Kansas State Wildcats coach Casey Alexander is excited about the Andrej Kostic this season
Last year Kansas State Wildcats basketball player Andrej Kostic had plenty of expectations when he arrived on campus in Manhattan.
There were a few reasons why there was so much hype. He had already earned a strong reputation because of his play at the international level in Serbia. With the success of fellow Serbians in the NBA, many thought he was next in line.
Kostic averaged just a modest 5.2 points last season but was the only freshman to see action under former Wildcats coach Jerome Tang. With Casey Alexander taking over as a coach, the plan is to take some of the spotlight off Kostic so he can just focus on playing basketball.
"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 lofty expectations were natural considering the success of Nikola Jokic and Nikola Jovic at the next level. Jokic is a three-time MVP and led the Denver Nuggets to an NBA championship in 2023. He is considered a top five player by most, some calling him the league's top superstar. Jovic is entering his fifth season with the Miami Heat and is expected to be a key cog for a team expected to compete for a title now that they have acquired future Hall of Famer Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks.
While the success of the Serbian stars in the NBA has brought lots of shine to the country, the Wildcats just want Kostic to be himself. They know the talent is there. They just don't want to burden him with excess spotlight.
It seems Alexander has made a point to make Kostic comfortable as possible. They need him relaxed if the Wildcats are going to turn things around. Last year they missed the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season.
It seems like decades ago when the Wildcats made the Sweet 16 in 2023, but Kostic is one of the players who will be counted upon to help the turnaround.
"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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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of KStateRoundtable. He can be reached at [email protected]
