Jug Of News (05.07.12)

Welcome to our humble abode. Pull up a seat and grab a glass for a sip from todays Jug of News. Hit the jump for a long losing streak coming to an end, our athletic department wallowing in money, basketball non-conference news, Cat trackster news, and a bit more on the Cult of Frank.

Finally! After ten straight losses (all in Big 12 conference play), the Cats found themselves back on the left side of the ledger. Not only that, but they swept three games from Nebraska-Omaha, upping their record to 22-27 (3-15 in the Big 12). President Schulz attended the series finale on Sunday, and live tweeted his pleasure at the result. As reported here over the weekend, they will face the Kansas Jayhawks, who are 19-29 (4-14) in Manhattan this weekend, with the opportunity to escape from the Big 12 cellar.

John Currie may not have been all cuddles-and-giggles with Frank Martin before he left for South Carolina, but he sure does know how to make it rain. He has now positioned K-State as the most profitable athletic department in the nation–and it’s not particularly close.

Speaking of Frank Martin, I posted an article detailing the real story behind Frank’s departure, shortly after Friday’s “Jug Of News” went up. Having received feedback on it, both privately and publicly (in the comments section, on Twitter, and on some message boards I read), I think it’s important to make a few things clear. First, I am not going to tell anyone, for any reason, who my sources were. Period. What I will say, is none of them are close to Will Spradling, or any of his family or friends. I read that accusation over the weekend, and felt like I needed to address it. It’s unfair to Spradling and all of his circle of family and friends to accuse them of planting that story. I will also say this: it would surprise everyone quite a bit if they knew who all I talked to before putting that story together.

Speaking of basketball, Bruce Weber is looking to put together a tough non-conference schedule for KSU next season. He told Kellis Robinett that he might even be willing to–gasp!–play Wichita State in the non-conference, which has been anathema to previous K-State coaches.

"It’s a hard game, obviously. When I was at Southern Illinois I wanted everyone to play us, but when you’re at Illinois or at K-State it’s a tough game to play. It’s something that we will consider as we get established with our schedules and the program."

Finally, K-State’s track & field athletes went to the Nebraska Invitational en masse this past weekend, for the last regular season meet of the year. It was quite a successful trip, as they came home with three individual wins, and saw eleven total competitors post a personal best. The timing could not be better, as the Cats are now heading into the Championship portion of their season.