KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Casey Alexander spent Wednesday morning and afternoon in the kind of spotlight that comes with coaching in the Big 12, and he didn’t blink.
Kansas State’s first-year coach moved through media day at T-Mobile Center with the same edge and ease that helped define his run at Belmont. There were photo shoots, multiple interview sessions and a stop on the ESPN set, not to mention the extra perks that come with the league’s bigger stage. For Alexander, it was a clear contrast to the quieter media days he knew in the Missouri Valley Conference, where the setting was often a ballroom with only a few reporters in the room.
On Wednesday, Oct. 21, he sat in front of a crowd of cameras and more than a dozen reporters and took in the scale of the job he now has in Manhattan.
“There are subtle things here and there, but I really see it in Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Saturdays... there are multiple things that kind of remind me that this is a different level,” Alexander told the Capital-Journal. “But in the end, it's all the same. You gotta be diligent about just being who you are and giving yourself the best chance to be you and for your team to do what you want 'em to do.”
That answer fit the tone Alexander carried all day. He joked when he got his turn on the main stage, and he didn’t back away from the expectation that he could still steer a rebuilt Kansas State team toward the NCAA Tournament, even with low outside expectations around the program.
Alexander has spent the past decade winning, finishing with 20 or more victories in each of the last 10 seasons. Now he’s taking on a Kansas State roster that had to be rebuilt almost from scratch after a turbulent 2025-26 season, the final one under Jerome Tang.
He said building the right culture starts with him, but not with force.
“There’s not a coach in the world that's not gonna talk about their culture as if their culture isn't extraordinary; we're not any different,” Alexander said. “We're just going to be who we are and, obviously, as the leader of this program, that starts with me. I get to choose who's on the staff, I get to choose who's on the team, and I get to choose what's gonna be important.
"It's not some dogmatic sense like 'you follow me or else'; that's not the case at all. It takes ownership from everybody else to believe and to see some fruits from their labor.
That's the part we don't have yet. That's what the danger of being a new team is: when you don't have any retention from the year before, or leaders from the year before, that kind of sets that tone.
We're missing those things, but we need to establish them quickly.”
Kansas State is missing the kind of built-in leadership that can steady a team, but Alexander pointed to Brandon Rechsteiner and Isaiah Abraham as players who can help set that tone. Both were at media day with him.
Rechsteiner brings a long connection to Alexander that started back in his high school days before the two reconnected years later. Abraham arrives with Power 4 experience after playing at Georgetown and then at UConn under Dan Hurley, one of the sport’s most respected coaches.
Abraham said it didn’t take long to understand why Alexander has succeeded at a high level.
“I see it every day,” Abraham said. “He's great on relationships, he pushes every day and I've seen winning behaviors and winning habits, and he instills all that; he has all of that.”
The public expectation for Kansas State is not high. The Wildcats were picked to finish 14th in the Big 12, and Alexander has been frank about the roster’s lack of star power. The only returner is Andrej Kostic.
Still, Alexander isn’t backing off the idea of making a run in March, even if the outside projection says otherwise. He believes that kind of standard belongs at Kansas State.
He said the job will come with swings, and he’s prepared for the pace that comes with coaching on a larger stage.
“I expect it to be a little bit of a rollercoaster,” Alexander said. “We put a lot of time and effort into this; it's why we're here, to play the games and see how we measure up against our own standards and against others. I'm not naive - I know it's not going to be smooth sailing from beginning to end.”
In Other News...
K-State Suddenly Has A Huge Avery Johnson Problem Before Arizona State
Avery Johnsons availability has become one of the biggest questions hanging over Kansas State heading into its matchup with Arizona State. The Wildcats starting quarterback was listed as questionable after dealing with a neck and shoulder injury suffered in the previous game, and while he played through it last time out, there is no certainty yet about whether hell be ready to go.
Jacob Knuth is the next man up if Johnson cannot play, which puts added pressure on Kansas State at a critical point in the schedule. Any uncertainty at quarterback changes how the Wildcats prepare, and it leaves the staff waiting on Johnsons status as the game approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Former K State Coach Bob Huggins Faces A Serious New Reality
Bob Huggins is set to be honored by the University of Cincinnati Athletics Hall of Fame, another reminder of the long coaching trail that included a memorable stop at Kansas State and a rsum built on 863 career wins. His family recently shared that he is now living with a progressive cognitive condition that has affected both his memory and his day-to-day life, and because of that he will not take part in the press events tied to the induction.
Huggins turned 73 recently, and the announcement adds a sobering layer to a career most fans remember for its victories, intensity and reach across multiple programs. For those who followed him in Manhattan, the news shifts the focus from what he accomplished on the sideline to the support surrounding him now, with his family helping guide him through a difficult new chapter. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas States Big 12 Push Just Got A Lot More Complicated
Kansas State heads into its next Big 12 game trying to build on the momentum from its win over Kansas, but the quarterback situation on both sides has made the matchup harder to handicap. Arizona State is expected to go with Mikey Keene at quarterback instead of Cutter Boley, a change that could alter the rhythm of the Sun Devils offense as the Wildcats prepare for another key conference test.
The bigger concern in Manhattan is the status of Avery Johnson, who is listed as questionable because of injury. Kansas State has spent the last week trying to keep its conference push on track, and any uncertainty at quarterback adds another layer of pressure to a game that already carries some weight in the Big 12 race. [Read more 🡒]