You may have noticed that Bruce Weber let his hair grow this season.
When he first took over as Kansas State’s men’s basketball coach in 2012, he kept his hair short and well groomed for every game. That didn’t change until a few months ago when he started to look shaggy and seemed to favor a more relaxed look on the sideline.
Most assumed he made the change because, well, that is what a lot of people did during the coronavirus pandemic. But it turns out he had a different reason.
On Wednesday, following a Big 12 Tournament loss to West Virginia at T-Mobile Center, he said he had vowed to grow out his hair until some of the teams that were tangled up in the recent FBI investigations that revealed NCAA recruiting violations were punished.
“We did it the right way,” Weber said. “We did it with our guys graduating. … I’m on the NCAA ethics committee. And on the meetings, I was told that they were going to take care of the people in the FBI stuff. So I told somebody, ‘I’m going to grow my hair until something happens.’
“Obviously, it’s still growing. That’s the sad part of our business. Lon Kruger told me the other day, think about all the guys in the FBI thing. They are all in the NCAA Tournament except one. So I’m just proud of what I’ve done.”
That rant felt like a not so subtle jab at Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks, who were alleged to have committed five Level I NCAA rules violations.
It was also an attempt by Weber to defend his 10-year tenure with the Wildcats, which is almost certainly coming to an end following a 14-17 season. K-State has not reached the postseason or finished with a winning record since 2019.
Weber reached incredible heights during his first seven years at K-State, but the shine of five NCAA Tournament appearances, two shared Big 12 championships and one run to the Elite Eight have faded over time.
Change is coming to Manhattan, but that can’t take away the fact that Weber won 184 games at K-State without a hint of scandal.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Bruce,” West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. “I’ve known Bruce for a long, long time. Bruce is a heck of a basketball coach. I don’t think he gets near the credit he deserves.”
Weber seems to know his time is up with the Wildcats. Taylor will likely meet with him in the coming days and the school will almost certainly then announce a national coaching search for his replacement.
Still, Weber thinks he deserves a chance to continue coaching because, unlike some of his peers, he has never been accused of cheating.
He made sure to bring that up before his time with the Wildcats came to an end.