Wally Judge's salute could be a sign of things to come for Kansas State

As far as disappointments go this season, Kansas State has to be near the top of the list on a national scale.

Picked as the Big XII favorite and a Final Four contender, the Wildcats have struggled earlier in the season, going 11-3 through the first two months of the season and struggling to beat teams they should not be struggling to beat.

Almost everyone with an opinion speculated that the reason for these struggles was a lack of leadership on the part of the Wildcats. Jacob Pullen was not playing like himself before he got suspended (he returns tonight against Savannah State) while Curtis Kelly is currently halfway through his second suspension of the young season.

Those two were supposed to be the senior leaders for this team.

Pretty easy to connect those dots, no?


Well, I have a different theory for you -- maybe Kansas State had been struggling because the guys that were supposed to be playing a complimentary role had been struggling. Prior to Kelly and Pullen's suspension for discounts they received at a clothing store, Wally Judge and Jamar Samuels had not been playing anywhere near their ability level.

Judge, a former McDonald's all-american, was a starter early in the season, but early in December he sat out three games in a four game stretch while dealing with personal issues off the court (and a lack of production on the court) and then played just two minutes in a loss at Florida and 15 minutes in a loss to UNLV.

Many expected Samuels to have a break out season as a junior after an excellent sophomore campaign, but the DC native had seen his numbers dip this season. He also was the guy that reacted to a tongue lashing that was heard through the locker room walls after the Wildcat's loss to UNLV with "I've seen worse. It didn't affect us."

Put everything together, and it wasn't difficult to see why folks in Manhattan, KS, were worried about their boys in purple.

But the last week may have helped change some of those doubts. For starters, Judge and Samuels looked like different players on Friday against North Florida. Judge had a career-high 22 points and nine rebounds (just one game after posting 14 points and 11 boards in a win against UMKC) while Samuels went for a season-high 26 points against North Florida, adding 10 assists over the last two games.

Its more than just the play of those two kids.

The loss to UNLV was demoralizing, but it was also the first time all season that Kansas State played with the energy and aggressiveness that Frank Martin demands. That play carried over to their Dec. 23rd win over UMKC, a performance that Martin was so happy about that he kissed the Wildcat's play by play announcer on the cheek during his postgame interview.

And then there was Judge's salute.

If you missed it, Kansas State wide receiver Adrian Hillburn was flagged for excessive celebration when he saluted the crowd after scoring an critical touchdown against Syracuse in the Pinstripe Bowl. On Friday night, Judge saluted his teammates and the fans throughout the game (watch video of the salute here).

"That was kind of my idea," Judge said after the game. "As athletes we're all a family at this school so us and the football team are one. That was just something for them to let them know we're still proud of them even with the loss. They played their hearts out."

Frank Martin wasn't just proud of his players for the act, he seemed downright giddy about it.

He has reason to.

For the first time all season, his team is playing with the urgency and the leadership that he demands of them.

And they are doing it without their two best players.

We shall see if that continues when Pullen returns to the court tonight.