K-StateFans.com • By Fans, For Fans of Kansas State University

In my work with foster kids I get to experience first-hand what this generation thinks. Unselfishness is a concept most of them have never encountered. The willingness to lead by example is extremely difficult for these kids to comprehend, mostly because that behavior has never been modeled to them. They all want to be stars but few, if any, want to make the sacrifices necessary to reach their goals. I try to remind them that even Steph Curry practices his shot all day, every day. I also point out that great teams are made up of great players who care about each other and put the team first. Then they stop listening and put on their headphones. Wesley Iwundu is the player these guys should all aspire to be. He worked on his game for four years and now he's going to get his chance in the NBA. His work ethic was just as important as his size and skill set. He did everything he could to make his team better and in the process his game improved immensely. That's how it works more often than not.

CatFan76 wrote:In my work with foster kids I get to experience first-hand what this generation thinks. Unselfishness is a concept most of them have never encountered. The willingness to lead by example is extremely difficult for these kids to comprehend, mostly because that behavior has never been modeled to them. They all want to be stars but few, if any, want to make the sacrifices necessary to reach their goals. I try to remind them that even Steph Curry practices his shot all day, every day. I also point out that great teams are made up of great players who care about each other and put the team first. Then they stop listening and put on their headphones. Wesley Iwundu is the player these guys should all aspire to be. He worked on his game for four years and now he's going to get his chance in the NBA. His work ethic was just as important as his size and skill set. He did everything he could to make his team better and in the process his game improved immensely. That's how it works more often than not.

Too many kids today think if they wear their shorts halfway down their ass and can dribble behind their back and between their legs, they're a lock for the league. Any advice to the contrary just bounces off.

Jax wrote:

pulitzerdave wrote:How Foster played last year has absolutely nothing to do with his behavior two years ago. Also, what's your point about Creighton being able to beat us last year? How is that relevant to this discussion?

Actually no more relevance than bringing up Foster at a LeBron James camp on a thread started about what Kamau Stokes learned from being assessed by the NBA, and what he plans to do with what he learned to help the team next year.

Sorry Jax, but the topic of this thread reads "EVERY PLAYER SHOULD DECLARE FOR THE NBA DRAFT". The word EVERY is the operational word here. That opens the conversation to explore many avenues and many examples. Yes, Stokes was used as an example initially, but as I'm sure you know, threads can go in many directions when such a BROAD topic is addressed. And your assessment of "what he plans to do with what he learned to help the team next year" is totally antithetical to his original intent, which was to have his "own" game assessed by NBA scouts to determine his individual strengths and weaknesses. There was no intent to help his team (Kansas State), although that is the advice he received - advice that should have been evident to him. If just one scout had told him his game was ready, he would have left the team.

learnin wrote:I have to agree 100% with Dave on this one. He hit the nail on the head, IMHO, as to what caused a great deal of the problem during that fateful year when Foster took a team down. Yes, indeed. The James camp told Marcus he needed to be a point guard. Marcus said so after he returned. Like Dave said, Weber (hard to be seen as a coach who was holding back a player from becoming a NBA player) gave him a chance to play point. As I recall, we were out of kilter from the get go that season. Foster was out of place and I have no doubt that the experiment, having failed, could have caused a detrimental attitude. Let's not forget what happened to Jake after he was humiliated by Kyrie Irving during his senior year. It took Jake quite a few games to regain his moxie.

As for the advice the NBA offered Kamau. It seems to me that he should have known these things. Be more of a leader. Make your teammates better. These are all things I'm sure Kamau had heard before.

You are correct learnin. Stokes didn't need to declare for the NBA draft to receive this kind of advice. I'm quite sure that other advice that he received was humbling. Whether we are talking about the NBA draft, or camps run by NBA players, the essence of this topic is what affect do these experiences have on players of very questionable NBA ability. In the case of Foster, it was damaging to himself and his team. As for Stokes, we'll wait and see. But to me, it was a foolish foray into an area he wasn't ready for, or may never be ready for.