Kansas
Kansas State basketball has its team together in June for the first time in Tang era
Jerome Tang is heading into his third season not just as the Kansas State basketball coach, but as a head coach altogether. He is starting to get the hang of how the offseason works and the ups and downs of coaching.
Each offseason, it seems Tang has had to rebuild his team due to eligibility or to the transfer portal. This offseason is no different with the Wildcats losing five players to the transfer portal and two to eligibility.
However, after briefly appearing to the media recently, Tang talked about the highs and lows of the offseason and one key aspect of this offseason he feels will be a game-changer.
For the first time, Tang had all of his guys on campus and in his facilities and he did so by June. In years past a lot of the players either didn’t get there till the start of school or sometimes even later.
The Wildcats will have a total of 10 new faces on their roster to add to the three returning players. Of the three returning only one, David N’Guessan, really saw significant playing time last season and even started a few games. The other two returning players, Taj Manning and Macaleab Rich would see playing time here and there, but nothing significant.
Now the 10 new players that have come in this offseason have gotten Kansas State really excited about the upcoming season. Kansas State has always been a team that was able to shoot the ball well, but now they have a lot of height on the team along with sharpshooters on the outside. Of the 10 new players, eight of them are Division I transfers, one is a junior college All-American, and one is a top-50 high school prospect.
Here is a list of all the newcomers:
Tang talked about how great it has been having the whole team together so early in the offseason. He says he is able to work on more things and the team is able to bond and grow more together in this time.
With so many newcomers, the veteran presence of N’Guessan will be incredibly helpful, however, he has been playing with the Dutch National Team this summer. Tang talked about how it would be nice to have him around, especially with his experience of playing so many minutes last season, but he is still getting work in and that is what matters.
The biggest thing that Tang is emphasizing this summer is letting the chemistry of the team build organically. He is trying to force anything and he is doing what he has always done. He said they all live in the same apartment complex very close to the gym, they work out together, and they even have family dinners.
With the addition of a lot of great players, K-State is beginning to catch the attention of those in the Big 12, but all will be seen when the season starts. The non-conference schedule is still being determined, but the Wildcats know who they will be playing in the Big 12 and where they will be playing them. All there is left to do is get the entire schedule and start the season.
Kansas
Kansas City, Missouri, police searching for 30-year-old missing man
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department is asking for the public’s help locating a missing man.
Jacob Phillips, 30, was last talked to around 10:17 p.m. Wednesday.
Phillips is 5 feet, 2 inches tall and weighs 130 pounds. He has brown hair and hazel-colored eyes, according to KCPD.
Police said his family is concerned for his well-being.
If anyone sees Phillips, they are urged to call the KCPD Missing Persons Unit at 816-234-5043 or 911.
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Kansas
Kansas State freshman Jack Fleischaker, 19, dies after falling from fraternity house window
A Kansas State University freshman died after he fell from a fraternity house window — just weeks away from the end of the semester.
Jack Fleischaker, 19, plunged from a second-floor window at the Sigma Chi house on the Manhattan, Kan., campus around 3:15 a.m. on April 25.
He was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, but died three days later, according to the Riley County Police Department.
Police are investigating exactly how the fatal fall unfolded, but said foul play is not suspected.
“RCPD extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends and the K-State community during this very tragic time,” the department said in a statement to People.
The fraternity said Fleischaker’s death appears to be accidental.
“This was a heartbreaking accident, and there is no indication that anyone is at fault,” Sigma Chi International Fraternity spokesperson Michael Church said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Jack’s family and loved ones during this difficult time. We are actively supporting the chapter with mental health and wellness resources and are grateful for the assistance provided by Kansas State University’s administration as well.”
Fleischaker, from Overland Park, Kan., was studying accounting and finance and was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, according to his LinkedIn and Instagram profiles.
As police continue to investigate, Kansas State University said it is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“The university has offered support to the family and has also offered assistance and student support resources to the fraternity members,” spokesperson Michelle Geering said in a statement to the Kansas City Star.
“We are reviewing available information to determine the next steps in accordance with our policies and procedures.”
The horrifying incident comes four years after Sigma Chi’s University of Kansas chapter was shut down by its national organization in 2022 over hazing violations and lying about it.
There have been no recent hazing reports involving the Kansas State chapter, according to the Kansas City Star.
Friends and family are reeling from the sudden loss.
“This is a tragic accident that nobody anticipated,” family pastor and friend Gar Demo told KMBC.
“Every trajectory in their life has changed in an instant,” he added.
Demo said the family has faced devastating loss before. Fleischaker’s sister Natalie died 13 years ago from a brain tumor.
“[The family] went through the incredible pain of losing a child then, and I think they’re asking the question,” Demo said.
“All of us who know them are asking, why did this happen? How could this happen to this family?”
“I think to walk with them again in a different kind of situation but still to lose another child is just not something I have a playbook for,” he said.
“But we walk with our faith and we walk there and we show our strength with them and surround them with the love that we can share.”
In the days after the fall, hundreds gathered at the hospital to say their goodbyes, according to KAKE News.
Fleischaker was an organ donor and is expected to help save lives.
Kansas
Kansas Supreme Court affirms conviction in Wichita teen’s 2021 murder
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A man had his conviction in the 2021 killing of a Wichita teen upheld by the Kansas Supreme Court on Friday.
In a unanimous opinion, the court says that there was plenty of evidence to convict Tyler Kelly and that he had a fair trial.
Kelly was found guilty by a Sedgwick County jury in 2023 of first-degree murder, aggravated burglary and aggravated assault in the July 17, 2021, shooting death of 16-year-old Joseph Florence. Court records show Kelly and a 16-year-old broke into Florence’s home to confront him over a girl.
He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years for first-degree murder. He also got 43 months for aggravated burglary and 13 months for aggravated assault.
The judge ordered that he serve the 25 years, plus the additional 56 months before he could be considered for parole.
Kelly appealed his conviction. He argued there was not enough evidence to prove he entered Florence’s home illegally or intended to commit a crime, and he made claims of multiple incidents of prosecutorial error. He also argued that the jury should have been given use-of-force instructions to support his self-defense claim.
In an opinion written by Justice Larkin Walsh, the court says there is more than sufficient evidence that Kelly entered the home illegally with intent to assault Florence. The justices determined that Kelly received a fair trial that was free from prosecutorial error.
“We are pleased with the Supreme Court’s decision to affirm these convictions,” the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. “This ruling brings a final measure of justice to the victims and their families, and it validates the hard work of our prosecutors and local law enforcement in securing this conviction.”
Kelly is currently housed in the Hutchinson Correctional Facility with an earliest possible release date of May 1, 2048, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
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