K-State's Martin: "I don't take guys out because they make mistakes"

He turned the ball over, the horn blared and Kansas State freshman guard Angel Rodriguez put his head down. Without looking, he started to jog, slowly, toward the K-State bench, where he assumed some sort of verbal correction was imminent.

As freshmen usually are in their first semester, he was in the wrong.  It wasn't, however, what Rodriguez thought.

Head coach Frank Martin sent in a substitution for someone else, and the game continued. Kansas State went on to defeat Alabama 71-58. Rodriguez turned in his best all-around performance of the year, with a career high in points (13) and assists (7) in 26 key minutes as other guards battled foul problems and overall off nights. 

Martin, afterward, explained, in somewhat cryptic fashion, why his freshman, who was on the receiving end of a much-discussed, in-game tongue lashing against West Virginia, erred in his thinking that he was coming out of the game.

"I don't take guys out because they make mistakes," Martin said. "I take guys out because they aren't doing what they're supposed to do. If they do what they're supposed to do, and make a mistake, they stay in the game. Guys that do their job in preparation for a game, and come into it ready to go, I don't take them out. I never do."

Got that? Okay, then. More on that later.

Regardless, Rodriguez didn't miss on much else against the Crimson Tide, nor did Jordan Henriquez, whose career-high 17 points and team-high eight rebounds were a welcome sight to the team, as well as fans, as the junior center had previously shown little resemblance to the confident player that finished out the end of last season.

“He’s been good, he has worked too hard to play the way that he was playing heading into the last game," Martin said of his seven-foot center. "I don’t mean just in games, I’m talking about practices. He’s worked too hard, he’s earned the right to be a good player and now he just has to go out and believe in himself and he has got to do that every day.

"That is what he did this week and I do not think it comes as a surprise that he impacted the game in a positive way.”

For both players, Martin said it was a matter of regaining control of their mental approach, something that had been missing for some time.

“Both of them have refocused since the preseason for whatever reasons," Martin said. "That daily focus just was not there for a couple weeks, but they have been two of our better players in practice this week, and I think that carried over to tonight’s game.

"I know some people don’t think like I do, which is fine with me, but I think the people that prepare well go out and play the game and it is easy, and that is what you saw with these two guys."

Coincidentally, both of KSU's leading players against Alabama came off of the bench to lead the Wildcats, something that had to happen as the starters were largely a no-show until Jamar Samuels came to life with 14 points in the second half. If both continue to play at that level, their roles will change sooner rather than later. Until that time, however, Rodriguez and Henriquez appeared more comfortable in their roles - something their head coach said comes only with experience.

“It takes a little time; it is not a perfect science," Martin said. "You got young guys learning how to play college basketball, you have guys trying to figure out their roles and it takes time. It’s not as easy as it sounds."

Nor has the slow-but-steady learning curve, especially offensively, stopped K-State from getting off to a sometimes rocky but overall solid 7-1 start. The reason? Defense and toughness have helped the Wildcats persevere through through some painful offensive performances.

"That’s why I told you the other day when we spoke that we are a defense stop away from being undefeated. When you can say that and we have a win at Virginia Tech and this win here, we may not be perfect, but we are not taking a backseat to anybody either.”

For the first 15 minutes against Alabama, it looked like someone stuck a pin in the Wildcats offensive voodoo doll. Some shots rattled in and out. Others could have been used in the Sprint Center's foundation. There was even an air ball mixed in. Guys passed up open threes to drive in among defenders and toss up contested shots.

But then, the 'Cats caught fire like they hadn't done all season. Over the last 24 minutes, K-State was 17-of-29 from the field, including lobs, mid-range jumpers and even a couple from long range. Additionally, KSU was 19-of-26 from the free throw line in the second half.

I tweeted during the first half that K-State had a Sweet 16-level defense and a CBI offense. That changed in the second half, and it proved that when the Wildcats can find some offense, they show flashes of a team that could easily be a three or four seed in the NCAA tournament.

The Jordan Henriquez of the end of last year
showed against Alabama. 

For that to happen, of course, KSU is going to have to find consistency on offense. At this point, it doesn't appear that the summer scoring numbers in Europe that inspired many to think Will Spradling could be an offensive leader are going to translate to this season. Nor does it appear that Rodney McGruder, who voiced his want to be the leader of this team, is going to be able to do so through his offense.

They both need a playmaker to step up from elsewhere, someone who can force offenses to remain honest and/or forget their assignments that result in wide-open looks. The coaches want Rodriguez to step into the role, but they knew it was going to take a little time for him to adjust to college.

With each drive and lob to Henriquez, with each drive to the goal and finish, perhaps Angel is closing in on doing so. When he does, it won't be a moment too soon. K-State will be all the better for it.

***********

Now, back to the very beginning of this column, since we like to step back from time to time and evaluate what insight like this may mean holistically...

It's hard to follow, exactly, Martin's thought process on the way he substitutes. If guys only get replaced on the floor because of a preparation issue, and not because of in-game mistakes as he said (and as was believed forever), then why was Rodriguez certain he was coming out? It wasn't a freshman not understanding his coach because senior Victor Ojeleye did the same thing during the game, and many subs have been summoned immediately in the past following a turnover or other obvious mistake. 

"I don't know why he thought he was coming out," Martin said of Ojeleye.

All of that aside, let's take Martin at his word and consider some things.

By Martin's standard, only the max-effort-all-the-time, good-practice guys are the ones who will see the floor during games. It's hard to argue that philosophy considering that path has netted a K-State win nearly 70 percent of the time in Martin's case thus far. The quiet flip side, however, to demanding a guy brings it every day in practice is that it potentially eliminates game-day roster flexibility.

Let's focus on the offensive end of the floor. Suppose there are times in games where a guy's skills set may fit perfectly into the scoring opportunities the opposing team's defense allows. A weak zone for a streaky shooter, a small lineup for a big man whose favorite move exploits a glaring mismatch, there are times where even the best scouting report doesn't disclose the tiny nuances that could mean a win instead of a loss.

Or, maybe it does. What happens when it is clear a certain player would have consistent success scoring but hasn't had a good week (or longer) of practice? Say that player is left on the bench because of a philosophy like Martin's. Say you don't win because the thinking was, "yeah, the guy might have scored 15, but his defense would've allowed two-thirds of that." It's a fair point until (since we control this hypothetical) the losing difference was four or six points.

For those who might concede the scenario but only once or twice over the course of the typical 35-game'ish season, think about the difference in a first-round bye for the Big 12 Tournament, which could mean an extra day of rest, which could mean farther advancement, which could mean a better NCAA seed or just getting in period.

The point is little things like an extra win or two can turn into big things, especially when you are probably in the middle somewhere. While fine, that line still can be a blurry one in a season where a coach must balance getting a precious win versus setting the tone for a group of players expected to be in the program for multiple years yet.*

*Then again, maybe that doesn't apply here. K-State's ability to find four-year guys, for one reason or another, has been discussed on this blog before. For a variety of reasons, including a few guys going pro, it doesn't happen all that often. I wouldn't look for that trend to end anytime soon. Until it does, if it does, I find myself struggling to define K-State basketball. We can call it successful. But, "program," for me anyways, comes with some hesitation. You could convince me to use the word, but I would tend to define it more as a Navy SEAL training program. Only the select few make it to the end, and while those who do are program loyal, it's definitely not the same feel as the "loyal" at KU, where ex-players return in droves regardless of the coach. 

This isn't to say a coach should reward players who do not work in practice. But, to disregard completely the notion that some guys are simply "gamers," is a little treacherous also. It would seem, obviously, that part of being not just a good coach, but a great one, would be to possess the managerial ability to identify those types of players on the random occasion one dots your roster, and make it work for the overall good. If the scenario is truly that uncommon, there's little risk the overall message would be lost considering the coach has 30-plus other games to prove his point. The key, again, is flexibility.

All of this discussed, Martin and K-State really haven't been in this position as of yet this year - as far as it has appeared. But, as roles continue to develop and a general rotation is set, it will be something to watch whether guys who generally don't practice well are still afforded situational opportunities.

That said, if you had to put money on it happening, would you? I'm pretty sure I wouldn't.