Rapid recap: Dai Dai Ames shines for Kansas State
Kansas State first half
The Kansas State offense was clicking in the first half against Bellarmine. K-State had 46 points in the first 20 minutes and shot 44 percent from three-point range. Junior guard Cam Carter led the way in the first half with 15 points.
According to Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang, the key to the first half offense was getting paint touches. It was not always paint touches by passing, but there were drives that led to easy baskets. In the first 20 minutes, the Wildcats had 19 paint touches.
There were still 15 possessions where K-State did not have a paint touch, though, and Tang believes that is still too many. The offense was not in as good of a rhythm in the second half. The Wildcats had just 37 points and Tang was quick to point out they had too many possessions without a paint touch.
Opposing styles
Kansas State has faced two very different opponents. USC likes to run and play fast and free. Bellarmine likes to slow the game down and make teams defend for 20-25 seconds. The contrasting styles could be key for K-State in March. They are being forced to win in different ways, which is like the tournaments.
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Bellarmine is a tough, physical and experienced team. Tang was also quick to note how physical on offense the Knights are and the quickness of their cuts were pointed out by Kansas State guard Tylor Perry as well.
Dai Dai’s night
True freshman Dai Dai Ames had the best game of his young career against Bellarmine. He had 12 points and six assists in the win. Tang called him Chicago tough. The Wildcat head coach personally recruited Ames out of high school.
Ames’ recruitment with the K-State coach actually started while Tang was at Baylor.
Tang was told by someone at Kenwood Academy that Ames reminded them of former NBA guard Nick Van Exel. From that point forward, Tang made it a point to be the lead recruiter for Ames no matter where he was. When he was hired at Kansas State, the Chicago guard was one of the first calls he made.
