Kansas State basketball players talk about winning the season opener
Kansas State basketball players Max Jones, David N’Guessan and Dug Jones talk about the Wildcats’ season-opening victory over New Orleans.
K-State Athletics
MANHATTAN — Max Jones and Brendan Hausen were the snipers who eventually shot New Orleans down and delivered an opening-night victory for Kansas State basketball.
They can thank David N’Guessan for the opportunity.
With New Orleans on fire and K-State shooting blanks through the first 10 minutes, it was N’Guessan’s hard work under the basket that kept the Wildcats within striking distance Tuesday night before they took control and rolled past the Privateers, 89-65, at Bramlage Coliseum.
N’Guessan, the super-senior forward from the Netherlands, helped the Wildcats overcome an early 10-point deficit with a first-half double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds. He finished with game highs of 21 points and 14 boards for the fourth double-double of his career.
“Without God, I wouldn’t be able to do all this,” said N’Guessan, who scored the Wildcats’ first seven points in the game. “Just coming out there with energy, trying to make right plays for my team.
“Honestly, I just worked very hard the full summer. I’m glad to see it pay off.”
New Orleans led 25-15 midway through the first half, but a N’Guessan rebound basket with 7:40 left in the period started an eight-point K-State run. That’s when Hausen and Jones took over, each scoring 12 points as the Wildcats finished with a 24-5 run to lead 44-32 at the break.
Jones, a graduate transfer from Cal State Fullerton, finished with 19 points and five assists, while Villenova transfer Hausen had 17 points. Each made four 3-pointers.
But it was N’Guessan’s steady presence near the basket that anchored it all.
“He paid attention to the scouting report. We felt like we could impact the on the glass offensively, and man, he did,” K-State coach Jerome Tang said of N’Guessan, who had ten offensive rebounds. “He set the tone early when we were struggling.
“We can’t be a team where our defense is dictated by our offense, and right now we get energy from seeing the ball go through the hole, and we’ve got to correct that. But Dave’s energy and effort allowed us to stay close enough that when we went on a run we were able to take the lead. I’m happy for him, because he works really hard, and we have a ton of confidence in him.”
N’Guessan, who spent most of the summer playing with the Dutch national team, is the only remaining Wildcat who played a key role in both of Tang’s first two seasons as coach.
“It’s a good feeling,” N’Guessan said of his performance. “But at the same time, I’m always really hard on myself and never really get satisfied too fast. I always want more, one better.
“Tonight is one thing. I’m glad with the way we got (the victory), but on to the next one.”
The Wildcats are back in action at Bramlage on Saturday with a 3 p.m. game against Cleveland State.
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @arnegreen.
