K-State announces their 2005 Basketball Recruiting class!
 

Heeeeellll yeah!

http://www.kstatesports.com/ViewArti...0&ATCLID=88451

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head men’s basketball coach Jim Wooldridge and his staff spanned the globe to build on their recruiting successes of the past several years, as they announced the signing of three talented players to National Letters of Intent on Wednesday.



Wooldridge announced the Wildcats have signed scholarship papers with junior college transfer David Hoskins (Schoolcraft College/Central Michigan/Plymouth-Salem High/Canton, Mich.) and renowned international players Ousmane Cisse (Stockbridge (Ga.) Community Christian/Abidjan, Ivory Coast) and Sidiki Sidibe (Asnieres, France). Hoskins will enter Kansas State in the fall of 2005 as a sophomore, while Cisse and Sidibe will be freshmen.



“We had specific needs to fill with this class,” said Wooldridge. “We wanted a high-quality perimeter guy that could handle and score the ball and we wanted to add some high impact interior players to replace the four we are losing to graduation. We have accomplished this with the signing of David, Ousmane and Sidiki.”



A 6-foot-5, 225-pound wing from Canton, Mich., Hoskins was considered one of the top high school players in the state of Michigan before signing with Central Michigan as a senior. As a true freshman at CMU, he averaged 8.0 points per game with 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.3 blocks in 22 minutes per game. Hoskins led the team in steals with 36, while he was third in points, rebounds, assists and blocks. He scored in double figures on nine occasions, including a season-best 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting (5-of-8 from 3-point range) against Northern Illinois on Feb. 9. He scored 16 points in his first career start against Michigan on Dec. 20, 2003.



Hoskins saw action in all 30 games with 13 starts for the Chippewas in 2003-04. He transferred to Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Mich., in the off-season. Hoskins will redshirt this season at Schoolcraft, leaving him with three years of eligibility at Kansas State.



“David is a very strong and athletic wing player,” said Wooldridge. “He is a great slasher and finisher and can penetrate to the basket. Last year as a freshman (at Central Michigan), David proved he can put up good numbers in a quality league. We are very excited to have David added to our mix of quality perimeter players especially since he will have three years of eligibility remaining.”



A three-year letterman at Plymouth-Salem High School, Hoskins was a first team Class A all-state selection by the Detroit Free Press and BCAM and second team selection by the Detroit News as a senior. He averaged 26.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.0 block per game as a senior. The 2003 Ann Arbor News Player of the Year, Hoskins finished seventh in the voting for Michigan’s Mr. Basketball Award. He finished his career second on Plymouth-Salem’s career scoring list with 1,299 points.



A 6-foot-8, 245-pound forward, Ousmane Cisse (pronounced OOS-mon SEE-say) moved to the United States this year from his native Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He is a senior at Community Christian School in Stockbridge, Ga. Cisse averaged 19 points per game in several youth tournaments in the Ivory Coast.



“Ousmane is a very strong and athletic basketball player,” said Community Christian head coach Lindzy Davis. “He plays the four and the five positions. He has used the trapezoid lane they have in international basketball. That lane pushes you out a little and you get used to playing six or eight feet out. I think Ousmane will be an impact player for coach Wooldridge next year and I know he will be a fine player in the Big 12. He will be a big-time player for us this year and we are a good team. We will probably be one of the top five teams in the country and maybe even the best team in the country.”



“Ousmane is a very young, strong and powerful interior player,” said Wooldridge. “Due to his size he can play both interior positions in our system. He has good hands, a high skill level for his size and the ability to put the ball in the basket. He can be an immediate contributor to Kansas State.”



One of the tallest players to sign with Kansas State, Sidiki Sidibe (pronounced Suh-DEE-kee Suh-DEEB-ee) is a 7-foot-1, 265 pound forward from Asnieres, France. Despite just playing three years of basketball, Sidibe is rated by many NBA and European professional scouts as one of the top 20 basketball prospects on the continent. A volleyball player, Sidibe was the captain and starting middle blocker for the French Junior National Team that finished sixth at the 2004 European World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. One of five players to register seven foot or taller in school history, he is tied with Nick Pino (1965-68) and Joe Leonard (1997-2001) as the tallest players ever to sign with Kansas State.



“Sidiki is a very exciting prospect for our program,” said Wooldridge. “He is a tremendous physical specimen, with unparalleled athleticism for his height and weight. He is a very mobile with great hands. Our coaching staff as well as coaches and scouts across Europe think that the sky is the limit for Sidiki.”



Kansas State has one scholarships remaining with the signing of Hoskins, Cisse and Sidibe for the 2005-06 season. The Wildcats have four scholarships available with the departure of scholarship seniors Travis Canby, Dramane Diarra, Jeremiah Massey and Justin Williams.



“Our recruiting philosophy has been to continue to add to the talent of the program - both on and off the court,” said Wooldridge. “We believe this class, without question, will continue that philosophy.”



2005-06 Kansas State Men’s Basketball Signing Class

Ousmane Cisse (F, 6-8, 245, Fr.-HS, Abidjan, Ivory Coast [Stockbridge (Ga.) Community Christian School]

David Hoskins (G, 6-5, 225, So.-TR, Canton, Mich. [Plymouth-Salem HS/Central Michigan/Schoolcraft (Mich.)]

Sidiki Sidibe (F, 7-1, 265, Fr.-HS, Asnieres, France)

http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/...kins112503.jpg
David Hoskins...

http://www.ibiblio.org/craig/draft/2...ages/cisse.jpg
Ousmane Cisse..

We got a frenchy? Might as well forfeit all of our games now.

My guess is he was originally from somewhere in Africa and immigrated to France.

BTW, we already have a Frenchy on our team, Dramane Diarra..although he got virtually no playing time last year, and I haven't seen him on the court at all this year.

This is all well and good but everybody knows the best players go to KU. Maybe because it's easier to spell than KSU. :shrug:

[QUOTE=Saulbadguy]One of the tallest players to sign with Kansas State, Sidiki Sidibe (pronounced Suh-DEE-kee Suh-DEEB-ee) is a 7-foot-1, 265 pound forward from Asnieres, France. Despite just playing three years of basketball, Sidibe is rated by many NBA and European professional scouts as one of the top 20 basketball prospects on the continent. A volleyball player, Sidibe was the captain and starting middle blocker for the French Junior National Team that finished sixth at the 2004 European World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. One of five players to register seven foot or taller in school history, he is tied with Nick Pino (1965-68) and Joe Leonard (1997-2001) as the tallest players ever to sign with Kansas State.[QUOTE=Saulbadguy]

(Insert Generic How the French Suck and are Pussies Here) But seriously that sounds like a decent class to come in. I'm interested in seeing Cartier (sp?) Martin play. One of my friends was pimping him before he got hurt last year. Is he a legit player Saul?

[QUOTE=SaintMcManus][QUOTE=Saulbadguy]One of the tallest players to sign with Kansas State, Sidiki Sidibe (pronounced Suh-DEE-kee Suh-DEEB-ee) is a 7-foot-1, 265 pound forward from Asnieres, France. Despite just playing three years of basketball, Sidibe is rated by many NBA and European professional scouts as one of the top 20 basketball prospects on the continent. A volleyball player, Sidibe was the captain and starting middle blocker for the French Junior National Team that finished sixth at the 2004 European World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. One of five players to register seven foot or taller in school history, he is tied with Nick Pino (1965-68) and Joe Leonard (1997-2001) as the tallest players ever to sign with Kansas State.I'm not sure yet. He's looked solid in the first 2 exhibition games. He moves around well, shoots well, and rebounds well. He makes some ugly passes however..but he is only a sophmore. We basically stole him away from Oklahoma State, and he was only our second best recruit last year...Jeremiah Massey was a big surprise.

It's good to see them getting some talent for our backups to play against !

[QUOTE=SaintMcManus][QUOTE=Saulbadguy]One of the tallest players to sign with Kansas State, Sidiki Sidibe (pronounced Suh-DEE-kee Suh-DEEB-ee) is a 7-foot-1, 265 pound forward from Asnieres, France. Despite just playing three years of basketball, Sidibe is rated by many NBA and European professional scouts as one of the top 20 basketball prospects on the continent. A volleyball player, Sidibe was the captain and starting middle blocker for the French Junior National Team that finished sixth at the 2004 European World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. One of five players to register seven foot or taller in school history, he is tied with Nick Pino (1965-68) and Joe Leonard (1997-2001) as the tallest players ever to sign with Kansas State.I'll believe it when I see it. K-State basketball has "lost its burst".

Agreed...but with "low expectations" comes hope. Look at the disaster that was KU football for many years. They turned it around. Why can't KSU do the same?

"Manhattan sucks" is not a valid answer, btw. :)

I hope the tall dude isnt like sammy or simeion haley, like 7'7 180 lbs

I'm a Cats fan, but I second this statement. I can't get last year's UMKC game out of my head, no matter how hard I try.

Excuse me but I haven't noticed any KU football turnaround. Except for the '69 Orange Bowl Team, KU football has always been mediocre to bad. And "Manhattan Sucks " is a very valid answer. KU and most other Big XII teams have a metropolitan area nearby. KSU does not. Blue chip athletes do not like that. OSU is the closest "barren outpost" I can find to compare to the wasteland that is the "Dairy on the Prairie". Snyder is a wizard to overcome that with a football team that needs at least 20 quality athletes. Basketball is easier to overcome as you only need to sell 4 or 5 blue chippers. K-State operates at a distinct disadvantage to the other Big XII schools. Top notch sports teams are the exception rather than the rule at K-State. And I say that with no malice. Just facts that I have observed for 50 years.

Iowa City, IA is comprable to Manhattan in size. How do they ever compete?