As a freshman, Jacob Pullen felt like a grounded teenager.
“It was like I couldn’t do anything right,” Kansas State’s junior point guard said.
Pullen always felt coach Frank Martin’s heavy stare then, heard his pointed criticisms and understood it wasn’t good when he was benched against Missouri.
He also learned.
“Frank wasn’t soft on me,” said Pullen, who played at Proviso East. “Those were the type of games you learn from. He sat me down and talked to me. That’s when I realized how much he really wanted me to be a good player. And I appreciated it.”
Now Pullen is Mr. Tough Guy at Kansas State, sometimes even charting which slacking players are deserving of running suicides as a punishment.
“If they cheat a drill, I really attack them,” he said. “Afterward, I sit them down, watch film, talk to them, ask them what they don’t understand. It’s all just because I want them to be better. I don’t want this program to fall off.”
One way to keep the Wildcats firmly in place as a relevant program comes Saturday evening.
Two weeks after knocking off No. 1 Texas, the 11th-ranked Wildcats (17-3, 4-2 Big 12) have a shot at keeping in-state rival No. 2 Kansas (19-1, 5-0) from assuming the top spot in the national polls when the teams meet in Manhattan, Kan.
Pullen went 4-for-30 against Texas and Oklahoma State but bounced back with 25 points in a victory at Baylor, going 6 of 7 from 3-point range. He ranks second in the Big 12 averaging 19.2 points per game and also shoots 42.3 percent on 3-pointers.
While the importance of the game centers on standings and state pride, there are also some Chicago bragging rights at stake.
Pullen and Kansas point guard Sherron Collins, who played at Crane, offer an intriguing subplot to the game.
Since Pullen arrived, the Wildcats have only one regular season victory against the Jayhawks, posting an 84-75 triumph Jan. 30, 2008, but losing three other meetings.
Pullen doesn’t receive the same national notoriety as Collins, who averages 15.5 points. That’s probably because he hasn’t played in a national title game like Collins, who helped the Jayhawks win the NCAA tournament two seasons ago.
But he hopes the Wildcats are on course to make that a possibility.
While Michael Beasley put the Wildcats back on the map two seasons ago, Pullen hopes his longevity with the program will make a mark in history.
“If we actually get to the Final Four, I can possibly be in Kansas State history forever,” said Pullen, who works out in summers with other Chicago guards Shannon Brown and Dee Brown. “That will get all our jerseys hanging up in the rafters.”
He already has sparked a fashion trend. His beard has inspired the saying “Fear the Beard” and prompted students to wear fake Abraham Lincoln-styled facial hair.
Collins understands that limiting Pullen and guard Denis Clemente (14.7 ppg) will be essential.
“They have shown they can score at any time,” Collins told reporters recently. “The bigs have to help us corralling them on screens and getting back in transition to help make it easier for us to guard them. They are good guards and they’re going to score, we just have to do a good job trying to limit them.”
Pullen and Collins, who played against each other on the AAU circuit as teenagers, share a mutual respect for each other. But once Big 12 play starts, communication ceases — at least off the court.
“We know we have to see each other twice,” Pullen said.
One will get in a final word Saturday night.
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sryan@tribune.com
