Release from K-State Athletics

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head coach Bruce Weberannounced the signing of high school standout James Love III(Fort Lauderdale, Fla./American Heritage) to a National Letter of Intent on Sunday.

 

A 6-foot-10, 220-pound power forward from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., James becomes the Wildcats’ second signee in men’s basketball this signing period, following the announcement of Rivals150player Xavier Sneed (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central) on Nov. 11.

 

The two-man signing class adds significant height to the K-State roster as Love’s 6-foot, 10-inch frame will give the Wildcats five players at least 6-foot-9 or taller for the 2016-17 season.

 

“James is a great addition to our basketball team,” said Weber. “He is a young man who has developed late and continues to grow. He is a great athlete who is long and has the ability to beat people down the court. He is also an excellent runner, jumper and shot blocker who competes and plays very hard. Like all players, he just needs to gain weight and strength as he develops as a player. Just like Xavier, he comes from a great family and we are excited to welcome his parents – James, Jr., and Crystal – to our basketball program.”

 

Love is rated among the top players in the state of Florida by a number of recruiting services, including No. 18 by 247Sports.  He will play his senior season for head coach Brent Maffett at American Heritage High School in Plantation, Fla., which won the 2014 Class 5A state title over Lakewood. American Heritage is the high school alma mater of former Florida basketball playerKenny Boynton and Kansas City Royals’ first baseman Eric Hosmer.

 

Although the Patriots don’t start the regular season until December, Love did record 13 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks in a preseason win over Hollywood Hills on Saturday. He played at Somerset Academy in Pembroke Pines, Fla., as a junior in 2014-15. He also played AAU for Miami South Beach.

 

“James is a good player who is just touching his potential in basketball,” said American Heritage head coach Brent Maffett. “He has only been playing basketball for three years and is eager to learn and get better. He is a sponge who is just trying to absorb as much knowledge as he can. K-State is getting a good player.”

 

His father, James, Jr., played football at North Carolina for head coachesMack Brown and Carl Torbush from 1994-97, helping the Tar Heels to 36 wins and four bowl games, while playing alongside notable future NFL players Dre Bly, Greg Ellis, Vonnie Holiday and Jeff Saturday. UNC won 11 games his senior season in 1997.

 

Love is the second straight Florida high school player to ink with the Wildcats after current freshman Barry Brown (St. Petersburg, Fla./Gibbs). K-State has a long history with players from Florida, including Fort Lauderdale nativesMartavious Irving (2009-13) and Naismith Hall of Famer Mitch Richmond(1986-88) and native Sunshine State players Denis Clemente (2008-10),Luis Colon (2006-10) and Jean Derouillere (1989-91).

 

“With us losing Justin (Edwards) and Stephen (Hurt) next season, we felt like we needed to add an athletic wing player and versatile big with our signing class,” said Weber on the entire signing class. “By signing Xavier and James we felt like we filled both those needs. We were missing a big who could run, jump as well as block shots and complement our front court. James is a great fit with Isaiah (Maurice), Dean (Wade) and Dante (Williams).”

Kansas State, coming off a 75-67 victory Friday evening over Tulsa, will play their women’s basketball home opener Monday night at Bramlage Coliseum.

The Wildcats will host Abilene Christian in a 5:30 p.m. ballgame.

Kansas State has won 21 of their last 23 home openers in Bramlage Coliseum.

Abilene Christian is a preseason pick to finish ninth in the Southland Conference. They finished the 2014-15 season with a 17-12 overall record and a 9-9 mark in that conference for a ninth place finish.

Abilene Christian does return eight letter winners from last season’s team including junior forward Suzzy Dimba, who averaged 11.6 points per game and 8.6 rebounds.

GAME 2
COLUMBIA (1-0, 0-0 Ivy)
AT KANSAS STATE (1-0, 0-0 Big 12)
Monday, November 16, 2015 >> 8 p.m. CT >> Bramlage Coliseum (12,528) >> Manhattan, Kan.

 COACHES

Kansas State: Bruce Weber (Wis.-Milwaukee ’78)
Overall: 376-193/18th season
At K-State: 63-38/4th season
vs. Columbia: 0-0

Columbia: Kyle Smith (Hamilton ’92)
Overall: 76-72/6th season
At Columbia: Same
vs. Kansas State: 0-0

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
Kansas State (1-0)
G: #3 Kamau Stokes (6-0, 170, Fr.-HS)
G: #14 Justin Edwards (6-4, 200, Sr.-1L)
G: #25 Wesley Iwundu (6-7, 210, Jr.-2L)
F: #32 Dean Wade (6-10, 225, Fr.-HS)
F: #41 Stephen Hurt (6-11, 265, Sr.-1L)
Columbia (1-0)
G: #3 Grant Mullins (6-3, 175, Sr.-3L)
G: #2 Isaac Cohen (6-4, 215, Sr.-3L)
G: #12 Maodo Lo (6-3, 194, Sr.-3L)
G: #13 Alex Rosenberg (6-7, 224, Sr.-3L)
F: #52 Conor Voss (7-1, 260, Jr.-2L)

INSIDE THE SERIES
Overall: First Meeting
vs. Ivy League: K-State leads 2-0 (1-0 at home)
In Manhattan: n/a
In New York: n/a
Current Streak: n/a
Last Meeting: n/a
Weber vs. Smith: First meeting

 

QUICK HITTERS
•             Kansas State continues its homestand on Monday night, as the Wildcats play host to Ivy League member Columbia (1-0) at 8 p.m. CT in the second game of a doubleheader at Bramlage Coliseum. Thewomen’s basketball plays Abilene Christian at 5:30 p.m. CT in the first game.
•             The match-up is the second of two Opening Games of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic, which included Friday’s 80-53 win over UMES. K-State plays in the championship round of the tournament, Nov.  23-24, at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, beginning with Missouri at 6 p.m. CT on Nov. 23.
•             Monday’s game will be just the third meeting with a member of the Ivy League and the first since 1975. The Wildcats are 2-0 all-time against the league, posting a 79-70 win over Yale on Dec. 29, 1952 at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City and a 69-62 win over Penn in the first round of the 1975 NCAA Tournament at the famed Palestra in Philadelphia.
•             Picked second in the Ivy League preseason poll, Columbia returns four starters, including German National Team member and first team All-Ivy League pick Maodo Lo, as well as two players who sat out last season.
•             K-State is looking to go 2-0 for the 12th time in the last 13 seasons on Monday after posting an 80-53 win over UMES in the season opener. Junior Wesley Iwundu led the Wildcats in five categories, as he posted his fourth career double-double (and first since March 2014) with a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Justin Edwards (17) and freshman Barry Brown (17) also scored in double figures.
•             K-State is now 87-25 (.776) all-time in season openers dating back to 1903, including 75-9 (.893) in home season openers. The Wildcats are now 22-2 (.916) at Bramlage Coliseum in season openers.
•             Friday’s win marked the 40th time that an opponent has been held to 60 points or less under coach Bruce Weber with the Wildcats boasting a 35-5 mark in those contests. UMES connected on just 29.8 percent from the field, including 23.8 percent from 3-point range.

Junior D.J. Johnson made his season debut on Friday, playing in first game since the 2014 NCAA Tournament game vs. Kentucky on March 22, 2014… He scored five points off the bench and pulled down six rebounds in 14 minutes.  Overall, seven Wildcats played their official debut in the opener, including freshmen Kamau Stokes, Ron Freeman, Kamau Stokes, Dean Wade and Brown, juniors Austin Budke, Carlbe Ervin II and Zach Winter.
•              K-State has a 72-5 (.974) record at home in non-conference play dating back to 2006-07, including a 70-4 (.946) mark during the regular season. The squad has won 61 of its last 64 non-conference home games.
•             Weber is 45-7 (.865) at Bramlage Coliseum since taking over as head coach with losses to No. 3 Kansas (2012), Northern Colorado (2013), Baylor (2013), Texas Southern (2014), Georgia (2014), West Virginia (2015) and Texas (2015). The 7 losses have come by a total of 24 points (3.4 ppg.).

————
TOM GILBERT
Associate Director for Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) – Trevone Boykin left with an apparent right ankle injury and No. 13 TCU’s offense did just enough without its Heisman Trophy candidate to hold off winless Kansas 23-17 Saturday.

On his second play of the game, Boykin turned awkwardly on his right ankle as he slipped while trying to cut and was tackled by Kansas linebacker Joe Dineen Jr. The nation’s total offense leader didn’t return after getting sacked on TCU’s last offensive play of the first quarter.

The Horned Frogs (9-1, 6-1 Big 12, No. 15 CFP) played mostly without Boykin and one of the country’s top receivers in Josh Doctson, who was limited by a left arm and wrist injury from last week’s loss that likely eliminated them from the national title race.

The Jayhawks (0-10, 0-7) didn’t trail at halftime for the first time this year, but couldn’t avoid their 35th straight road loss and 13th overall.

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) – Patrick Mahomes threw for 384 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Justin Stockton, and DeAndre Washington rushed for three more as Texas Tech beat Kansas State 59-44 on Saturday.

The win snapped a three-game skid and made the Red Raiders bowl eligible.

The loss extended the Wildcats winless streak to six, a first since 1989.

Mahomes completed 33 of 42 passes and rushed for a touchdown for Texas Tech (6-5, 3-5 Big 12).

Stockton’s touchdowns were for 17 and 20 yards. He also rushed for a 7-yard score. Mahomes’ other touchdown pass was a 19-yarder to Devin Lauderdale.

Washington scored from 80 yards, a career-long, 5 yards and 12 yards and finished with a career-high 248 yards.

Kansas State (3-6, 0-6) quarterback Joe Hubener rushed for three 1-yard touchdowns and threw for two more. Morgan Burns added a TD on a 93-yard kickoff return.

The Kansas State Wildcats women’s basketball team rallied from a nine point deficit to defeat Tulsa 75-67 Friday night in Tulsa.

K-State had a school record 14 blocked shots in the game.

The Wildcats were led by Kaylee Page who scored a game-high 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting including 4-of-6  from beyond the arc in her Wildcat debut. Breanna Lewis scored 13 points, Megan Deines 12, and Bri Craig 11 points for Kansas State.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) – Wesley Iwundu scored 14 of his 23 points in the second half and finished with 10 rebounds, and Justin Edwards added 17 points to help Kansas State beat Maryland-Eastern Shore 80-53 Friday night in the season opener for both schools.

Barry Brown had 17 points for the Wildcats, who held UMES to 30 percent shooting and Kansas State overcame poor shooting from beyond the arc (5 of 23).

A 3-point play by Bakari Copeland pulled the Hawks within 19-15 midway through the first half, but they made just one of their next nine field goals attempts and committed five turnovers over the next nine-plus minutes and went into the half trailing 35-21.

Devin Martin’s jumper with 7:59 left cut the UMES deficit to 57-45 before Kansas State used a 23-5 run, including three 3-pointers by Brown, sealed it.

Martin led UMES with 18 points while Copeland scored 14.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – Brannen Greene hit all five of his 3-point attempts and had 18 points, and No. 4 Kansas pounded Northern Colorado 109-72 on Friday night.

Perry Ellis added 16 points and Wayne Selden Jr. scored 13 for the Jayhawks, who return most of the nucleus from the team that won its 11th consecutive Big 12 championship last season. Devonte Graham had 13 points and eight assists, and Frank Mason had 11 points and nine assists.

Kansas easily rolled to its 25th straight win at Allen Fieldhouse despite playing without five-star recruit Cheick Diallo, who still has not been cleared by the NCAA to play in games.