Kansas State head coach Bruce Weber announced changes to his coaching staff, which included the promotion of Mike Furlong to director of student-athlete development and the additions of Jordan Henriquez-Roberts, Mason Schoen and Nate Michael as graduate student managers.
“We are excited to promote Mike into the role of director of student-athlete development,” said Weber. “He has been a part of our program as both a graduate assistant and as our video coordinator these last four years, so he knows what we expect from our players on and off the court. I know that he will continue to demand the same type of excellence from our players both in the classroom and in the community.”
Furlong, who enters his fifth season on the coaching staff, was elevated to director of student-athlete development after a two-year stint (2017-19) as video coordinator. He previously served as a graduate student manager (2015-17) after his playing career (2011-15) at Division II Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan.
Furlong has been a part of 88 wins during his time on the coaching staff, including back-to-back 25-win seasons, a Big 12 regular-season title (2018-19) and three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
In his position as the director of student-athlete development, Furlong will be responsible for a variety of areas, including basketball-related matters, handling special projects for the coaching staff and assisting with community service projects and the Life Skills program. He will also be involved in student-athlete academic development as well as career planning and goal setting.
Furlong earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing management from Hillsdale in June 2015, while he received his Master’s degree in Academic Advising from Kansas State in 2017.
Furlong replaces former Wildcat Shane Southwell, who left to be an assistant coach at Robert Morris.
“We’re obviously excited for Shane that he is getting the opportunity to be a full-time assistant coach at such a young age,” said Weber. “I have said before that I knew as a player that he was going to be an excellent coach. He has a great feel and IQ for the game of basketball. Once he got the experience working with USA Basketball at the FIBA World Cup, I knew it wouldn’t be long before he would get a chance at a full-time coaching position.”
Former Wildcats Henriquez-Roberts (2009-13) and Schoen (2014-18) return to K-State as graduate student managers, along with Michael, who recently concluded his playing career at Division II McKendree College in Lebanon, Illinois.
“It’s always great when former players want to come back to the program and join the coaching profession,” said Weber. “Jordan and Mason have been a part of some of the most successful teams in K-State history and they know what it takes to be successful in our championship culture. Nate is someone that I have known for a long time with his dad, Tom, having played and worked at Illinois. He enjoyed an impressive playing career at McKendree, finishing among the best in several categories, and brings a solid understanding of the game.”
Henriquez-Roberts is a part of the winningest senior class in school history (101-38) and just the second class in school history to advance to four consecutive NCAA Tournaments (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013). He collected more than 500 points (589) and 500 rebounds (562) in his 126-game playing career to go with a school-record 210 blocked shots.
A native of Baldwin, New York, Henriquez-Roberts still reigns as the leader in nearly every category for blocked shots, including single season (77 in 2011-12) and career (210) records and the most by a sophomore (43), junior (77) and senior (64) in school history.
As a senior in 2012-13, Henriquez-Roberts helped the Wildcats to a 27-win season and their first conference championship in 36 seasons in Weber’s first season as head coach. He averaged 5.0 points on 50.7 percent shooting to go with 5.0 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.
Upon his graduation from K-State, Henriquez-Roberts played professional in the G-League (Rio Grande Valley and Westchester) as well as internationally in pro leagues in Finland, Germany, Japan, Argentina, Panama, Uruguay, Vietnam and Mexico. Most recently, he played for Rayos de Hermosillo in the Mexican pro league CIBACOPA in 2018, averaging 14.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 blocks per game.
The only senior on the 2017-18 Wildcat squad that advanced to the Elite Eight, Schoen returns to his alma mater after spending the past season (2018-19) as a graduate assistant at Clemson. He helped the Tigers post a 20-14 overall record, including a 9-9 mark in the rugged Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), and advance to the second round of the Postseason NIT.
A native of Overland Park, Kansas, Schoen played a significant leadership role as a four-year walk-on, guiding the Wildcats to consecutive 20-win seasons and NCAA Tournament appearances as a junior and senior, including serving as co-captain during the run to the Elite Eight. An eight-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll, he was twice named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team (2017, 2018).
Schoen earned two bachelor’s degrees as an undergraduate at K-State, including a finance degree in May 2017 and a marketing degree in May 2018 while also taking classes towards an MBA.
Michael just concluded a five-year playing career (2014-19) at McKendree College in Lebanon, Illinois, where he finished 22nd on the Bearcats’ all-time scoring list with 1,528 points. One of the school’s best all-around shooters, he drained 226 three-pointers in his career, which ranks sixth on the program’s career chart, while he connected on 86.2 percent (344-of-399) from the free throw line, which ranks fifth all-time at the school.
As a junior in 2017-18, Michael poured in a school-record 51 points in the school’s regular-season finale at Quincy University on February 24, 2018 to break the 62-year-old school mark of 47 by Rich Herrin. As a fifth-year senior in 2018-19, he led the Bearcats in multiple categories, including scoring (13.8 ppg.), 3-point field goals (66), free throw percentage (91.3), to go along with averages of 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 31.3 minutes per game. He also set the single season mark for free throw percentage at 91.3 percent (84-of-92).
Michael earned Master’s degree in Psychology (2018) and an MBA (2019) while at McKendree.
A native of St. Joseph, Illinois, Michael finished as the career leader in 3-point field goals (192) at St. Joseph-Ogden High School with 1,244 points. He was a first team All-State selection as a senior in 2013-14, averaging 18 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists per game.
Michael’s father, Tom, who is currently the director of athletics at Eastern Illinois, played basketball at Illinois (1991-94) before spending 12 years (2001-14) in various roles at his alma mater.
Kansas State Basketball Staff Update
