‘I want to be free’: Nae’Qwan Tomlin ready for K-State basketball suspension to end
Nae’Qwan Tomlin has not played in a single game for the Kansas State men’s basketball team this season, but some are ready for that to change.
The K-State student section chanted the words “We want Nae’Qwan” several times on Tuesday night as the Wildcats defeated Villanova 72-71 in an exciting overtime game at Bramlage Coliseum. Then, on Wednesday, Tomlin turned to social media to express the same sentiment.
Bring up his Instagram account and you will find a picture of Tomlin dribbling a basketball as the words “I want to be free” scroll across the top of the screen and lyrics from the Deniece Williams song “Free” play in the background.
Tomlin (and K-State fans) are sharing their frustrations because they feel that his indefinite suspension, which began in October following an arrest for disorderly conduct in the Manhattan entertainment district known as Aggieville, has been going on for too long.
K-State basketball coach Jerome Tang initially made it sound like Tomlin would have an opportunity to return to the team after his legal issues were resolved. Tomlin appeared to be taking steps toward that when he was granted diversion in late November. Without any charges hanging over his head, he was then allowed to return to the K-State bench during games, albeit in street clothes.
It looked like he was nearing a return. But no progress has been made since then. He has served what amounts to a nine-game suspension, and there appears to be no end in sight.
Why? That part is difficult to explain.
Lately, Tang has seemed at a loss for words when asked about the situation, almost as if it is out of his control.
“Nothing has changed about his status,” Tang said earlier this week. “I told you, I’m going into this treating it like a season-ending injury, unless something different happens. I’m excited for him. He’s going to graduate in a few days. So that’s the next step in this process for him and for us. We are just going to keep loving and supporting him and see where things go from there.”
It would be understandable for Tang to begin playing Tomlin in the near future, so long as he continues to abide by the terms of his diversion.
Players on other teams have faced much lighter consequences under similar circumstances.
Tomlin is also a skilled senior forward who was expected to be one of the best players on the team this season.
A year ago, the 6-foot-10 Tomlin averaged 10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds as the Wildcats won 26 games and reached the Elite Eight. K-State has done well to start 7-2 this season without him.
If Tang is unable to explain why Tomlin isn’t playing, then what’s going on? The answer to that question is nebulous. But the prevailing sentiment on campus is that university president Richard Linton has reservations about allowing Tomlin back on the court. Until that changes, he is expected to remain on the sideline.
That theory has gained so much steam that a group of K-State students gathered outside of Linton’s house in a mini protest on Wednesday and voiced their support of Tomlin.
At one point during the rally, Tomlin even pulled up and cheered the crowd on from the passenger seat of a car.
If Linton is, indeed, getting involved in this saga, that could create a rift between Tang and the university president.
The Eagle reached out to Linton for comment. A representative from his office said she would look into the request but did not have an official response as of Wednesday afternoon.
K-State signed Tomlin out of junior college last season and he immediately helped the Wildcats as a starter in the frontcourt. He was so good during his first year at K-State that he tried out for several NBA teams during the spring before deciding to return to college for his senior year.
Much was expected of him this season, but, for now, it remains unclear if he will play at all.