Thunderstorms during the morning hours, then skies turning partly cloudy during the afternoon. High around 85F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70%..
Tonight
A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
Houston Rockets forward Jermaine Samuels Jr. and guard Trevor Hudgins (a former Manhattan High grad), right, defend against Oklahoma City Thunder guard and former K-State star Keyontae Johnson during an NBA summer league basketball game Tuesday, July 11, 2023, in Las Vegas.
Houston Rockets forward Jermaine Samuels Jr. and guard Trevor Hudgins (a former Manhattan High grad), right, defend against Oklahoma City Thunder guard and former K-State star Keyontae Johnson during an NBA summer league basketball game Tuesday, July 11, 2023, in Las Vegas.
Kansas State had five of its former players wrap up NBA summer league play over the weekend.
Recently graduated Wildcats Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell and former K-State standouts Mark Smith, Xavier Sneed and Barry Brown Jr. all competed in Las Vegas over the last week for their shot at making an NBA roster.
K-State’s lone draftee from last season, Johnson, finished with 13.3 points in 23.4 minutes per game for the young and talented Oklahoma City Thunder that finished 2-3 overall.
He also had five rebounds.
Johnson was selected with the 50th pick in the second round by the Thunder and was soon signed to a two-way contract.
Nowell, meanwhile, had his share of eye-popping highlights, finishing fifth among all players in summer league averaging 6.8 assists per game for the Toronto Raptors.
He also averaged 10 points, one steal and three rebounds a game. The Raptors finished 1-4.
Nowell went undrafted, but was signed to a two-way deal by Toronto immediately following the end of the draft.
Smith averaged .8 points and 2.5 rebounds per game while playing 8.8 minutes per game for the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets finished 2-3.
The Missouri transfer, who led the Wildcats in Bruce Weber’s final season in Manhattan, has played for BG Göttingen, a team in Germany’s secondary league, since leaving
Sneed averaged 4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and a block while playing 17.8 minutes per game for the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets finished 1-4.
Since leaving K-State in 2020, Sneed has made his way around the NBA G-League, playing for the Greensboro Swarm (the Hornets’ affiliate) and the Salt Lake City Stars (the Utah Jazz affiliate), while also spending limited time with the Memphis Grizzlies.
He also played a season for the Niagara River Lions in Ontario, Canada.
Lastly, Brown was picked up by the Phoenix Suns for summer league and averaged 10.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while playing 21.2 minutes per game. The Suns finished 2-3.
Since graduating K-State in 2019, Brown’s career has sent him around the world.
During the 2019-2020 season, Brown played for the Iowa Wolves, the G-League affiliate of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Brown then played for Riesen Ludwigsburg, a team in the Basketball Bundesliga (Germany’s top league) in the 2020-21 season. He then played for the Beijing Ducks in 2022 and the New Zealand Breakers from 2022-23. Lastly, Brown helped lead the Metropolitans 92, which featured a pair of NBA lottery picks including No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama, to the league finals.
The 2023-24 NBA season tips off in October.
Manhattan High’s Trevor Hudgins in championship
After a solid rookie season playing primarily with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the G-League affiliate for the Houston Rockets, Manhattan High’s Trevor Hudgins has helped Houston dominate NBA summer league play on the way to an undefeated 5-0 record and a championship berth.
In the G-League last season, Hudgins averaged 20 points on 36% shooting, 5.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.6 rebounds while playing 38.6 minutes per game over 28 games.
He also played five games for the Rockets, averaging 1.8 points in 5.6 minutes per game.
During summer league games, Hudgins led the Rockets with 5.8 assists per game. He also put up 14.5 points on 42% shooting.
Houston takes on the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are also unbeaten, for the NBA 2K24 Summer League championship at 8 p.m. Monday.
