Kansas State shooting guard Rodney McGruder signed a free-agent contract on Friday with the National Basketball Association's Orlando Magic.
McGruder, who wasn't selected in last Thursday's NBA Draft, has an opportunity to play in the NBA Summer League in July.
Possessing a rapid-fire release on his jump shot, McGruder led Kansas State in eight categories this past season, including scoring (15.6 points per game), double-digit scoring games (29), 20-point games (11), field goals (204), field goals attempted (462), rebounding (5.4 average), free throws attempted (117), starts (35) and minutes played per game (33.5).
Under the guidance of Big 12 coach of the year Bruce Weber, the Wildcats finished with a 27-8 record this past season, including 14-4 in conference play, tying Kansas for a share of the conference championship.
After his senior campaign, McGruder was selected as an honorable mention All-America pick by The Associated Press, becoming the school's first All-American since Jacob Pullen earned recognition to several third teams in 2011. He is the fifth player to earn some type of All-America distinction (first, second, third, fourth, honorable mention and freshman) since 2008.
In addition to his All-America honors, McGruder was named to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District teams. He was the only men's basketball player to earn recognition to the All-Big 12 first-team honors in both athletics and academics.
McGruder finished his Kansas State career in the top 10 of 14 career categories, including first in games played (135), second in consecutive starts (102), third in minutes played (3,708), fourth in 3-pointers made (188), fourth 3-pointers attempted (494), fifth in double-figure scoring games (86), steals (116) and starts (102).
McGruder joins the late Bob Boozer, a two-time All-American and member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, as the only Wildcats to rank in the top 10 in both career scoring and rebounding. McGruder had 1,576 points, seventh on the Kansas State career list, and 654 rebounds, also seventh.
A product of Washington, D.C., McGruder played on former Kansas State star and current Phoenix Suns forward Michael Beasley's AAU team. He came to Manhattan after being recruited and signed by former Kansas State and current South Carolina head coach Frank Martin.
