.”

Chiefs Assistant General Manager Mike Borgonzi QuotesAugust 16, 2023OPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“It was good to get a preseason game underway last week to evaluate these guys in game like conditions. I think the competition has been great so far at camp. It’s a credit to our entire personnel department for the work that they’ve done to bring in this talent and competition here to camp. As the roster sits right now, we have 37 new players on the roster that weren’t with us either on the active (roster), practice squad (or) reserve last year. So, with that, that’s new competition at position groups, it’s new relationships and trust that need to be developed. That’s why I think being up here at training camp is so important. (Head) Coach (Andy Reid) always talks about laying that foundation, it’s important for these new guys here, you know free agents that we brought in just to get acclimated to our culture, the way we practice, pick up on our system. And now that these preseason games have kind of ramped up here, our pro (scouting) department is going to be working hard here to evaluate these other 31 teams and assess their team needs, surpluses at certain positions. I think our mindset here is we’re going to stay aggressive; we’re going to evaluate these next weeks with our roster. We’re going to evaluate the entire league, and we’re going to add value to where we feel we need to. We’re trying to get the best 53-man (roster) and 16-man practice squad heading into the first game here. Excited to get this second preseason game underway, another chance to evaluate these guys in game conditions. With that I’ll open it up.”Q:&nbsp;Can you give us a sense of that process you just talked about of evaluating the other 31 teams?BORGONZI:&nbsp;“Yeah, so our pro (scouting) department, headed up by (Director of Player Personnel/Pro Scouting) Tim Terry, do a great job. Every scout is assigned a team, we evaluate our roster and see where we might need to upgrade on the 53 (man roster) or practice squad. Those guys will go through a process of identifying those players and then bringing them to (General Manager Brett) Veach, myself, (Senior Director of Player Personnel) Mike Bradway and then we go through the process the next couple of weeks of evaluating. It’s almost like a draft board – these guys get spit out onto an electronic board, and it’s a ranking, we start to rank them – you know guys that we might want to claim, trade for, practice squad transactions headed into the season. We’ve had this formula here for the last 10 years, it’s worked out.”Q:&nbsp;Is this a deeper group of wide receivers than you’ve had before?BORGONZI:&nbsp;“Yeah it’s a deep group. I think the competition’s been great with all those guys. There are some young guys trying to figure out their way, trying to figure out the system. There’s a ton of volume that gets thrown at these guys throughout training camp. The goal is to get down the playbook and then play fast. So, guys like Skyy (Moore) in his second year, I think you see him out here playing a lot faster. Guys like Rashee (Rice) – he’s working through it, and he made a couple plays during the preseason game. That’s what we try to do, we want to stack these days with these young guys to build some confidence in the group.”Q:&nbsp;When does the work on trades that might happen between now and opening day start happening?BORGONZI:&nbsp;“As soon as we start to identify players – we’ll have our pro (scouting) department and we reach out to teams that we have relationships with to try to figure out what they might need, what they have a surplus (of). Some of those conversations are starting now.”Q:&nbsp;Do you like the way the roster cut down will work this year all happening on one day?BORGONZI:&nbsp;“We’ve actually had it a couple of times in the past – COVID might have been one of them – but it gives us an opportunity, another week to evaluate these guys that we (would have) had to move on from before, but maybe they show something in practice or the preseason games. I think it’s good for everybody.”Chiefs Coordinator and Assistant Coaches QuotesAugust 16, 2023ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR DAVE TOUB&nbsp;Q:&nbsp;What did you think of the first preseason game?TOUB:&nbsp;“Everybody played, that was the thing. That’s one of the important things in that first game, (Head) Coach (Andy Reid) wants everybody to play so you see a lot of bodies. We had four different teams going every time. Everybody plays and we were happy with that. The effort was excellent, and I felt like the guys played extremely hard. In the return game, I would like to see (Deneric) Prince get some more, we left a guy unblocked on the first one and got hit on that one and they kind of kicked away from him on the other one to come back across the field. I want to see him get some more next week. (Richie) James I thought did a great job in his kick return, didn’t get any opportunities to get a punt return with the ones, hopefully we’ll get something this week. Other than that, I mean I like Nic Jones, I thought (he) showed up and did a good job, he hurt his hand obviously, but he’ll be back. Other guys like Anthony Cook did a nice job number 47 (he) showed up. These are some new faces; Cam Jones, number 44 did a nice job, but I just think our ones, they came out a little bit sluggish, and I’m talking about my ones as well. We need to have a better showing this week.”Q:&nbsp;You see everyone returning kickoffs in the preseason, how do you expect that to change in the regular season?TOUB:&nbsp;“I think there’s going to be more fair catches on those high kicks for sure. I think you have to play the analytic game if you want to help your team, get them out to the 25 automatically. You still have to make the fair catch and you still have to block everybody up and they’re going to be coming down the field and coming hard. If we bobble it, I mean that’s – you’re taking a chance there. Yeah, I think there will be more fair catches for sure. I think there will be more squib kicks, too, at the same time. You saw the Saints working on that against us, and we didn’t handle it great. You know 82 (Ihmir Smith-Marsette) back there didn’t pick it up cleanly. You’ll see more squibs; you’ll see more fair catches I think for sure no question.”Q:&nbsp;How are you going to play the kickoff in the regular season, squib kicks, fair catch?TOUB:&nbsp;“We’re working on (Harrison) Butker’s high kick down to the goal line. We know guys want to return. I’m trying to evaluate our kickoff team right now, and we know teams aren’t going to fair catch it now. The best thing we can do is kick a high kick down to the goal line, so it creates hang time to let your guys get down the field and cover, that’s why we did it. We’ll do that during the season as well rather than just – Butker can bang a touchback pretty much any time he wants. Now you want to try and make them make a play at least if they want to get the ball to the 25, and we’ll kick it high and make them make a fair catch. They’re still going to be going to get it at the 25 just like if we were kicking a touchback. You know it’s something we’re looking at for sure.”OFFESIVE LINE COACH ANDY HECKQ:&nbsp;Thoughts on the two new tackles Jawaan Taylor and Donovan Smith?HECK:&nbsp;“Really pleased to have both Donovan (Smith) and Jawaan (Taylor) here. They are talented tackles; they are experienced and in terms of how they have fit in and adaptive I think very well. I mean they integrated right into our room; we got a great room. The guys communicate well. They like each other; they like being around each other. In their own way, they inserted themselves as leaders. Donovan (Smith) is a vocal guy, physical guy. We can draw a lot from his experience there. He’s been a very rugged player over his career. Jawaan (Taylor) is very talented, does a nice job with pass protection, so I’m super pleased with those guys.”Q:&nbsp;What areas does Joe Thuney need to improve on and what would you like to see from him this year?HECK:&nbsp;“You know I would say similarly about Joe (Thuney) as a top-notch player, perhaps one of the best pass protectors in this league. He’s that much more familiar with what it is that we’re trying to do. So much that of what we do when you talk about the run game or mixing our offense formationally is little details, and so there’s a thousand of them that you can’t get in one install. It just takes rep after rep to pick up all these little details and nuances. Super sharp guy he’s going to – he’s not going to make many mistakes, and if he does, he’s not going to make them twice. Joe (Thuney) as I would say a smaller guard in this league to be more effective in the run game, playing with proper pad level and be a more explosive. Those are the things he’s working on.”Q:&nbsp;You have a swing tackle position open, and you’ve been having Wanya Morris, Lucas Niang, and Prince Tega Wanogho get reps for that position, how are you evaluating that role?HECK:&nbsp;“I’ve been trying to get them equal amount of work right and left. If you are going to be at that swing tackle, you got be comfortable on both sides. It’s been very good competition; I like the way all three men have worked. They’ve got different things they are working on. We’ll continue to evaluate that as we go through camp with a similar rotation.”&nbsp;Q:&nbsp;Can you evaluate how far Jawaan Taylor has come in camp and what he still needs to work on?HECK:&nbsp;“I would say all of us, not just Jawaan (Taylor), all of us are still working on coordinating all of our efforts. Our angles have to be so precise and in tune with what the back’s doing, what the guy next to you is doing, the front side versus the back side and there’s a lot to it. Similar to when we brought a new group together several years ago, that’s a work in progress.”WIDE RECEIVERS COACH CONNOR EMBREEQ:&nbsp;How has Rashee Rice gotten himself into the flow with the guys?EMBREE:&nbsp;“He’s been good, he’s been working hard. He came in (during) rookie camp and got to learn how we do stuff. Over the summer I thought he did a good job of getting in better shape. He came back in good shape, and he’s just been working hard all of training camp and (is) very coachable, so I like where he’s at.”Q:&nbsp;Rashee Rice worked a little bit with Patrick Mahomes down in Texas before he was drafted. Did that allow him to come in ahead of where most rookies are?EMBREE:&nbsp;“Yeah, he knew some of our routes, some of how we call some stuff. Other than that, he is a rookie, so he might have had a little step up but not much.”Q:&nbsp;When you’re not talking in the receiver room who is taking command?EMBREE:&nbsp;“That’s one thing, I think we have a good group, I think we have a good vet group of dudes that have done it before in other places so it’s kind of by committee. All of them chime in and try to help each other out. I think that’s something special with the group we have.”Q:&nbsp;What have you learned about Richie James and what role fits him best?EMBREE:&nbsp;“I actually have known Richie (James) for a while. He was out at San Fran (The 49ers) and I got to work with him for a little out there. He’s a true vet. He knows what to do, ever since day one he’s been in here, he picked up the playbook real fast, and then if you tell him something once, he’s not going to make the same mistake. I like it.”DEFENSIVE BACKS COACH DAVE MERRITTQ:&nbsp;Last year you had the “Fab Five” (Trent McDuffie, Bryan Cook, Joshua Williams, Jaylen Watson, and Nazeeh Johnson). There are not that many rookies this year, but what do you like about the young guys you have this year?MERRITT:&nbsp;“You know, when you go into a new season and you’re looking at the group that you had last year, that group has changed. I really haven’t used the “Fab Five” name as much this year of course because all of these guys are going into their sophomore year. (The) new guys that we have, Chamarri (Conner), he has done a great job. We’re using him in a couple of different spots, whether it’s nickel, whether its dime, whether it’s safety. So, he’s done a great job, and then of course Nic Jones who came in. He’s a quick twitch athlete, has done a good job for us as well playing in the slot. This new group is stepping up. Ekow (Boye-Doe), young guy that’s outside out of K-State (Kansas State). Kahlef (Hailassie), another young guy that’s outside, he’s doing a great job. Fresh blood is in the room and so it's been good.”Q:&nbsp;What do you see from Trent McDuffie and what do you like about his skillset in the nickel?MERRITT:&nbsp;“Yeah Trent (McDuffie) is smart, smooth athlete. (He’s) a guy who is not a repeat offender, so if Trent makes a mistake once, it’s not too often that he’s going to have that same mistake that’s going to show up. That’s just one of the things that Trent brings to the table, is the fact that he’s able to comprehend what you’re trying to teach and then go out and actually perform it. I like where he is, and he’s playing a lot outside as well. He’s progressing the way I would like to see him progress.”Q:&nbsp;Bryan Cook should get a lot more playing time this year. Is he ready for that and is he showing you everything that you want from him in practice?MERRITT:&nbsp;“(Bryan) Cook has done a great job. He’s a vocal guy, high energy guy. One of the things that we’ve been working on is basically understanding splits and formations and understanding that as a post safety, as a strong safety, you have to understand that if you’re ever in the center of the field, you have to make sure you and the quarterback are battling one another. So just getting him to where he understands the splits and understands where help is needed. He’s gradually getting there, but he’s doing a good job.”&nbsp;DEFENSIVE LINE COACH JOE CULLENQ:&nbsp;What have you seen from Felix Anudike-Uzomah?CULLEN:&nbsp;“I tell you; he’s (Felix Anudike-Uzomah) really progressing every day. You know Felix is one of the younger guys in the draft, he’s 21, but he really – he hit 34 snaps the other night, he had some really good pressure, a couple hits on the quarterback, he’s playing the run better, he’s just going like that (upwards motion) every day.”Q:&nbsp;What are your expectations from Felix Anudike-Uzomah?CULLEN:&nbsp;“I think we have to get him ready to play and I really think he’s going to help us. I think he’ll be in the rotation, he’s a good pass rusher but he can also play the run well, and he’ll work his way into a rotation.”Q:&nbsp;What do you think about Danny Shelton compared to last year?CULLEN:&nbsp;“He’s (Danny Shelton) in better shape. Danny is lighter, he’s moving quicker and it showed in the game. He had a couple tackles, he had a sack, and Danny hasn’t missed a rep at all in the preseason so that’s helped him out.”Q:&nbsp;What did you think about your pass rush performance from the first group in this first preseason game?CULLEN:&nbsp;“Well there were a couple opportunities on that 3rd&nbsp;and 8. I thought we added decent pressure, but we had to collapse the pocket and there was a 3rd&nbsp;and 3 in there we had to - I’d like to get off the field with the rush, so we have to improve there.”TIGHT ENDS COACH TOM MELVINQ:&nbsp;How have you seen Noah Gray develop and gain confidence over the years?MELVIN:&nbsp;“Well sure, every year you’re going to get a year better and he’s got a lot of playing time. He’s done a great job because we move him around to all the different positions we have, as far as the formations are concerned and he’s able to handle all of those. (He’s a) really smart, instinctual kid and he’s gotten better at knowing what he’s doing and perfecting that, knowing what the defense is doing. Now in his third year, he’s starting to set things up and that’s the progression you look for. He’s doing a real good job in camp right now with that.”Q:&nbsp;Do you have to coach differently with the guys who might run more than a 15-yard route and how fun is that for you given that it’s not a traditional part of a tight end’s role?MELVIN:&nbsp;“Yeah it keeps expanding for me. I have to talk to the wide receiver coaches now about being the individual receiver out there and how that differs from being in the slot, number three or number two. It’s helped me expand as far as what I’m doing and how much technique I have to work with them on, and the different coaching points and scouting reports that we have to give for those guys. So, it challenges me, but then them too, so they have to get a bigger picture of what’s going on. That’s helped us all along, everybody, just knowing more and more about what everybody’s doing, and we have to do it not just how that’s going to set me up or how I can set the route up, I might be out there too. So, it's expanded a lot of what we have to cover each day in our room.”Q:&nbsp;On the evolution of the tight end position.&nbsp;MELVIN:&nbsp;“Well it’s a cyclical league, so you always see – you get trends, or the offense does – and the defense catches up. Now the defense’s traditional coverages, you rarely see anymore. They’re multiple, they have combination coverages to where they’re trying to call versus where your guys are and match up a coverage with that. The challenge is always going to be (rolling gesture with hands) – (Head) Coach (Andy Reid) says keep it fresh. We’re always doing something new because so is the defense. They’re catching up and it becomes just a matchup, and if you can’t just win on matchups now you have to come up with something different or make them have to think, challenge them on making an adjustment. That’s the cat-and-mouse game that you play all the time.”Q:&nbsp;You have been coaching with Head Coach Andy Reid for a long time. Are you amazed with how he never seems to slow down and continues to have this drive? Do you have any fun stories about him in the offseason when he doesn’t seem to take a day off?MELVIN:&nbsp;“I do, but I can’t share them with you (laughter). No, he is phenomenal with his life energy, constantly going. He’s somebody who can survive on not a lot of sleep; I can’t do that the way he is. He’s a brilliant man and he’s curious about things and it’s not just football. It’s all parts of life. (He’s) just a great human being and he’s not going to be bored at anything that he chooses to do. He finds a way to get involved in it, (he is) well-rounded in all aspects of life. So, I’ve been very fortunate to be with him since `82 when he was my position coach. So, it’s been a little while.”

Chiefs Quotes: Aug. 16 

<a>MANHATTAN, Kan.</a>&nbsp;–&nbsp;One of the nation’s largest and most passionate student sections will be in full force this season as K-State Student Combo passes are sold out for the 2023-24 football and men’s basketball seasons, athletics officials announced.

A limited number of football-only passes remain for K-State students to purchase at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kstatesports.com/students" target="_blank">www.kstatesports.com/students</a>. Students interested in reserved general public season tickets for either football or men’s basketball can contact the K-State Ticket Office by calling&nbsp;1-800-221-CATS.

“Our students have always played an integral part in our teams’ success, especially in football and men’s basketball where we have prioritized their seating location,” Athletics Director&nbsp;Gene Taylorsaid. “Excitement is at an extremely high level as we enter the 2023-24 season and we are looking forward to tremendous crowds and environments beginning in the fall with football, volleyball and soccer.”

Student seating is first-come, first-served general admission, and possession of a student pass does not guarantee entry to every game. Students should arrive early to ensure a spot in the student section. Gates open two hours prior to kickoff for each home football game.

Student passes offer a considerable discount over public season tickets with an average ticket value for both sports at $2,570. All other K-State sporting events are free for K-State students with their Wildcat ID – including soccer, volleyball, women’s basketball, and baseball.&nbsp;

K-State Athletics is the only athletics program in the state of Kansas and one of only a few in the country to operate with no direct or indirect university and student funding or state support. The department also supports the K-State Marching Band with an annual payment of $200,000 plus additional operational expenses totaling more than $1 million last season, while it contributed more than $6.8 million this past year in total payments to the University base budget for tuition and fees and annual institutional support fees.

Students who have ordered their passes will receive their ticket for the football home opener in the K-State Sports app later this week. For more information regarding student tickets, contact the K-State Ticket Office at&nbsp;1-800-221-CATS&nbsp;or email&nbsp;<a href="mailto:students@kstatesports.com" target="_blank">students@kstatesports.com</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692274889412.jpeg" alt="K-State Student Combo Passes Sold Out" />
 <figcaption>K-State Student Combo Passes Sold Out</figcaption>
 </figure><a>MANHATTAN, Kan.</a>&nbsp;–&nbsp;One of the nation’s largest and most passionate student sections will be in full force this season as K-State Student Combo passes are sold out for the 2023-24 football and men’s basketball seasons, athletics officials announced.A limited number of football-only passes remain for K-State students to purchase at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kstatesports.com/students" target="_blank">www.kstatesports.com/students</a>. Students interested in reserved general public season tickets for either football or men’s basketball can contact the K-State Ticket Office by calling&nbsp;1-800-221-CATS.“Our students have always played an integral part in our teams’ success, especially in football and men’s basketball where we have prioritized their seating location,” Athletics Director&nbsp;Gene Taylorsaid. “Excitement is at an extremely high level as we enter the 2023-24 season and we are looking forward to tremendous crowds and environments beginning in the fall with football, volleyball and soccer.”Student seating is first-come, first-served general admission, and possession of a student pass does not guarantee entry to every game. Students should arrive early to ensure a spot in the student section. Gates open two hours prior to kickoff for each home football game.Student passes offer a considerable discount over public season tickets with an average ticket value for both sports at $2,570. All other K-State sporting events are free for K-State students with their Wildcat ID – including soccer, volleyball, women’s basketball, and baseball.&nbsp;K-State Athletics is the only athletics program in the state of Kansas and one of only a few in the country to operate with no direct or indirect university and student funding or state support. The department also supports the K-State Marching Band with an annual payment of $200,000 plus additional operational expenses totaling more than $1 million last season, while it contributed more than $6.8 million this past year in total payments to the University base budget for tuition and fees and annual institutional support fees.Students who have ordered their passes will receive their ticket for the football home opener in the K-State Sports app later this week. For more information regarding student tickets, contact the K-State Ticket Office at&nbsp;1-800-221-CATS&nbsp;or email&nbsp;<a href="mailto:students@kstatesports.com" target="_blank">students@kstatesports.com</a>.

K-State Student Combo Passes Sold Out

Submitted Sacred Heart Jr/Sr High School is excited to announce the hire of Mike Shaw as Athletic Director. Mike has served the Salina community for 25 years as an educator, administrator, and coach.&nbsp; The last 13 years, Mike taught at the middle school level in USD 305 and retired in 2022. Mike and his wife Donna, a professor at Kansas State University, have 3 children. Kameron and Quentin, both graduates from SHHS, and Licia, a 10th grade student at Sacred Heart.

“As a member of the Sacred Heart family, I'm keenly aware of the hard work and commitment of all those who make-up the “Knight Family''.&nbsp; This includes extraordinary parents who volunteer and are involved in the school, excellent educational instruction and leadership provided by dedicated teachers and administrators, and all the behind-the-scenes workers who make Sacred Heart shine everyday. My familiarity with the traditions have made my transition as a member of the team very smooth. The great support/leadership provided by Bryce Woodall, former AD, has made me never second guess my decision to become Athletic Director.&nbsp; I will also have the opportunity to teach 7th grade religion and social studies this year and am looking forward to being back in the classroom!”

“I look forward to helping support players, parents, and coaches as we continue to develop great athletic and academic programs that are our tradition and that have been fostered over the years. I believe that as a faith-based educational institution, we are tasked with the duty to ensure our students are safe and supported, whether they are performing at halftime, performing “Go Big Blue” in the stands, or competing on the field or court. They will be guided with encouragement, respect, and love at the highest level. We are all looking forward to a great school year!”

“We are excited to have Mike join the Sacred Heart Jr/Sr High School team. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our building, our families, and our students. We are eager to start this school year with Mike and know that he will have an incredible impact on our students. We thank Bryce Woodall for his time as Athletic Director and look forward to seeing him serve in a new capacity with our students as Industrial Arts instructor.” – John Krajicek, Principal, Sacred Heart Jr/Sr High School

Submitted Sacred Heart Jr/Sr High School is excited to announce the hire of Mike Shaw as Athletic Director. Mike has served the Salina community for 25 years as an educator, administrator, and coach.&nbsp; The last 13 years, Mike taught at the middle school level in USD 305 and retired in 2022. Mike and his wife Donna, a professor at Kansas State University, have 3 children. Kameron and Quentin, both graduates from SHHS, and Licia, a 10th grade student at Sacred Heart.“As a member of the Sacred Heart family, I'm keenly aware of the hard work and commitment of all those who make-up the “Knight Family''.&nbsp; This includes extraordinary parents who volunteer and are involved in the school, excellent educational instruction and leadership provided by dedicated teachers and administrators, and all the behind-the-scenes workers who make Sacred Heart shine everyday. My familiarity with the traditions have made my transition as a member of the team very smooth. The great support/leadership provided by Bryce Woodall, former AD, has made me never second guess my decision to become Athletic Director.&nbsp; I will also have the opportunity to teach 7th grade religion and social studies this year and am looking forward to being back in the classroom!”“I look forward to helping support players, parents, and coaches as we continue to develop great athletic and academic programs that are our tradition and that have been fostered over the years. I believe that as a faith-based educational institution, we are tasked with the duty to ensure our students are safe and supported, whether they are performing at halftime, performing “Go Big Blue” in the stands, or competing on the field or court. They will be guided with encouragement, respect, and love at the highest level. We are all looking forward to a great school year!”“We are excited to have Mike join the Sacred Heart Jr/Sr High School team. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our building, our families, and our students. We are eager to start this school year with Mike and know that he will have an incredible impact on our students. We thank Bryce Woodall for his time as Athletic Director and look forward to seeing him serve in a new capacity with our students as Industrial Arts instructor.” – John Krajicek, Principal, Sacred Heart Jr/Sr High School

Sacred Heart Jr/Sr High School hires new athletic director 

K-State Men’s Basketball Junior&nbsp;Arthur Kaluma&nbsp;paced five Wildcats in double figures with 23 points, as the Kansas State men’s basketball team opened its exhibition tour with a 94-87 win over the Israeli Select Team on Tuesday night (August 15)&nbsp;at the Hadar Yosef Arena&nbsp;in Tel Aviv, Israel. It was the Wildcats’ first exhibition game of their historic 10-day trip to Israel and Abu Dhabi, which began Wednesday, August 9 and runs&nbsp;until Sunday, August 20.

The Creighton transfer, Kaluma was joined in double figures by junior&nbsp;Cam Carterand graduate transfer&nbsp;Tylor Perry, who each had 17 points, as well as freshman&nbsp;R.J. Jones&nbsp;and senior&nbsp;Nae’Qwan Tomlin, who added 13 and 10 points, respectively. Carter registered a double-double with a game-high 10 rebounds, while Perry dished out a game-best 7 assists.&nbsp;

K-State, which led 77-68 early in the fourth quarter after a 3-pointer by Perry, had to withstand a fierce rally by the Israelis, who used a 16-4 run to take an 84-81 lead with just over 3 minutes to play. However, the Wildcats responded with a 13-3 run to end the game to secure the victory. Carter started a run of 10 straight points with a 3-pointer to tie it at 84-all with&nbsp;2:24&nbsp;remaining, which was followed by free throws from Perry, a 3-pointer from Kaluma, and a putback basket by freshman&nbsp;Macaleab Rich.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Israelis were led by&nbsp;Ryan Turell, who had a game-high 32 points and a team-high 8 rebounds. Turell currently plays for the NBA G-League’s Motor City Cruise.

K-State is now 72-20 all-time in exhibition play dating back to the first such competitions in 1964, including 28-13 against international competition. This was the first meeting with a team from Israel. The current international tour is the program’s first since 2016 when the Wildcats played 5 exhibition games in Italy and Switzerland.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

K-State departs for Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. early&nbsp;Wednesday morning&nbsp;(August 16), where they will play 2 more games&nbsp;on Thursday (August 17)&nbsp;and&nbsp;Friday (August 18).

The K-State/Israeli All-Stars box score is available&nbsp;<a href="https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/kstate.sidearmsports.com/documents/2023/8/15/KS_94__Israeli_Select_87_BOX.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.

On the overall performance of the team…&nbsp; “I was super excited that we got the win. The goal was to try and get everybody in and get some experience, see the young guys play, then their competitiveness kicked in and they were trying to figure out how to win it. I was pleased with the outcome. We’re gonna learn more about our team off the court (during this trip) then we’re going to learn on the floor. And so that’s important to us. It’s been a great experience so far.”

On the play of the newcomers… “Arthur and TP came here for a reason. We expect them to be major contributors and All-Big 12 type of players, so they showed a glimpse of some of the things they can do. They are learning something new and how to play differently and play with new teammates. R.J. (Jones) did a good job of responding in the second half. We were going to switch lineups in each half to give different guys a chance to start.”

Back and Forth Affair:&nbsp;K-State led for 36 minutes and 31 seconds in the game, jumping out to big leads before holding off a strong push from the Israelis. The Wildcats led 21-12 with&nbsp;3:15&nbsp;remaining in the first quarter before allowing the Israelis to use an 8-0 run to close the gap at 26-19. The team took a 12-point lead (38-26) in the second quarter before watching the home team cut the deficit to 43-42 at the break.&nbsp;

The Wildcats built the lead back up in the middle of third quarter and early moments of the fourth quarter before allowing the Israelis to regain the lead at 84-81 with under 4 minutes to play. Fortunately, the team finished the game on a 13-3 run to pull out the victory.

Noteworthy Numbers: The Wildcats connected on 43.7 percent (31-of-71) from the field, 32.4 percent (12-of-37) from 3-point range and made 66.7 percent (20-of-30) from the free throw line. The Israelis shot 40.3 percent (27-of-67), including 36.8 percent (14-of-38) from long range, and 86.4 percent (19-of-22) from the line.

K-State scored 27 points off 18 Israeli turnovers (including 13 steals) and held advantages in points in the paint (36-16) and second-chance points (20-14).

Different Starters: Head coach&nbsp;Jerome Tang&nbsp;mixed and matched his starting lineup, beginning the game with the combination of graduate transfer&nbsp;Tylor Perry, junior&nbsp;Cam Carter, redshirt freshman&nbsp;Taj Manning, junior&nbsp;Arthur Kaluma&nbsp;and senior&nbsp;Nae’Qwan Tomlin. He followed with Perry, Carter, freshman&nbsp;R.J. Jones, Kaluma and Tomlin in the second and third quarters before starting Perry, Carter, sophomore&nbsp;Dorian Finister, Kaluma and Tomlin the fourth quarter.

Playing with 10: The K-State team consisted of 10 players, as rising senior&nbsp;David N’Guessan&nbsp;is currently playing for The Netherlands at the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Istanbul, Turkiye. The Orange Lions are 1-1 after a 78-76 last-second win over Belgium on Monday (August 14) and conclude pool play with Croatia on Wednesday (August 16).

Kaluma Enjoys Strong Start:&nbsp;Junior&nbsp;Arthur Kaluma&nbsp;showed his tremendous ability in his first action as a Wildcat, leading the team with 23 points on 8-of-11 field goals, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, and 4-of-5 shooting from the free throw line. He also added 5 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block in nearly 32 minutes.

Carter Shows All-Around Potential:&nbsp;Junior&nbsp;Cam Carter&nbsp;notched a double-double with 17 points on 6-of-16 shooting with a game-high 10 rebounds (9 defensive), team-best 2 blocks and 2 steals in nearly 32 minutes.&nbsp;

Perry Manning the Point:&nbsp;Graduate transfer&nbsp;Tylor Perry&nbsp;caught fire late to finish with 17 points on 4-of-12 field goals (all from 3-point range) and 5-of-6 free throws to go along with a game-high 7 assists and 7 rebounds in 35 minutes of action.

Game 2 | K-State vs. Mexico |&nbsp;August 17 @ 8 a.m. CT/5 p.m. Local |&nbsp;Streaming&nbsp;Link TBA

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692219253664.jpeg" alt="Kaluma Leads Five Wildcats in Double Figures in Exhibition Win" />
 <figcaption>Kaluma Leads Five Wildcats in Double Figures in Exhibition Win</figcaption>
 </figure>K-State Men’s Basketball Junior&nbsp;Arthur Kaluma&nbsp;paced five Wildcats in double figures with 23 points, as the Kansas State men’s basketball team opened its exhibition tour with a 94-87 win over the Israeli Select Team on Tuesday night (August 15)&nbsp;at the Hadar Yosef Arena&nbsp;in Tel Aviv, Israel. It was the Wildcats’ first exhibition game of their historic 10-day trip to Israel and Abu Dhabi, which began Wednesday, August 9 and runs&nbsp;until Sunday, August 20.The Creighton transfer, Kaluma was joined in double figures by junior&nbsp;Cam Carterand graduate transfer&nbsp;Tylor Perry, who each had 17 points, as well as freshman&nbsp;R.J. Jones&nbsp;and senior&nbsp;Nae’Qwan Tomlin, who added 13 and 10 points, respectively. Carter registered a double-double with a game-high 10 rebounds, while Perry dished out a game-best 7 assists.&nbsp;K-State, which led 77-68 early in the fourth quarter after a 3-pointer by Perry, had to withstand a fierce rally by the Israelis, who used a 16-4 run to take an 84-81 lead with just over 3 minutes to play. However, the Wildcats responded with a 13-3 run to end the game to secure the victory. Carter started a run of 10 straight points with a 3-pointer to tie it at 84-all with&nbsp;2:24&nbsp;remaining, which was followed by free throws from Perry, a 3-pointer from Kaluma, and a putback basket by freshman&nbsp;Macaleab Rich.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The Israelis were led by&nbsp;Ryan Turell, who had a game-high 32 points and a team-high 8 rebounds. Turell currently plays for the NBA G-League’s Motor City Cruise.K-State is now 72-20 all-time in exhibition play dating back to the first such competitions in 1964, including 28-13 against international competition. This was the first meeting with a team from Israel. The current international tour is the program’s first since 2016 when the Wildcats played 5 exhibition games in Italy and Switzerland.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;K-State departs for Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. early&nbsp;Wednesday morning&nbsp;(August 16), where they will play 2 more games&nbsp;on Thursday (August 17)&nbsp;and&nbsp;Friday (August 18).The K-State/Israeli All-Stars box score is available&nbsp;<a href="https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/kstate.sidearmsports.com/documents/2023/8/15/KS_94__Israeli_Select_87_BOX.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.HEAD COACH JEROME TANGOn the overall performance of the team…&nbsp; “I was super excited that we got the win. The goal was to try and get everybody in and get some experience, see the young guys play, then their competitiveness kicked in and they were trying to figure out how to win it. I was pleased with the outcome. We’re gonna learn more about our team off the court (during this trip) then we’re going to learn on the floor. And so that’s important to us. It’s been a great experience so far.” On the play of the newcomers… “Arthur and TP came here for a reason. We expect them to be major contributors and All-Big 12 type of players, so they showed a glimpse of some of the things they can do. They are learning something new and how to play differently and play with new teammates. R.J. (Jones) did a good job of responding in the second half. We were going to switch lineups in each half to give different guys a chance to start.”TEAM NOTESBack and Forth Affair:&nbsp;K-State led for 36 minutes and 31 seconds in the game, jumping out to big leads before holding off a strong push from the Israelis. The Wildcats led 21-12 with&nbsp;3:15&nbsp;remaining in the first quarter before allowing the Israelis to use an 8-0 run to close the gap at 26-19. The team took a 12-point lead (38-26) in the second quarter before watching the home team cut the deficit to 43-42 at the break.&nbsp; The Wildcats built the lead back up in the middle of third quarter and early moments of the fourth quarter before allowing the Israelis to regain the lead at 84-81 with under 4 minutes to play. Fortunately, the team finished the game on a 13-3 run to pull out the victory.Noteworthy Numbers: The Wildcats connected on 43.7 percent (31-of-71) from the field, 32.4 percent (12-of-37) from 3-point range and made 66.7 percent (20-of-30) from the free throw line. The Israelis shot 40.3 percent (27-of-67), including 36.8 percent (14-of-38) from long range, and 86.4 percent (19-of-22) from the line. K-State scored 27 points off 18 Israeli turnovers (including 13 steals) and held advantages in points in the paint (36-16) and second-chance points (20-14).Different Starters: Head coach&nbsp;Jerome Tang&nbsp;mixed and matched his starting lineup, beginning the game with the combination of graduate transfer&nbsp;Tylor Perry, junior&nbsp;Cam Carter, redshirt freshman&nbsp;Taj Manning, junior&nbsp;Arthur Kaluma&nbsp;and senior&nbsp;Nae’Qwan Tomlin. He followed with Perry, Carter, freshman&nbsp;R.J. Jones, Kaluma and Tomlin in the second and third quarters before starting Perry, Carter, sophomore&nbsp;Dorian Finister, Kaluma and Tomlin the fourth quarter.Playing with 10: The K-State team consisted of 10 players, as rising senior&nbsp;David N’Guessan&nbsp;is currently playing for The Netherlands at the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Istanbul, Turkiye. The Orange Lions are 1-1 after a 78-76 last-second win over Belgium on Monday (August 14) and conclude pool play with Croatia on Wednesday (August 16).PLAYER NOTES Kaluma Enjoys Strong Start:&nbsp;Junior&nbsp;Arthur Kaluma&nbsp;showed his tremendous ability in his first action as a Wildcat, leading the team with 23 points on 8-of-11 field goals, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, and 4-of-5 shooting from the free throw line. He also added 5 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block in nearly 32 minutes.Carter Shows All-Around Potential:&nbsp;Junior&nbsp;Cam Carter&nbsp;notched a double-double with 17 points on 6-of-16 shooting with a game-high 10 rebounds (9 defensive), team-best 2 blocks and 2 steals in nearly 32 minutes.&nbsp;Perry Manning the Point:&nbsp;Graduate transfer&nbsp;Tylor Perry&nbsp;caught fire late to finish with 17 points on 4-of-12 field goals (all from 3-point range) and 5-of-6 free throws to go along with a game-high 7 assists and 7 rebounds in 35 minutes of action.What's NextGame 2 | K-State vs. Mexico |&nbsp;August 17 @ 8 a.m. CT/5 p.m. Local |&nbsp;Streaming&nbsp;Link TBA

Kaluma Leads Five Wildcats in Double Figures in Exhibition Win

OPENING STATEMENT: “Alright as far as injuries go, Mike Edwards ankle swole up, foot and ankle. It looks good off x-ray and all that, just got stepped on. Nic Jones, I mentioned he had a hand fracture. He’s at a specialist right now, so we’ll see how he does. (Anthony) Witherstone we talked about with the toe. The toe is sprained, right toe. And then today we had a couple receivers go down. Nikko Remigio went down with a shoulder dislocation. (Ihmir) Smith-Marsette went down with a groin (injury). And (Justyn) J Ross knee/hamstring. He’s being checked out now. Anyways had a chance to go back and look at the tape. Some good things, and then there’s plenty of stuff we need to work on. But it was good to get the young guys as many reps as we did, everybody got to play which is good for evaluation purposes. Like I said there was some good and then there was some things we got to clean up. Anyways with that, time’s yours.”

REID: “It’s a knee, hamstring, shin, something down there? We’ll just have to see what it is.”

Q: You mentioned after the game the tempo out of your ones was not what you wanted to see. What did you notice going back and watching the tape?

REID: “Yeah so again there are no excuses, but we don’t game plan for these really but with that you’ve got to keep the tempo rolling. I wanted it better than what we had it. Again, they (the Saints) presented a better tempo than what we did. I expect us to be able to get off the field and continue to drive on the offensive side.”

Q: Fans get worried about short yardage plays. How much have you worked on that this offseason and how do you work on that?

REID: “That’s what I said after the game – we’re trying something there with the QB sneak – you really can’t work on in these practices here but you can in the preseason. We tried it, we’ll go back to the drawing board on it. It obviously didn’t work and stalled the drive, but it’s good to get it on tape and to see it.”

Q: What kind of camp has Nikko Remigio had?

REID: “He had a nice game and did some really good things both special teams wise and in the throw game part of it, the catching part. We’ll just see how this thing goes, the shoulder’s back in and all that, but we just have to see how he does.”

Q: How did Richie James do? He didn’t really work with Patrick Mahomes in the game.

REID: “He’s been working in with (Patrick) Pat (Mahomes) in the practices. We tried to get some of the young guys some reps we have a pretty good feel for him, he’s a good player. We’ve got good tape in this offense of him. There was a little more emphasis put on four (Rashee Rice) and eight (Justyn Ross) in the game and get some work with him (Patrick Mahomes).

Q: Do you have any more of a long-term prognosis on Nic Jones?

REID: “I don’t. I don’t have any more on him. I’ll find out today a little bit more on what direction they are going to go with it.”

Q: In a small sample size how do you feel about Donovan Smith and Jawaan Taylor?

REID: “I thought they did a nice job. Our pass protection was good with the (first string) offensive line. They did some good things with the run game. We just had the stall. You can’t do that, got to take care of business with that. Then (Patrick) Pat (Mahomes) didn’t play a whole lot of plays.”

Q: Based on what you saw in the first game, what more do you want to see from Deneric Prince?

REID: “Right now the legs are tired. He’s getting a lot of reps, he’s kind of battling through himself right now. He’ll pop through it, if he just keeps pushing, he’ll pop through all this and be able to put his pad level down and his eyes up and go. He’s got some more opportunities here. I think he’ll be alright.”

Q: Nick Bolton is going into his third year. What have you seen from him in camp and in the first game?

REID: “Well I like his leadership. Obviously, he’s got a good feel for what we’re doing. He’s a good football player all the way around. I don’t know what to add to that other than he does a nice job. Really last year I thought he played at an All-pro level and people know who he is now, he’s going to have to step up obviously. He’s always been willing to do that.”

Q: Is there any under rated part of Nick Bolton’s game that he does not get enough credit for?

REID: “Yeah, I think last year helped that though. I think there was enough that you guys (he media) wrote about his production and that, which was great. People have taken – he’s a quiet guy, he’s not outspoken, flamboyant or any of that. He just goes and plays. Same way in college, he did a great job in college, so phenomenal tackler, great feel for the game.”

REID: “Yeah we brought in a linebacker (Olakunle Fatukasi) and a corner (Duron Lowe).”

Q: What was the second move along with the Anthony Witherstone injury settlement to open the other roster spot? Was anyone placed on IR?

REID: “Jody Fortson yeah. Jody (Fortson) is having his shoulder done.”

Q: Any communication or update on Chris Jones?

Q: Are you going to get L'Jarius Sneed back soon?

REID: “Yeah, he will. We’re just – again taking that slow, but yeah we’ll get him back sooner than later.

OPENING STATEMENT: “Alright as far as injuries go, Mike Edwards ankle swole up, foot and ankle. It looks good off x-ray and all that, just got stepped on. Nic Jones, I mentioned he had a hand fracture. He’s at a specialist right now, so we’ll see how he does. (Anthony) Witherstone we talked about with the toe. The toe is sprained, right toe. And then today we had a couple receivers go down. Nikko Remigio went down with a shoulder dislocation. (Ihmir) Smith-Marsette went down with a groin (injury). And (Justyn) J Ross knee/hamstring. He’s being checked out now. Anyways had a chance to go back and look at the tape. Some good things, and then there’s plenty of stuff we need to work on. But it was good to get the young guys as many reps as we did, everybody got to play which is good for evaluation purposes. Like I said there was some good and then there was some things we got to clean up. Anyways with that, time’s yours.”Q: What was the Justyn Ross injury?REID: “It’s a knee, hamstring, shin, something down there? We’ll just have to see what it is.”Q: You mentioned after the game the tempo out of your ones was not what you wanted to see. What did you notice going back and watching the tape?REID: “Yeah so again there are no excuses, but we don’t game plan for these really but with that you’ve got to keep the tempo rolling. I wanted it better than what we had it. Again, they (the Saints) presented a better tempo than what we did. I expect us to be able to get off the field and continue to drive on the offensive side.”Q: Fans get worried about short yardage plays. How much have you worked on that this offseason and how do you work on that?REID: “That’s what I said after the game – we’re trying something there with the QB sneak – you really can’t work on in these practices here but you can in the preseason. We tried it, we’ll go back to the drawing board on it. It obviously didn’t work and stalled the drive, but it’s good to get it on tape and to see it.”Q: What kind of camp has Nikko Remigio had?REID: “He had a nice game and did some really good things both special teams wise and in the throw game part of it, the catching part. We’ll just see how this thing goes, the shoulder’s back in and all that, but we just have to see how he does.”Q: How did Richie James do? He didn’t really work with Patrick Mahomes in the game.REID: “He’s been working in with (Patrick) Pat (Mahomes) in the practices. We tried to get some of the young guys some reps we have a pretty good feel for him, he’s a good player. We’ve got good tape in this offense of him. There was a little more emphasis put on four (Rashee Rice) and eight (Justyn Ross) in the game and get some work with him (Patrick Mahomes).Q: Do you have any more of a long-term prognosis on Nic Jones?REID: “I don’t. I don’t have any more on him. I’ll find out today a little bit more on what direction they are going to go with it.”Q: In a small sample size how do you feel about Donovan Smith and Jawaan Taylor?REID: “I thought they did a nice job. Our pass protection was good with the (first string) offensive line. They did some good things with the run game. We just had the stall. You can’t do that, got to take care of business with that. Then (Patrick) Pat (Mahomes) didn’t play a whole lot of plays.”Q: Based on what you saw in the first game, what more do you want to see from Deneric Prince?REID: “Right now the legs are tired. He’s getting a lot of reps, he’s kind of battling through himself right now. He’ll pop through it, if he just keeps pushing, he’ll pop through all this and be able to put his pad level down and his eyes up and go. He’s got some more opportunities here. I think he’ll be alright.”Q: Nick Bolton is going into his third year. What have you seen from him in camp and in the first game?REID: “Well I like his leadership. Obviously, he’s got a good feel for what we’re doing. He’s a good football player all the way around. I don’t know what to add to that other than he does a nice job. Really last year I thought he played at an All-pro level and people know who he is now, he’s going to have to step up obviously. He’s always been willing to do that.”Q: Is there any under rated part of Nick Bolton’s game that he does not get enough credit for?REID: “Yeah, I think last year helped that though. I think there was enough that you guys (he media) wrote about his production and that, which was great. People have taken – he’s a quiet guy, he’s not outspoken, flamboyant or any of that. He just goes and plays. Same way in college, he did a great job in college, so phenomenal tackler, great feel for the game.”Q: On the roster moves this morning?REID: “Yeah we brought in a linebacker (Olakunle Fatukasi) and a corner (Duron Lowe).”Q: What was the second move along with the Anthony Witherstone injury settlement to open the other roster spot? Was anyone placed on IR?REID: “Jody Fortson yeah. Jody (Fortson) is having his shoulder done.”Q: Any communication or update on Chris Jones?REID: “No.”Q: Are you going to get L'Jarius Sneed back soon?REID: “Yeah, he will. We’re just – again taking that slow, but yeah we’ll get him back sooner than later.

Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid Quotes, Aug. 15

LAWRENCE, Kan. –&nbsp;The University of Kansas and Kansas Athletics on Tuesday announced the latest plans for the transformational Gateway District, which will feature a reimagined David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, a new conference center and multi-use facilities that will enable year-round use and drive economic development in Lawrence. Plans for the district also include a combination of new retail, dining and other amenities that will drive student recruitment and enhance the campus experience for KU students and employees.

The latest plans for the district – including the first architectural renderings of the project—were shared Tuesday afternoon at an event at the Jayhawk Welcome Center, hosted by Chancellor Douglas Girod, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, Kansas Director of Athletics Travis Goff and other members of the University community.

The project will be completed in a multi-phased approach. The first phase of the project will include additional renovations to, and expansion of, Anderson Family Football Complex, the training hub for Kansas Football. Additionally, the first phase will include the construction of new southwest, west and north sides of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, as well as a new conference center on the north end.

Construction on the first phase will begin at the conclusion of the 2023 football season, and will be completed by the beginning of the 2025 season. Kansas Football will continue to play at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium during construction and will have reduced capacity for the 2024 season. Fans are encouraged to purchase season tickets for the 2023 season to have the opportunity to be in the stadium for the 2024 season.

The project will be primarily funded by private funds from donors and no tuition dollars or state general funds will be used. Kansas Athletics has set an initial fundraising goal of $300 million for David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium and Allen Fieldhouse capital projects, which is currently under construction. A total of $165 million in gifts and commitments have been secured, including $125 million since the project was announced last October. This represents unprecedented and record-shattering fundraising results, but additional support will be needed in order to fulfill the full vision.

Funding for the project will also include $35 million in ARPA funds appropriated to KU by the 2022 Kansas legislature, as well as up to $50 million through the Kansas Department of Commerce’s University Challenge Grant program. These funds will help fund the aspects of the Gateway District that will drive economic development, including the conference center and multi-use spaces. Additional funds may come from bonds issued by Kansas Athletics, the debt from which would be repaid from new revenue streams generated by the stadium.

Future phases of the Gateway District and David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium will focus on the south and east portions of the stadium, as well as development of multi-use facilities to be used throughout the year to generate revenue for academic programming and student success. Although in the early stages of planning, the multi-use facilities will include a mix of amenities that further boost economic development in the area and advance the university’s academic mission, such as arts and entertaining, dining, retail, office spaces and lodging.

The Gateway District, including the upgrades to the Anderson Family Football Complex and David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, will create a best-in-class experience for student-athletes, fans and supporters. The first phase of upgrades to Anderson was completed earlier this month when Kansas Football unveiled a new locker room and weight room.

The renovations to the Anderson Family Complex, to be completed as part of the first phase of the project, will equip the building with a state-of-the-art sports medicine center that will feature new hydrotherapy pools, cryotherapy chambers and infrared light therapy equipment. The building, which will be expanded north to connect to the stadium, will also have a new 2,300-square foot player lounge with a nutrition and fuel bar and will have nutrition fueling stations throughout the facility.

Plans are also in place for a 1,200-square foot state-of-the-art photo/video/audio content studio and a 2,400-square foot in-house student-services center with dedicated study rooms and player development and academic support facilities. The team will also have a 180-seat team meeting room with full view into David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. In addition, the facility will be equipped with a 2,400-square foot virtual practice walkthrough room with a video wall that can be combined with the new lobby of the building to create 5,500-square feet worth of multi-functional event space.

The reconceptualized northern entrance to campus will undoubtedly help in economic growth for the city of Lawrence and the University of Kansas. The mixed-use development is projected to amount to $2.4 billion in direct, indirect and induced spending and $1.4 billion in direct, indirect and induced earnings, while supporting an estimated 720 jobs. Construction of the mixed-use development will create an additional 670 temporary jobs, $2.2 million in state sales tax and $2.4 million in state personal income tax. An estimated 500,000 prospective students and guests who visit the University of Kansas each year would utilize and benefit from the Gateway District and David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

The upgrades to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium will create an unprecedented fan experience in Lawrence with amenities suited for all fans. The new seating bowl will bring fans closer to game action with the first row of seating four feet higher off the ground. On top of improved accessible seating and sight lines, there will be new chairback seating in the west and north seating areas and a videoboard that will be approximately two-and-a-half times larger and 60-feet closer to the field. There will be a 50 percent increase in area per seat and 50 percent more leg room throughout the stadium. Fans can also expect approximately 2,300 club seats in three different club spaces and unique social zones, along with suites 80 feet closer to the field. On the concourses, fans can expect four-times more food and beverage offerings and at least 1.5 times more restrooms.

Local design firms HNTB and Multistudio have taken the design lead on the Gateway District and David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. HNTB, headquartered in Kansas City, is a national leader in sports architecture and has been the lead designer for Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California and several other projects from coast to coast. Located in Lawrence, Multistudio places an emphasis on community improvement and immersion and is known as an innovator in the design industry.

KU has also partnered with Turner Construction Company as the construction manager for the project. Turner was named the No. 1 construction manager in the United States by Engineering News-Record and the No. 3 sports builder in the nation. In May, Legends, a global premium experiences company, and Kansas Athletics announced a comprehensive, long-term partnership focused on reimagining the fan experience at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Legends is working with Kansas Athletics to optimize revenue generation and curate experiences for all KU fans. The Nations Group is serving as the owner’s representative throughout the project, using their industry and market knowledge to assist Kansas Athletics in the project.

“This project represents a new day for the University of Kansas,” said Goff. “An ambitious vision and heightened aspirations require bold investment and earnest action. The Gateway District and new David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium will deliver a profound experience and provide an impact that our student-athletes, fans, and broader community richly deserve.”

Kansas supporters can learn more about the Gateway District by visiting KUGatewayDistrict.com, which will be live starting at 2:45 p.m. The interactive website features renderings, frequently asked questions, videos honoring the past, ways to get involved and much more.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1692127080000.png" alt="Courtesy of Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy of Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>LAWRENCE, Kan. –&nbsp;The University of Kansas and Kansas Athletics on Tuesday announced the latest plans for the transformational Gateway District, which will feature a reimagined David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, a new conference center and multi-use facilities that will enable year-round use and drive economic development in Lawrence. Plans for the district also include a combination of new retail, dining and other amenities that will drive student recruitment and enhance the campus experience for KU students and employees.The latest plans for the district – including the first architectural renderings of the project—were shared Tuesday afternoon at an event at the Jayhawk Welcome Center, hosted by Chancellor Douglas Girod, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, Kansas Director of Athletics Travis Goff and other members of the University community.The project will be completed in a multi-phased approach. The first phase of the project will include additional renovations to, and expansion of, Anderson Family Football Complex, the training hub for Kansas Football. Additionally, the first phase will include the construction of new southwest, west and north sides of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, as well as a new conference center on the north end.Construction on the first phase will begin at the conclusion of the 2023 football season, and will be completed by the beginning of the 2025 season. Kansas Football will continue to play at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium during construction and will have reduced capacity for the 2024 season. Fans are encouraged to purchase season tickets for the 2023 season to have the opportunity to be in the stadium for the 2024 season.The project will be primarily funded by private funds from donors and no tuition dollars or state general funds will be used. Kansas Athletics has set an initial fundraising goal of $300 million for David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium and Allen Fieldhouse capital projects, which is currently under construction. A total of $165 million in gifts and commitments have been secured, including $125 million since the project was announced last October. This represents unprecedented and record-shattering fundraising results, but additional support will be needed in order to fulfill the full vision.Funding for the project will also include $35 million in ARPA funds appropriated to KU by the 2022 Kansas legislature, as well as up to $50 million through the Kansas Department of Commerce’s University Challenge Grant program. These funds will help fund the aspects of the Gateway District that will drive economic development, including the conference center and multi-use spaces. Additional funds may come from bonds issued by Kansas Athletics, the debt from which would be repaid from new revenue streams generated by the stadium.Future phases of the Gateway District and David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium will focus on the south and east portions of the stadium, as well as development of multi-use facilities to be used throughout the year to generate revenue for academic programming and student success. Although in the early stages of planning, the multi-use facilities will include a mix of amenities that further boost economic development in the area and advance the university’s academic mission, such as arts and entertaining, dining, retail, office spaces and lodging.The Gateway District, including the upgrades to the Anderson Family Football Complex and David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, will create a best-in-class experience for student-athletes, fans and supporters. The first phase of upgrades to Anderson was completed earlier this month when Kansas Football unveiled a new locker room and weight room.The renovations to the Anderson Family Complex, to be completed as part of the first phase of the project, will equip the building with a state-of-the-art sports medicine center that will feature new hydrotherapy pools, cryotherapy chambers and infrared light therapy equipment. The building, which will be expanded north to connect to the stadium, will also have a new 2,300-square foot player lounge with a nutrition and fuel bar and will have nutrition fueling stations throughout the facility.Plans are also in place for a 1,200-square foot state-of-the-art photo/video/audio content studio and a 2,400-square foot in-house student-services center with dedicated study rooms and player development and academic support facilities. The team will also have a 180-seat team meeting room with full view into David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. In addition, the facility will be equipped with a 2,400-square foot virtual practice walkthrough room with a video wall that can be combined with the new lobby of the building to create 5,500-square feet worth of multi-functional event space.The reconceptualized northern entrance to campus will undoubtedly help in economic growth for the city of Lawrence and the University of Kansas. The mixed-use development is projected to amount to $2.4 billion in direct, indirect and induced spending and $1.4 billion in direct, indirect and induced earnings, while supporting an estimated 720 jobs. Construction of the mixed-use development will create an additional 670 temporary jobs, $2.2 million in state sales tax and $2.4 million in state personal income tax. An estimated 500,000 prospective students and guests who visit the University of Kansas each year would utilize and benefit from the Gateway District and David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.The upgrades to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium will create an unprecedented fan experience in Lawrence with amenities suited for all fans. The new seating bowl will bring fans closer to game action with the first row of seating four feet higher off the ground. On top of improved accessible seating and sight lines, there will be new chairback seating in the west and north seating areas and a videoboard that will be approximately two-and-a-half times larger and 60-feet closer to the field. There will be a 50 percent increase in area per seat and 50 percent more leg room throughout the stadium. Fans can also expect approximately 2,300 club seats in three different club spaces and unique social zones, along with suites 80 feet closer to the field. On the concourses, fans can expect four-times more food and beverage offerings and at least 1.5 times more restrooms.Local design firms HNTB and Multistudio have taken the design lead on the Gateway District and David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. HNTB, headquartered in Kansas City, is a national leader in sports architecture and has been the lead designer for Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California and several other projects from coast to coast. Located in Lawrence, Multistudio places an emphasis on community improvement and immersion and is known as an innovator in the design industry.KU has also partnered with Turner Construction Company as the construction manager for the project. Turner was named the No. 1 construction manager in the United States by Engineering News-Record and the No. 3 sports builder in the nation. In May, Legends, a global premium experiences company, and Kansas Athletics announced a comprehensive, long-term partnership focused on reimagining the fan experience at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Legends is working with Kansas Athletics to optimize revenue generation and curate experiences for all KU fans. The Nations Group is serving as the owner’s representative throughout the project, using their industry and market knowledge to assist Kansas Athletics in the project.“This project represents a new day for the University of Kansas,” said Goff. “An ambitious vision and heightened aspirations require bold investment and earnest action. The Gateway District and new David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium will deliver a profound experience and provide an impact that our student-athletes, fans, and broader community richly deserve.”Kansas supporters can learn more about the Gateway District by visiting KUGatewayDistrict.com, which will be live starting at 2:45 p.m. The interactive website features renderings, frequently asked questions, videos honoring the past, ways to get involved and much more.