K-State Spring Football Press Conference
April 7, 2015

Head Coach Bill Snyder
On the team coming together with the loss of some key components…
“It truly is a work in progress, as they say. As we say every year, the dynamics are different no matter how many you lose or do not lose, how many are back and how many are not. It is obvious there were some critical elements in our program that we lost. When you lose the production that we had offensively, it certainly is sorely missed. From a special team’s standpoint, we did not lose all of our specialists. We retained all of our specialists except for our return guys, and obviously that is a big production that you miss. From a defensive standpoint, we lost fewer people, fewer numbers. Once again, the dynamics are difficult and they are every year. Some positions are a little harder to reconstruct than others.

“We have had four practices and tomorrow will be the fifth. That is not very many. Still, the installation part of it is just completed, but by the same token, after we practice tomorrow, we are a third of the way through. Out-of-season was significant. I do not know if we got as much out of the out-of-season as we needed to in regards to the football element of it. I think our summer is going to be a major period of time for us. Our coaches cannot be at practice, so our players organize productive practices, and that is going to be really significant. We need to just keep building the best that we can.”

On team leadership…
“If you could remember a year ago at this time, I am sure that I made a statement in regards to leadership and indicated that we had quite a few guys in a leadership role. It was not as dynamic as it needed to be. It was not as vocal as it needed to be. It was not as demanded as it needed to be. I can say the exact same thing right now. We have a decent number of guys that fit the capacity of leadership. We had 15 guys that were selected by their teammates as player representatives, so that means the rest of the players see them as role models. It does not mean anything other than that. They are either their best friend or they are a role model to them, therefore they vote accordingly. That does not automatically mean that that is the kind of leadership that you need. They are all good guys and they all have leadership capacity but it has to be more dynamic and more demanding. That is the kind of leadership they can have, the kind that comes from within. My point is, I think we are probably in the same ballpark that we were a year ago today in terms of that leadership.”

On the quarterbacks…
“Well, we have 200 guys out there right now at quarterback. Nothing comes along as fast as I would like for it to. I think the guys that are making a run at it make the effort, and they are all a little bit different. Their skill sets are not necessarily at different arenas but at different levels. Some guys are a little better at one skill set than the other guy and so on down the road. You take into consideration that you have to have good game management and take into consideration a guy that can make good, quick decisions. You have to take into consideration a guy that can handle the physical aspect of it as well. Everybody is kind of at a different level right now.

“I think Joe (Hubener) and Jesse (Ertz) probably have been the two that have moved forward over most of the rest. I think the young guys that we talk about all the time, the young freshman – and I do not like to talk about a freshman – but he has caught our eye as well. I think he is going to be in the mix. All of them just have to improve – like our entire football team – improve themselves in different areas. One is getting better in game management. Another one is better in handling the accuracy of pure throwing the football. One of them is a little bit better at running. As far as putting all the skills together, it is hard to assess right now who has all the skill sets to the highest degree. With four practices, that is a little difficult. I thought we practiced – and this is inclusive of the entirety of our football team – very well on the first day, Wednesday, last week. I thought our quarterbacks handled themselves well. Friday was not a good practice. Saturday was not a good practice. Monday was not a good practice until the very end; we had our first scrimmage and our quarterbacks and other elements of our team finished the scrimmage quite well. That means it is inconsistent at best.”

Quarterback Joe Hubener
On his progress in the spring…
“That is kind of a tough question. I am just really trying to step up as a leader; that is my main objective. Jake (Waters) was a tremendous leader as was Collin (Klein), so those were some really big shoes to fill. That is my main goal – to be more vocal, get the guys going and step up as a leader. It (quarterback competition) is competitive like everyone expected it to be.”

On if he enjoys the competition…
“I enjoy it and I do not think I would want it another way. I think competition forces the best out of everyone. I think Jesse (Ertz) and Alex (Delton) and all the other guys would tell you the same thing. We want that competitive spirit, which is why we are here.”

On wanting the starting job…
“As bad as I want anything. I have never started a game in high school at quarterback, so this would be my first starting job at quarterback. That is something pretty huge for me.”

Quarterback Jesse Ertz
On having a dual-threat quarterback…
“I think it is huge, especially for our offense and what we want to do. Adding another blocker and keeping the quarterback with the ball gives you an advantage. That is just something that we use in our offense, and it is important for quarterbacks in our offense to be able to run as well as pass.”

On how much competition there is at quarterback…
“As much as people want to make it a battle. We are competing, and that is what spring is all about. I think it is great. We both know that we both need to improve every day. That is what both of our mindsets are.”

On having former K-State quarterback Collin Klein helping out…
“It is a pretty big advantage when you have that pool of information and have a resource like that that you can pull from, especially since he has been in the offense and he has run the same schemes thousands of times. When you ask him a question, he has a pretty solid answer.”

Defensive Back Dante Barnett
On younger players taking on increased roles…
“Being a younger guy in the program in the past has allowed me to see some great leaders go through here. Leading up to this point, you know what is expected with this football team. Players growing up, they know the same thing. Players that have not had the chance to play, this is their chance to step up and play. That has not been a problem in the past. Every guy wants the chance to step up and play big-time football. This is a great chance for them.”

On what he and the team want to show the fans…
“We are the same hard-working football team. Coach Snyder tells us that the next season is not inherited, and you have to work for what you want. We just want a chance to show the fans that we are still the hard-working football team and that we are ready to get out there and try to win the Big 12.”

On being a team leader…
“It is all about how you practice. It is all about molding the team into how you want the team to be. Spring time is our first chance to get out there with the new team, so we have to find our identity first. We just have to go out there and play hard and show the younger players how we want the defense to be and how we want to run to the football. Then we can build the foundation of our football team going into the upcoming season.”

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The package deal has delivered Duke another national championship.

Tyus Jones scored 23 points, his good buddy and freshman teammate Jahlil Okafor added a couple of key baskets in the closing minutes, and the Blue Devils beat Wisconsin 68-63 on Monday night to give coach Mike Krzyzewski his fifth national championship.

The Blue Devils took the lead for the first time since it was 29-28 on a 3-pointer by Grayson Allen, who came off the bench to score 16 points. After the Badgers regained the lead on back-to-back baskets by Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker, the Blue Devils stormed away.

Jones started it with a basket, and Okafor – mired in foul trouble all game – returned to the floor to score the next two hoops. By the time Jones knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:10 to go, the Blue Devils had pushed their lead to 66-58 and the celebration was starting in the stands.

Wisconsin tried to foul its way back into the game in the final minute, but Jones added two more free throws with 34.9 seconds remaining to seal the victory.

Jones and Okafor have known each other since playing for USA Basketball, and decided together to attend Duke. Their goal was to win a national championship – and now they have it.

Kaminsky, the AP player of the year, finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Badgers, seeking their first title since 1941. Dekker added 12 points and eight boards.

The JROTC Blue Jay Battalion drill Team is headed to Kentucky for the 2015 U.S. Army Cadet Command JROTC National Drill Championships. 

 

The Drill Team will be among those from 57 other schools from across the nation competing in eight different events on Saturday ( April 11 ), beginning at 7:30 a.m.

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Yordano Ventura pitched six solid innings before leaving with a thumb cramp, and Alex Rios had a three-run homer among his three hits as the AL champion Kansas City Royals defeated the Chicago White Sox 10-1 on Monday.

Ventura was replaced by Kelvin Herrera in the seventh after crumpling to the ground following a strike to Adam LaRoche. The preliminary report was a right thumb cramp. Ventura will be evaluated later this week, but Royals trainers said it is not believed to be serious.

Rios, who was making his Kansas City debut, homered in a five-run seventh with Kendrys Morales and Alex Gordon aboard. Gordon stroked a two-run single in the inning.

Jose Abreu homered in the seventh for the White Sox.

Kansas City Royals opened a season at home.

They’ll certainly enjoy this one.

The American League champions will celebrate last season’s dramatic run to Game 7 of the World Series on Monday before facing the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium. It is the first game in a 162-game odyssey that they hope will deliver them right back to the playoffs.

Kansas City snapped a 29-year postseason drought in a big way. After squeaking into the wild-card game, the Royals knocked out Oakland with an epic extra-inning comeback. Then, they swept all the way to the final game of the Fall Classic, where they were finally stopped by Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants.

”I just expect for us to go out and compete,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. ”I think we’re a much more experienced team. It’s a very confident team. These guys know that they can produce under the most intense situations, under the brightest spotlights, and that’s what playoff and World Series experience does for you. I’m excited to get started.”

So are the White Sox, who spent the offseason retooling just about everything in the hopes of catapulting from a fourth-place finish in the AL Central.

They signed right-hander Jeff Samardzija to boost their rotation and left-hander Zach Duke to help out in the ‘pen. They inked first baseman Adam LaRoche to provide some power, Melky Cabrera to solidify the outfield and right-hander David Robertson to close games.

Among many other moves that make the White Sox look nothing like they did six months ago.

”Everyone is settling in guys are getting used to each other on and off the field and I think we’re jelling together as a team,” said center fielder Adam Eaton, one of the notable holdovers. ”Hopefully that translates to wins in April.”

The Royals will send 23-year-old Yordano Ventura to the mound on opening day, and the touted flamethrower is sure to get quite the reception from a sellout crowd.

Sure, fans will remember his masterful performance in Game 6 of the World Series, when he shut down the Giants and kept Kansas City’s postseason hopes alive. But they are also sure to thank him for the long-term deal he signed Saturday, a $23 million, five-year pact that includes two option years and could keep Ventura pitching for the Royals for quite a while.

”For me he’s a complete package, a guy that I think is going to be very, very successful in major league baseball,” Yost said. ”There’s no telling what he’s going to be able to achieve.”

Samardzija will get the opening day nod for the White Sox, in part because ace left-hander Chris Sale is recovering from a fractured bone in his right foot. Samardzija started on opening day for the Cubs the past two seasons, holding Pittsburgh without a run each time.

The Royals will try to change his fortunes with a slightly different lineup than they trotted out a year ago. Designated hitter Billy Butler is gone, replaced by Kendrys Morales. Alex Rios is not in right field, signed to replace Nori Aoki and provided some pop.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The last college basketball contest of the season will feature two of the best big men in the country.

Wisconsin senior Frank Kaminsky and Duke freshman Jahlil Okafor is the matchup almost everyone will be watching in the NCAA championship game Monday night.

They’re a contrast in styles.

Kaminsky is the AP player of the year. He’s finishing up a remarkable college career. The 7-footer is a matchup nightmare with his ability to post up, hit 3-pointers and handle the ball like a guard.

The 6-11 Okafor finished second behind Kaminsky in player of the year voting. He offers a unique blend of power and quickness around the bucket, and is a near-lock to be the first pick in the NBA draft whenever he decides to leave Duke.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Despite taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning, the K-State baseball team saw its advantage drain away until a two-out RBI double by West Virginia’s Kyle Davis, the 12th hit of the game by the Mountaineers,

helped deal the Wildcats a 3-2 loss in the series finale on Saturday at Tointon Family Stadium.

 

Max Brown’s two-run triple in the bottom of the first inning proved to be the only run-producing hit by the Wildcats (13-16, 2-7 Big 12) among their four total safeties in the game. West Virginia starting pitcher Chad Donato, after stranding two Wildcats in scoring position in the second, settled in and went on to retire 15 straight between the second and seventh innings.

 

Brandon Erickson was saddled with the loss for K-State after he allowed the game-winning run in the ninth. Justin Fox began the West Virginia rally by hitting a one-out double into the left field corner, preceding his movement to third on a groundout. After an intentional walk to Brad Johnson put runners on the corners with two outs, Davis hit a ball into left field that got past a diving Krause to allow Fox to score. Johnson was thrown out at home to end the inning, though, on a relay turned by Brown and shortstop Tyler Wolfe.

 

 

K-State will remain at home for the first of its two midweek games this week. The Wildcats face No. 18 Nebraska on Tuesday, April 7 at 6:30 p.m.

 

NOTES

K-State has lost its first three Big 12 series this season and seven straight conference series dating back to being swept by West Virginia from April 25-27, 2014.

Chris Kutz, Assistant Director, Athletics Communications

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Young ace Yordano Ventura and the Kansas City Royals have reached a five-year contract worth $23 million.

The AL champions announced they had a deal Saturday, two days before they open the season.

The 23-year-old Ventura dazzled as a rookie last season, going 14-10 with a 3.20 ERA.

The hard-throwing righty pitched seven shutout innings against San Francisco to win Game 6 of the World Series. The Giants won the title the next day.

Ventura was 1-0 with a 3.20 ERA in five postseason appearances, including four starts.

The contract runs through 2019, and includes club options for the following two seasons.

 

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – For once, Jahlil Okafor didn’t have to contend with constant double teams.

Instead, Duke’s star freshman found himself with plenty of 1-on-1 opportunities in the first half against Michigan State on Saturday night, helping the Blue Devils’ offense settle into a flow on the way to an 81-61 win in the opening game of the Final Four.

The 6-foot-11, 270-pound Okafor finished with 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting, part of a balanced Blue Devils offense in a game that was theirs almost the entire way.

Okafor didn’t need to have a huge scoring night, not with his team shooting 51 percent from the field and causing numerous problems with its ability to spread the floor and penetrate.

Still, Okafor had his moments as a big component in Duke’s dominant performance.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – For 38 games top-ranked Kentucky mastered the art of the tune-out, brushing aside the hype, noise and distractions created by its pursuit of an unbeaten championship season.

The Wildcats just couldn’t succeed at blocking out Wisconsin and big man Frank Kaminsky, who won 71-64 Saturday night to turn their dream season into a devastatingly sour footnote.

Hoping to become the first team since Indiana in 1976 to finish as unbeaten champions, Kentucky (38-1) instead lost the rematch of last year’s semifinal against the Badgers and joined Indiana State (1979), UNLV (1991) and Wichita State (2014) – unbeaten teams that lost in the NCAA Tournament.

The fortitude and good fortune that helped Kentucky overcome several stiff challenges this season were absent against the determined Badgers (36-3), who made shots and grabbed the rebounds that the Wildcats couldn’t.