Kansas State is trying to give Andrej Kostić something he didn’t really have last season: a little breathing room.
Kostić arrived in Manhattan with plenty of buzz after building a strong reputation at the international level in Serbia, and the noise around him only grew because of the success of Serbian players in the NBA. But the freshman season that followed was quieter than the hype. He averaged 5.2 points and was the only freshman to play under former Wildcats coach Jerome Tang.
Now, with Casey Alexander taking over, the message is clear. The Wildcats want Kostić to stop carrying so much of the attention and just play.
“Yeah, I just feel like just in general, just the repetitiveness of being here, you know, since March will mean a lot to him,” Alexander said. “I've seen a lot of improvement already, and he's become, you know, it's one thing to come in here and start working out with your new coaches.
It's another thing to be part of a new team where everything is different. So, you know, but I do think that he has gotten more comfortable.
I think I feel like the weight of the world dripping off of his shoulders a little bit more and more each day. Not so much where he just puts undue pressure on himself.”
The expectations were never random. Nikola Jokic and Nikola Jovic have made Serbia a bigger basketball talking point than ever.
Jokic is a three-time MVP, the engine of the Denver Nuggets’ 2023 championship run, and widely viewed as one of the league’s best players. Jovic is heading into his fifth season with the Miami Heat and is expected to be an important piece for a team now expected to contend after landing future Hall of Famer Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks.
Kansas State isn’t asking Kostić to be the next Serbian star. It just wants him to be Kostić.
That’s where Alexander’s approach comes in. The coach has made a point of easing the pressure and keeping the freshman comfortable, because the Wildcats need that version of him if they’re going to climb back. Kansas State missed the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season last year, a far cry from its Sweet 16 run in 2023.
“I mean, we know he came in highly acclaimed and it didn't go his way,” Alexander said. “And then he gets a fresh start, you know. And so, we've just tried to temper those expectations a little bit and say, hey, this is you know it's a long time in November, and you don't even have to be you know a lottery pick this season after this season you know I mean we can we can stretch this out if you got a lot a lot of college basketball in front of you.”
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