Hall of Famer Rick Byrd reflects on Casey Alexander's path to Kansas State

When recruiting his Belmont roster in the early 1990s , Rick Bryd thought there was an area standout who was being overlooked. He wanted that player to be on his team. Casey Alexander was tough and was like a coach on the floor.

Byrd, leading what was then an NAIA program, offered Alexander some scholarship money to join his team, but Alexander initially rejected . A big Volunteers fan, Alexander decided to enroll at the University of Tennessee. Shortly into his time in Knoxville , Alexander decided that he missed the game.

He called Byrd, asked if there would still be a spot for him at Belmont , and he quickly transferred schools. That decision paved the way for a successful playing and coaching career at Belmont, which resulted in Alexander becoming one of the best mid-major coaches in the country. Now, he's making his first jump to coaching at the highest level after being named the new head coach at Kansas State.

"I think it's the kind of place that will let Casey put together a program," Byrd, a College Basketball Hall of Fame coach, said. "I'm proud of him like a brother or a big brother would be. I hope that he saw some things in the way that we did things that helped him.