Kansas State is leaning on experience this season, and Jaden Schutt is one of the pieces the Wildcats are counting on to help steady a rebuilt roster.
Schutt, who has played his college basketball in the Atlantic Coast Conference, is closing out his career in Manhattan after stops at Virginia Tech and Duke. The Yorkville, Ill., native said last week that the move has already felt like a good fit, especially with Kansas State bringing him closer to home.
"It's been great here so far," said Schutt, who is from Yorkville, Ill. "Really loved it, and just in the process of choosing a new school, just once Casey kind of reached out, obviously just understanding his background, his success that he's had with players, and just the way he plays just was really intriguing, and just wanted to be a part of it.
Obviously, knowing it's going to be a new group, yeah, and just know things, just the area. Come back to the Midwest, got a lot of family in Nebraska, so just you know, it kind of just feels like home right here.
So that's been great so far."
Schutt arrives with a solid track record. He has made 31 starts in 78 career games, and last season he averaged 7.7 points while shooting 38.4 percent from the field and grabbing 1.6 rebounds. Kansas State is hoping that kind of production, paired with his experience, can make a difference under first-year coach Casey Alexander.
Another Wildcats player adjusting to a new chapter is Andrej Kostic, who talked last week about the transition from Serbia and the differences he has noticed along the way.
"Yeah, like as I talked before, like people here are just different, and I can see that when I go to the other states and cities, and I just love to be here. Like I know the whole city."
Meanwhile, the Purple Reign’s run in the TBT came to an end Friday night at Bramlage Coliseum. They fell 62-55 to JHX Hoops, which knocked them out of the tournament after Purple Reign had won the opening game of the best-of-3 series and then dropped the next two.
Purple Reign was made up mostly of former Kansas State players, while JHX Hoops featured ex-Kansas Jayhawks. Former KU guard Zeke Mayo powered the winners with 25 points, 18 of them coming in the second half.
Michael Beasley led Purple Reign with 17 points. JHX Hoops moves on to the single-elimination quarterfinals, with the tournament champion set to take home $2 million.
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For Kansas State, the more interesting part is how the numbers stack up around the Wildcats. Colorado is still chasing Texas Tech in the league hierarchy, but it has moved ahead of several familiar contenders in average recruit rating, with Kansas State among the teams sitting above it in that category. The bigger question now is whether Colorados shift toward high school prospects can keep pace as the class keeps filling out. [Read more 🡒]