Low post transfer from Hofstra will join K-State Wildcats for final college season
The newest member of the Kansas State men’s basketball roster is a big addition for Jerome Tang, in terms of both size and potential.
Abayomi “Baybe” Iyiola, a 6-foot-10 senior transfer from Hofstra (pronounced uh-BYE-uh-mee ee-zhee-OH-luh), has decided to finish his college career with the Wildcats.
He hopes to go out with a bang after previously spending time at Stetson and Arkansas. K-State will give him every possible opportunity to do so. It’s not hard to see Iyiola carving out an immediate role with the Wildcats, as he averaged 7.1 points and 7.1 rebounds while playing center last season.
“Baybe is another great addition to our team and exactly the type of player we are looking to attract to K-State,” Tang said in a release. “We needed experience and more depth in the low post, and he gives us both. He has seen significant action in college, including playing major minutes in his first two seasons at Stetson. He really rebounded from injury (at Arkansas) to have a solid year at Hofstra. He is a talented player with 16 double-doubles to his credit.
“Most of all, Baybe continues our emphasis on guys who are winners. He won two state championships in high school, was part of a special team at Arkansas along with Desi (Sills) and won 21 games a year ago at Hofstra. He knows what it takes to be successful. We are excited to get him here and introduce him to Wildcat Nation!”
You will find his best talent around the glass, where he is known as an excellent rebounder. Iyiola ranked ninth nationally in offensive rebounding percentage, according to Ken Pomeroy. He averaged three offensive rebounds per game while playing in 27 games for Hofstra.
But those aren’t his only highlights. Iyiola also seems to play his best against top competition. As a sophomore at Stetson, he scored a career-high 26 points against South Florida and 19 in a road game against Duke. He only played in one game while he was at Arkansas, partially because of a knee injury, but he bounced back and delivered 18 points and 14 rebounds when he took the floor against the Razorbacks last season.
The plan appears to be for Iyiola to share time at center with LSU transfer Jerrell Colbert during his lone season in Manhattan.