Kansas State basketball may still be one season away from being touted as a national title contender. After their play last season, you would think they had done enough. However, in the eyes of most people it takes more than one great season to be considered a championship caliber team.

This season, the Wildcats are poised to be one of the better teams in college basketball. They return Jacob Pullen, Curtis Kelly, Jamar Samuels and Wally Judge. They also bring in Will Spradling, who will be big out of the backcourt, as well as Shane Southwell, Nino Williams and “big” Freddy Asprilla.

They’re definitely suited for a long run in the NCAA Tournament. They have great guards, wing threats and a post presence. But following this upcoming season, the Wildcats will lose seniors Pullen and Kelly. Two main contributors from a season ago and one of the main reasons the Wildcats are predicted to start the season in the top five.

So continuing to add top high school recruits is important for Kansas State to be considered a serious threat nationally. K-State head coach Frank Martin has reached out to a few recruits in the 2011 class thus far. The most notable player is 6’2″ guard Ryan Boatright. However, the player we’re all paying the most attention to in Manhattan is 6’8″ 212-pound forward Perry Ellis from Wichita Heights High School.

Ellis is considered by most to be the top wing threat in the country. He was once listed as a solid four-man with advanced post up skills. This off-season he has showcased his ability to take defenders off the dribble, shoot, as well as post up.

He has developed a solid inside-out game. Martin can been spotted court-side at most of his games, watching the young talent go to work.

Ellis could be very beneficial to the Wildcats. If acquired, he would be the highest rated recruit since Michael Beasley in 2007 — and we all know how well that turned out. He could be K-State’s next Michael Beasley.

Not to mention, he wouldn’t mind the coaching outrages by Frank Martin. Perry’s mother, Fonda Ellis, said “Perry really likes Frank. He mainly talks to Brad (Underwood) but when he came for visits he sat in Frank’s office and was just real down to earth.” She followed up by saying, “I think (Martin) is a different person off the court.”

Ellis plays the game with no excuses. If he messes up on offense, he makes up for it on the defensive end.

Before we can get too happy, Kansas, Memphis and Kentucky are still in the mix for the versatile forward. But you can’t count the Wildcats out for his services according to Fonda Ellis.

“K-State sits well with Perry,” she said. “Frank and Bill (Self) are both doing a great job recruiting him this summer. If they couldn’t be there they would have an assistant there. KU and K-State both want him and they both have followed him from Cleveland to Wisconsin to Orlando to Kansas City.”