K-State's Jerome Reveals The Best Quality Of Big Men Ugonna Onyenso, Coleman Hawkins
The height of 7-foot center Ugonna Onyenso and 6-10 forward Coleman Hawkins make it easy to think Kansas State is going to pound the ball inside this season.
But that’s not today’s game.
Tang wasn’t pleased with the way the Wildcats shot three-pointers last season. He went after wing players who are versatile.
“The way the game is played now, the really talented bigs who want to play in the NBA have to play in the 5-out type offenses and do multiple things,” Tang said several weeks ago in a Zoom media session. “They no longer just let guys stand on the block anymore.
“So, knowing the type of talent we wanted to attract, we had to run an offense that fits that personnel. We can help them get to where they want to get to and because we've done that (in the past) and it's given us this opportunity to be able to recruit guys like Coleman, Achor (Achor) and Ugonna (Onyenso).”
Sure, Onyenso will probably set up in the post most of the time. But Hawkins will set up almost any spot on offense.
“I think what I like that stands out about the roster is that we got a number of guys who can shoot the ball and can make the three at a high clip,” Tang said. “Whether they’re 6-foot-10 Coleman Hawkins or 5-foot-11 and three quarters, you know, I don’t want to cheat Dug (McDaniel). We got some guys that can make shots at a high clip and, and then their competitiveness, their IQ, how can we put them all on the floor at the same time.
“The other thing about this group is that we can play a variety of ways. We can play small, we can be a really good zone team if we choose to, knowing we’re going to be a really good man-to-man team. I feel like our roster is set up in a way that we can handle whatever problem is thrown at us by another team. We have a roster that can match any answer.”
David Boyce is a contributing writer to K-State On SI. He can be reached at davidboyce95@gmail.com.
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DAVID BOYCE