As K-State basketball roster comes into focus, so do expectations for next season
Jerome Tang is closing in on a full men’s basketball roster of 13 scholarship players, which means now is an appropriate time to consider what the head coach’s Kansas State team can accomplish on the court next season.
For much of the spring, it looked like the Wildcats were heading toward another mediocre campaign in 2025-26. But that outlook became more positive when Memphis transfer PJ Haggerty announced his intention to play for K-State on a lucrative NIL deal.
Haggerty averaged 21.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Tigers last season. He was an All-American and one of the best scoring guards in all of college basketball. His addition suddenly makes the NCAA Tournament feel like a realistic possibility for the Wildcats.
Here’s how big an addition Haggerty could be for EMAW nation: College hoops statistician Bart Torvik projected K-State as the 68th best team in the nation and the 13th best team in the Big 12 before he committed. On paper, Tang’s team didn’t look like a postseason contender.
But Haggerty boosted those numbers to 45 and nine, respectively. That’s a huge difference.
It is also worth noting that Torvik’s data doesn’t take into account the future production of Serbian recruit Andrej Kostic. If he makes an immediate impact and the Wildcats capitalize on their remaining scholarships, they could easily exceed expectations.
There is no guarantee things will work out that way. But K-State fans can at least feel cautiously optimistic about the future now that a star-studded transfer is on his way to Manhattan.
Some will understandably remain in wait-and-see mode after Tang was unable to win with Coleman Hawkins last season and missed the NCAA Tournament two years ago with Tylor Perry.
Things feel different this time around. Hawkins was an excellent role player. But he wasn’t an alpha. Haggerty and some of his new K-State teammates have proven they can create and score on their own.
It is fun to think about what a starting lineup of Nate Johnson (Akron), Abdi Bashir (Monmouth), Tyreek Smith (Memphis), Kostic and Haggerty could accomplish next season.
Haggerty knows how to get to the rim. He made 60.4% of his layups last season while also getting to the free-throw line a whopping 274 times. By comparison, David N’Guessan led K-State with 124 free-throw attempts last season. No one else on the team had more than 80. But Haggerty can also shoot from beyond the arc (36.4% last year) and create open looks for his teammates.
Bashir isn’t much of a defender, but he drained 127 shots from 3-point range last season. Johnson is an elite defender who knows how to score in traffic.
Together, they should drastically upgrade K-State’s transition scoring with former North Florida coach Matthew Driscoll taking over as the team’s new “offensive coordinator.” At minimum, this group should be more exciting than last year’s K-State squad, which often struggled to score and ranked 116th in offensive efficiency.
Smith is also an experienced big man who has been practicing with the team since January.
And Kostic is an athletic wing who figures to be an X-factor for this roster. He brings both a high ceiling and a low floor.
Other transfers like Nate Johnson (Bowling Green) and Khamari McGriff (UNCW) also figure to play important roles next season, along with returning players David Castillo, Mobi Ikegwuruka and Taj Manning. But Tang has rebuilt the K-State roster to a point where none of them may be relied on as starters or big-time contributors.
The Wildcats technically have two remaining scholarships. But both appear to be spoken for. One will go to Smith, assuming he receives a waiver from the NCAA to play an extra season of college basketball. The other will likely be used on German prospect Elias Rapieque. K-State has been linked to him for months.
Max Jones is also seeking an extra year of eligibility, but there is not much optimism that his request will be granted.
If Haggerty and K-State’s two international recruits are as good as advertised, then the Wildcats could be much improved.
To be fair, the word “if” remains big.
Tang spent most of last season talking about the importance of roster continuity and ended up with just four returning players, none of them starters. The Wildcats will be adjusting to life with new talent and new assistant coaches next season. How long will it take them to play like a team?
The Big 12 will also be a rock fight. Houston, BYU, Arizona, Kansas, Iowa State, Teas Tech and Baylor all figure to be NCAA Tournament teams next season. Winning games against that kind of competition won’t be easy.
But it is certainly possible with Haggerty in the fold.
K-State Wildcats basketball roster tracker
Outgoing transfers:
- Brendan Hausen (Iowa)
- Ugonna Onyenso (Virginia)
- Macaleab Rich
- Baye Fall (Rutgers)
- Dug McDaniel (Memphis)
- CJ Jones
Incoming transfers:
High school recruits:
International recruits:
Returners:
- Mobi Ikegwuruka
- Taj Manning
- David Castillo
- Max Jones*
- Tyreek Smith*
*Player is seeking a waiver to gain extra eligibility
Available scholarships: 0-2