Big 12 Portal Thoughts: Kansas State Has Work Left to do in the Transfer Portal
A year after Kansas State stunned everyone and reached the Elite Eight under first-year coach Jerome Tang, they were consigned to the NIT in his second season.
Now what? Well, Tang working overtime in the transfer portal, as the vast majority of his roster is out the door. Some of that hard work has paid off, but there is still work to be done.
In this edition of Portal Thoughts, we take a look at where Kansas State is now and what’s left to do this offseason.
Kansas State’s Losses (3)
Guard Tylor Perry, who was among the leading scorers in the Big 12 after transferring in, is heading to professional basketball after he ran out of eligibility.
Taymont Lindsey, a former walk-on who was given a scholarship last season, is also out of eligibility. Center Will McNair Jr. is also done after he played his sixth year of college basketball in 2023-24.
Kansas State’s Transfer Losses (7)
Kansas State bled in the portal, as seven players opted to hit the portal by the May 1 deadline.
Some have already landed at new schools. For Cam Carter, who was one of Kansas State’s top guards last season, he’s back where he started at LSU. Center Jerrell Colbert headed south to Texas and will play for SMU, which is ACC-bound next season.
Guard Dorian Finister is headed to Sam Houston, which plays in Conference USA. Guard R.J. Jones is also heading to Texas, but he’ll play for Kansas State’s Big 12 rival, TCU, next season.
Three other Wildcats are looking for new homes right now — guard Dai Dai Ames, guard Ques Glover and forward Arthur Kaluma. It’s not out of the question that any of them return, but it’s unlikely.
Kansas State’s NBA Early Entries (1)
Kaluma is also on the NBA Draft early entry list. He retained his college eligibility while he explores the transfer market.
Kansas State’s Transfer Gains (5)
The Wildcats have been busy, and they’ve needed to be given the immense number of departures from last season.
According to 247Sports.com, three of the transfers are considered four-star players. One, former Arkansas center Baye Fall (6-11) gives the Wildcats a potential answer inside. But he didn’t get much playing time with the Razorbacks last season, as he averaged five minutes in nine games.
Guards Brendan Hausen from Villanova and Dug McDaniel from Michigan should give the Wildcats a formidable backcourt and are the other four-star players. Hausen averaged 6.2 points in his sophomore season with the Wildcats. McDaniel had a huge sophomore season with the Wolverines, as he averaged 16.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists. He should fit snugly into the starting point guard role.
Guard C.J. Jones was at UIC last season and he averaged 11.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists for the Flames. Finally, Max Jones is another guard with scoring ability. He averaged 15.3 points with Cal State Fullerton last season. He shot nearly 40 percent from the 3-point line.
Kansas State’s Recruiting Gains (1)
The Wildcats landed just one player in their 2024 prep class. Guard David Castillo played for Sunrise Christian in Wichita, Kan., last season and was listed as a four-star player who was ranked No. 48 overall by 247Sports.com. He should have a chance to make an impact in his first season.
Set to Return (3)
It’s a lonely trio returning from last season. Forward David N’Guessan announced two weeks ago that he would return for his final season of college basketball. He averaged 7.8 points and 6.8 rebounds, which were both career highs in a season.
Forward Taj Manning, who was a redshirt freshman last season, should return. The departures should give him a chance for more playing time after he averaged 4.9 minutes in 14 games.
Forward Macaleab Rich was a freshman last season and returns after playing in 16 games and averaging 9.8 minutes. He averaged nearly four points.
What’s Left?
This is life in the transfer portal era. Talent goes out and you have to replace it. Between players that ran out of eligibility and transfers, Tang has to replace 10 players. He and his staff did a great job recruiting guards that can score and pass. He may have his three starters in house. He has to bank that Fall can tap into his immense potential next season.
If I’m counting right, Tang and his staff still has work do to. I see four open scholarship and plenty of talent in the portal.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
