Nov 22, 2024

MBB: Preview // K-State Opens Play in Paradise Jam vs. George Washington Friday

Posted Nov 22, 2024 3:43 PM

GAME 5

KANSAS STATE (3-1) vs. GEORGE WASHINGTON (4-0)

25th Annual U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise JamFriday, November 22, 2024 >> 7 p.m., CT >> UVI Sports and Fitness Center >> St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.Paradise Jam Tournament Website (here)Paradise Jam Tournament Bracket (here)TELEVISIONESPN+ / WatchESPN (link here)

  1. Brad Wells (play-by-play)
  2. Kevin Lehman (analyst)

RADIO

K-State Sports NetworkFlagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580Satellite Radio: Ch. 386Online: Varsity Network [free] / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

  1. Brian Smoller (play-by-play)
  2. Ben Boyle (analyst)

LIVE STATS

kstatesports.comkstate.statbroadcast.com

COACHES

K-State: Jerome Tang [Charter Oak State College ‘07]Record at K-State: 48-26/3rd YearCareer Record: 50-26*/3rd Yearvs.

George Washington: 0-0 [0-0 neutral site]George Washington: Chris Caputo [Westfield State ‘02]Record at GW: 35-33/3rd YearCareer Record: 35-33/3rd Yearvs. K-State: 0-0 [0-0 neutral site]

LAST GAME STARTERS:

K-State (3-1)G: #3 C.J. JonesG: #11 Brendan HausenG: #2 Max JonesW: #33 Coleman HawkinsW: #1 David N’Guessan

George Washington (4-0)G: #1 Trey MossG: #2 Christian JonesG: #5 Gerald Drumgoole Jr.F: #3 Darren Buchanan Jr.C: #30 Rafael Castro

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: K-State leads 4-1At Neutral Sites: K-State leads 1-0At Paradise Jam: First meetingActive Streak: K-State, 4First Meeting: L, 25-48 [12/28/1940 in Washington, D.C.]Last Meeting: W, 67-59 [11/24/2017 in Las Vegas]Jerome Tang vs. Chris Caputo: 0-0

K-STATE OPENS PLAY IN PARADISE JAM VS. GEORGE WASHINGTON FRIDAY

K-State opens play in the 25th annual U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam on Friday, as the Wildcats take on Atlantic 10 foe George Washington (4-0) at 7 p.m., CT at the UVI Sports and Fitness Center in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. The winner will face either Liberty (4-1) or Louisiana (1-3) on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 7 p.m., CT, while the teams losing their opening round game will meet on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 4:30 p.m., CT. All games of the tournament will air on ESPN+.The eight-team field also includes teams from UAB (3-2), Illinois State (3-1), Longwood (5-0) and McNeese (2-2), which face off in the other side of the bracket. The two teams who win the first 2 games will face off in the championship game on Monday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m., CT. The remaining teams will play in consolation games prior to the title contest at 11:30 a.m., CT (seventh-place game), 2 p.m., CT (fourth-place game) and 4:30 p.m., CT (third-place game), respectively.Six of the eight teams in the Paradise Jam won 18 or more games in 2023-24, while Longwood, McNeese and UAB all advanced to the NCAA Tournament.Previous winners of the Paradise Jam include Big 12 members BYU (2002), Baylor (2007) and Colorado (2017) as well as Arkansas (2004), Wisconsin (2005), Alabama (2006), UConn (2008), Purdue (2009), Marquette (2011) and Creighton (2016). Last season, Missouri State defeated Abilene Christian, 87-69, in the championship game.

LAST TIME OUT

K-State used a 16-3 run out of halftime to close out its season-opening 4-game homestand on a high note with a 74-56 win over Mississippi Valley State on Tuesday. With its 3-point shooting off (3-of-23), the Wildcats used rebounding and free throw shooting to flip a 2-point halftime lead into an 18-point victory over the Delta Devils (1-4). The team held a 45-28 edge on the glass, scoring 36 points in the paint, while converting on an impressive 25 of 27 attempts from the free throw line.Junior Ugonna Onyenso paced three Wildcats in double figures with a career-high 16 points, while junior C.J. Jones and senior David N’Guessan added 12 and 10 points, respectively. Senior Coleman Hawkins had a career-tying 13 rebounds and team-highs in assists (4) and steals (3).

KEY STORYLINES

  1. This will mark K-State’s third appearance (2002, 2018 and 2024) in the Paradise Jam with the Wildcats winning the 2018 Championship with victories over Eastern Kentucky (95-68), Penn (64-48) and Missouri (82-67). The team is 5-2 all-time in the tournament, posting a 1-2 mark in its inaugural appearance in 2002. K-State won the Cayman Islands Classic in coach Jerome Tang’s first season in 2022 before finishing as the runner-up at the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship in 2023. 
  2. This will be a homecoming for both Tang and assistant coach Jareem Dowling, who spent most of their formative years in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tang was born in San Fernando, Trinidad in the West Indies before migrating to St. Croix as a child. He remained there until his family moved to Texas when he was 10. Dowling was born and raised in St. Croix before moving to Delaware during his high school years. Both Tang and Dowling has spent time working with the U.S. Virgin Islands National Basketball Teams with Dowling serving as the head coach for the Junior National Team.
  3. Newcomers have combined to score 227 of the team’s 305 points, including 8 of the 12 double-digit scoring games. Senior returner David N’Guessan (21, 12, 16 and 10 points) is the only Wildcat to score in double figures in the first 4 games, but the next 6 highest scorers belong to newcomers, including 2 double-digit scoring efforts by junior Brendan Hausen and senior Max Jones.

A K-STATE WIN WOULD…

  1. Set up a matchup with the winner of Liberty/Louisiana game.
  2. Give the Wildcats their 5th win in 6 meetings with GW.
  3. Extend the Wildcats’ all-time record to 6-2 at the Paradise Jam.
  4. Push its in-season tournament record to 184-116.
  5. Give the Wildcats an 185-57 non-conference mark since 2006.

NOTES ON GEORGE WASHINGTON

  1. Led by third-year head coach Chris Caputo, George Washington enters the Paradise Jam with a perfect 4-0 record after opening the season with home wins over Mercyhurst (76-59), Hampton (82-54), North Carolina A&T (85-80) and NJIT (84-64).
  2. George Washington is averaging 81.8 points on 47.9 percent shooting, including 25 percent from 3-point range, to go with 38.8 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 10.0 steals and 2.3 blocks per game. The Revolutionaries are allowing 64.3 points on 39.4 percent shooting, including 33.3 percent from 3-point range. They are connecting on 76.5 percent from the free throw line.
  3. Redshirt sophomore Darren Buchanan Jr. leads the Revolutionaries in scoring (17.3 ppg.), rebounding (9.0 rpg.), assists (2.8 apg.) and steals (2.3 spg.) while connecting on 55.1 percent from the field. He is joined in double figures by junior Rafael Castro (13.5 ppg.), graduate Gerald Drumgoole Jr. (12.3 ppg.) and sophomore Jacoi Hutchinson (10.3 ppg.). Castro is shooting a team-best 73.1 percent from the field, while also averaging 9.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game.
  4. George Washington returns 9 lettermen, including 2 starters, from a squad that posted a 15-17 overall record, including a 15th place finish in the Atlantic 10 standings with a 4-14 mark, in 2023-24.
  5. George Washington is led by Caputo, who has a 35-33 record in his third season. He is a longtime assistant to longtime coach Jim Larranaga at both George Mason and Miami. He was on staff when the Patriots made their run to the 2006 Final Four, while he was apart of 5 NCAA Tournament teams with the Hurricanes, including the 2022 Elite Eight.

LAST GAME OUT

  1. George Washington ran its winning streak to open the season to four games with a 84-64 win over NJIT on Monday night. The Revolutionaries connected on 50.9 percent from the field, including 53.6 percent in the second half, while they made 22 of 29 attempts from the free throw line.
  2. Sophomore Darren Buchanan Jr. paced five players in double figures with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-13 to go with 6 assists and 4 steals, while junior Rafael Castro tallied a near double-double with 16 points and 9 rebounds.

FAMILIAR FACE

  1. K-State strength coach Phil Baier spent 3 seasons at Miami (Fla.) in a similar capacity while George Washington head coach Chris Caputo served as the Hurricanes’ associate head coach. The two helped in the development of a Hurricanes program that advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in 2021-22 while posting the fourth-highest win total (26) in school history.

SERIES HISTORY

  1. K-State is 4-1 all-time against George Washington, including 1-0 at neutral sites. The teams first met on Dec. 28, 1940, a 48-25 win by the Revolutionaries, before a 3-game series in 2011, 2012 and 2013, all won by the Wildcats. The latest meeting came in Las Vegas in the consolation bracket of the 2017 Las Vegas Holiday Classic, a 67-59 win by K-State.
  2. K-State is 29-19 all-time against teams from the Atlantic 10, including 5-4 in neutral site meetings.

LAST MEETING:K-STATE 67, GW 59 [11/24/2017]

  1. K-State scored over half of its points in the paint and shot 89 percent (16-of-18) from the free throw line to fight off George Washington, 67-59, to earn a third-place finish the 2017 Las Vegas Invitational in the last meeting.
  2. Junior Dean Wade nearly tallied a double-double with 17 points and 9 rebounds, while junior Kamau Stokes added a team-high 19 points.

IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT HISTORY

Overall Record: 183-116/92nd TournamentIn-Season Tournament Titles: 17Last In-Season Tournament Title: 2022 Cayman Islands Classic (3-0)At Paradise Jam: Third Appearance / 2002Paradise Jam Record: 5-2

  1. K-State will play in its 92nd in-season tournament this week at the Paradise Jam, including its 12th outside the continental United States and the first since going 3-0 and winning the Cayman Islands Classic on Nov. 21-23, 2022, in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. It is the first overall in-season tournament since going 1-1 at the Baha Mar Hoops Championship in Nassau, The Bahamas on Nov. 17-19, 2023.
  2. K-State has a 183-116 overall record in playing in its 91 previous in-season tournaments with 17 tournament titles to its credit. The team won its last such title at the 2022 Cayman Islands Classic, defeating Rhode Island (77-57), Nevada (96-87 in OT) and LSU (61-59). In fact, the last 3 titles have come at tournaments outside the continental U.S., in 2011 Diamond Head Classic (Hawai’i), 2018 Paradise Jam (U.S.V.I.) and 2022 Cayman Islands Classic (Cayman Islands).
  3. The Wildcats have played in 12 tournaments outside the continental U.S., starting with the 1985 Maui Invitational. Others include the 1989 Great Alaska Shootout (runner-up), 1993 Hawai’i Nike Festival (champion), 2011 Diamond Head Classic (champion), Maui Invitational (1998 and 2014), Paradise Jam (2002 and 2018), Puerto Rico Tip-Off (2009 and 2013), 2022 Cayman Islands Classic (champion) and 2023 Baha Mar Hoops Championship (runner-up).
  4. This is the third appearance in the Paradise Jam, including the first since winning the tournament title in 2018. K-State went 1-2 in its first appearance in 2002, losing to BYU (64-73) and Toledo (50-58) before defeating Michigan (82-71). In the run to the title in 2018, the Wildcats beat Eastern Kentucky (95-68), Penn (64-48) and Missouri (82-67).
  1. K-State shook off a disappointing first half with a 16-3 run out of halftime, as the Wildcats ended their season-opening 4-game homestand with a 74-56 win over Mississippi Valley State on Tuesday before 8,416 fans at Bramlage Coliseum.
  2. On night when its 3-point shooting was off, K-State (3-1) used rebounding and free throw shooting to flip a 2-point halftime lead into an 18-point victory over Mississippi Valley State (1-4). The Wildcats held a 45-28 advantage on the glass, scoring nearly half their points in the paint (36), while converting on an impressive 25 of 27 attempts from the free throw line.
  3. The 92.6 free throw percentage was the second highest in a game all-time on a minimum of 20 attempts and the highest since connecting on 93.9 percent (31-of-33) at Texas on Jan. 3, 2023.
  4. Junior center Ugonna Onyenso paced three Wildcats in double figures with a career-high 16 points on 6-of-7 field goals and 4-of-4 free throws, while junior C.J. Jones and senior David N’Guessan added 12 and 10 points, respectively. Senior Coleman Hawkins made up for a poor offensive night with a career-tying 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.
  5. K-State’s offensive struggles started from the tip, as the Wildcats opened the game 1-of-7 from the field, including 0-of-5 from 3-point range. However, they turned their attention to the size advantage in the middle with Onyenso, who scored 8 points in a 12-0 run.
  6. The lead grew to 21-7 after the first made 3-pointer from freshman David Castillo, but the Delta Devils outscored the Wildcats, 16-2, over the next few minutes to tie the game at 23 with 30.3 seconds left before halftime. Following a timeout, Castillo converted on a baseline jumper with 1.7 seconds to give K-State a 25-23 lead at the break.
  7. MVSU would tie the game just seconds into the second half before a 3-pointer from junior Brendan Hausen ignited a 10-0 run that pulled K-State ahead at 35-25. The lead grew to 13 (41-28) after consecutive baskets by C.J. Jones then reached 16 (50-34) after a rare 4-point play from Hausen. Back-to-back layups by sophomore Macaleab Rich and N’Guessan extended the lead to its largest at 62-43 right before the media timeout with 6:45 to play.
  8. The Delta Devils scored 9 in a row to once again get within 10 points at 62-52 with 4:38 to play before Hawkins’ first field goal make of the game started a 9-0 run that pushed the Wildcats back out at 71-52 with 1:56 to play. Junior Max Jones (3 points) and N’Guessan (4 points) finished off the run. 
  9. K-State rebounded to shoot 44.8 percent (13-of-29) in the second half after managing to hit just 28.6 percent (10-of-35) in the first half. They finished the game at 35.9 percent (23-of-64), including 13.0 percent (3-of-23) from 3-point range, which were both season lows.

POSTGAME NEWS & NOTES

  1. K-State ended its 4-game homestand with a 3-1 record after the 74-56 win.
  2. K-State is now 184-57 in non-conference play since 2006-07, including 145-17 at home and 129-14 at Bramlage Coliseum.
  3. K-State scored nearly half its points in the paint (36), while holding the edge in points off turnovers (17-10), second-chance points (17-8), fast-break points (13-2) and bench points (35-24).
  4. K-State had just 10 turnovers, marking the third time this season that the Wildcats have had 10 or fewer turnovers in a game.
  5. Onyenso and Jones both recorded their first career double-digit scoring games as Wildcats, while N’Guessan now has 29 in his career and 18 at K-State.

SUCCESS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY

  1. K-State has posted a 184-57 (.764) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season. During that span, the Wildcats have a 145-17 (.899) mark at home venues (includes games played at Bramlage Coliseum, INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita and the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City) in non-conference play, including a 129-14 (.907) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
  2. K-State’s 12-1 non-conference mark in 2022-23 was the best since the 2009-10 team went a program-best 13-1. Last season, the team went 10-3 in non-conference play, including 7-1 at Bramlage Coliseum.

N’GUESSAN STARS IN OPENER

  1. Senior David N’Guessan made quite the debut against New Orleans becoming the first Wildcat with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in an opener since Wesley Iwundu (23 points, 10 rebounds) did it against UMES on Nov. 13, 2015. He scored his 21 points on 10-of-14 field goals to go with 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in nearly 31 minutes. It was his fourth career double-double and his first career 20-point, 10-rebound performance.
  2. N’Guessan has been a part of 86 victories in college, including 3 trips to the NCAA Tournament (2021, 2022, 2023), an NIT appearance in 2024, an ACC Tournament title in 2022 at Virginia Tech and Elite Eight run in 2023 at K-State.
  3. N’Guessan is coming off a career year in 2023-24, in which, he posted career-highs in points (265), double-digit scoring games (14), field goals made (111) and attempted (190), rebounds (230), assists (31), blocks (26), steals (24) and total minutes (935). He also has posted 4 double-doubles.
  4. N’Guessan became the first Wildcat since Mike McGuirl to start 3 straight openers. McGuirl started the openers in 2019, 2020 and 2021. N’Guessan started the opener against UTRGV in 2022 then again last season against USC, in which, he posted his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

A TEAM OF WINNERS

  1. Head coach Jerome Tang has remarked on a number of occasions that he recruits ‘winners’ as exemplified by the number of championships that the collective group has won in their careers.
  2. There are a combined 7 state championships among the 14 players on the roster highlighted by the 2 won by junioe Dug McDaniel and sophomore Taj Manning. In addition, senior Coleman Hawkins, junior Ugonna Onyenso and sophomore Baye Fall have won state titles in their respective prep careers.
  3. In addition to N’Guessan who has been a part of 83 wins in college, a number of players have been a part of winning college programs, including fellow seniors Achor Achor and Coleman Hawkins. Achor has won 109 games in his college career at Chipola College and Samford with 5 conference championships, 2 NJCAA Championship appearances and an NCAA Tournament appearance. Hawkins was part of 96 wins, 4 Big Ten titles and 4 NCAA Tournament bids at Illinois, including the Elite Eight in 2024.
  4. This championship mentality stretches to the staff, as associate head coach Urlic Maligi has been part of 6 NCAA Tournament and 5 conference title teams in his career. Assistant coach Jareem Dowling has been involved with teams that have won 4 conference titles and earned 5 postseason trips, while assistant coach Rodney Perry led Link Academy to a national runner-up finish at the GEICO National Tournament before accepting the position at K-State in 2022.

TRANSFER CLASS ONE OF THE BEST

  1. K-State brought in one of the top transfer classes in all of college basketball with 11 total newcomers, including 8 Division I transfers, one NJCAA Division II All-American, a Division II walk-on and a one high school prospect.
  2. Among the 11 newcomers are 8 Division I transfers, including Achor Achor (Samford), Baye Fall (Arkansas), Brendan Hausen (Villanova), Coleman Hawkins (Illinois), C.J. Jones (UIC), Max Jones (Cal State Fullerton) and Ugonna Onyenso (Kentucky).
  3. Achor has played in 105 games with 50 starts in his time at Chipola College and Samford, scoring nearly 1,000 points on 56.9 percent shooting. He is coming off a career year at Samford, in which, he led the Bulldogs in 10 categories, including scoring (16.1 ppg.) and rebounding (6.1 rpg.) while earning First Team All-Southern Conference and SoCon Most Outstanding Player honors.
  4. Hawkins, the Preseason Big 12 co-Newcomer of the Year and All-Big 12 Second Team selection, played in 126 games in his Illinois career. He is the only player in school history with at least 900 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, 100 blocks and 100 steals. He was a All-Big Ten selection in 2023-24, averaging 12.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.
  5. Dubbed the “Amarillo Assassin”, Hausen played in 66 games during his time at Villanova, becoming of the BIG EAST’s top 3-point shooters. He has knocked down 88 3-point field goals in his college career, connecting on 1.3 makes per game on 39.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
  6. C.J. Jones played in 62 games with 50 starts at UIC, where he averaged 9.0 points, 3.6 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 0.9 steals in 2 seasons. He led the Flames in assists (159) and minutes (1,102) in 2023-24, while he was second in scoring.
  7. Max Jones has scored nearly 1,400 points in college stops at Division II Tampa and Cal State Fullerton. He has played in 8
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