Is Casey Alexander off to a slow start with the transfer portal? A K-State Q&A
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- K-State lists four players and appears without a clear starter yet.
- Alexander faces pressure to recruit proven transfers as time runs out.
- Belmont losses and missed pickups heighten concerns about depth.
It’s far too early to know how good or bad Kansas State’s basketball roster will look in Year 1 under new coach Casey Alexander.
The transfer portal has only been open for a few days, and it looks like the Wildcats may retain just one player from last season. It will probably be a while before Alexander lines up commitments from 15 different hoopers.
Still, it’s fair to say that K-State is off to a concerning start.
The Wildcats only have four players in the fold for next season at the moment, and none of them look like future All-Americans.
Andrej Kostic is returning for a second season in Manhattan, which could work well for both parties. But someone needs to teach him how to play defense. Power forward Brock Vice is transferring in from Murray State, which is fascinating because he only averaged two points per game as a reserve for the Racers last season. Jaylen Alexander and Devin Hutcherson are coming in as high school recruits. I’m not sure what to expect from them.
Point is: Alexander may not have found a single starter yet.
That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Maybe he is just loading up on bench players before he focuses on major contributors. With 15 roster spots to fill, not everyone can be a star. It doesn’t matter the order in which they commit, right? Finding a rotation of players that fit Alexander’s system also seems more important than bringing in star power.
But the pressure is on for Alexander to start recruiting some bonafide contributors.
Perhaps more concerning than who the Wildcats have landed is who they haven’t. Many assumed that Belmont transfers would be lining up to play for Alexander at K-State. But Tyler Lundblade has committed to Tennessee and Sam Orme is on his way to Nebraska. Several other key Belmont players have decided to remain with the Bruins.
Time is running out for K-State to land Drew Scharnowski and/or Brigham Rogers if Alexander wants to take advantage of his former job.
Building a basketball roster these days isn’t a sprint. It’s more of a marathon. No one should be jumping to conclusions about the K-State basketball team yet. But there certainly hasn’t been much for fans to celebrate in the early going.
Now, let’s dive into your questions. Thanks, as always, for providing them.
What are the chances that Taj Manning transfers closer to home and ends up playing for Mark Turgeon at UMKC? -@garrettb_1983 via X.
Low.
Insiders have told me that Iowa State is the team to watch for Manning.
Dylan Edwards switched to the other side of the Sunflower Showdown football rivalry. Now we could see Manning flip to the other side of the Farmageddon basketball rivalry.
Based on reports, it looks like Abdi Bashir is taking an early look at St. John’s. PJ Haggerty could be an option for Memphis or LSU.
Former K-State basketball players may end up at better spots than you think.
Please tell me that Brock Vice is coming here as a walk-on and not as a scholarship player. -@KSUclpkp via X.
I’m not going to sit here and try to tell you that you should be excited about an incoming transfer who averaged 2 points and 1.8 rebounds last season at Murray State.
But there are a few things to like about Brock Vice.
For starters, Alexander recruited him out of high school before he committed to Creighton. There is some familiarity there.
Also, if you watch his limited highlight reel from Murray State, he does show off more skills than his production would suggest. He has decent athleticism and good size at 6-foot-10.
There is obviously a reason he only averaged 5 minutes per game last season. But he has some potential.
Here’s guessing that K-State likes him as a project player who can help off the bench. I could see him being a solid hustle guy or role player with the Wildcats. If that’s all they want from him then I can see him adding value to the roster, even though his addition wasn’t met with much enthusiasm at the start of the transfer cycle.
Who are some realistic transfer options that K-State could get in men’s basketball? And when can we expect our next commit? - Jeff M. via e-mail.
Here are a few names to monitor:
- Dedan Thomas (LSU)
- Tylen Riley (Tulsa)
- Colby Garland (San Jose State)
- Tijan Saine (Weber State)
- Blake Buyuktuncel (Nebraska)
- Chol Machot (Charleston)
- Drew Scharnowski (Belmont)
- Jack Karasinski (Bellarmine)
- Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (UNLV)
- Brett Dicker (Liberty)
Isaiah Abraham (Georgetown), JT Rock (New Mexico), Brigham Rogers (Belmont) and Jade Schutt (Virginia Tech) are all expected to visit Manhattan this weekend. If things go well, the Wildcats could add a new transfer or two in the next few days.
The best visitor is probably Daden Schutt, a 6-foot-5 guard who averaged 7.7 points per game for the Hokies last season. He began his college basketball career at Duke.
Rogers would also provide a familiar face for Alexander.
What K-State football players are turning heads at spring practice? - Andrew B. via e-mail.
I don’t have a long list to share. Ask me again at the end of the month.
But I can say that Jay Harris and Joe Jackson have been looking very good at running back.
Harris is a 6-foot-1 and 215-pound transfer from Oregon who passes the eye test. He spoke with media earlier this week while wearing a sleeveless shirt, and his biceps stole the show. I would rip the sleeves off of my shirts, too, if I had arms that big. He is an ideal player to step off the bus first for a road game.
Jackson also seems like he is ready to pickup where he left off last season. I am excited to see what the K-State backfield can do win Collin Klein’s system. I expect Rodney Fields to be good, too.
Will you be covering the 2028 Olympics? If so, can I be hired as your junior reporter. Because that’s the only way I can afford to attend. With that being said, are there any K-Staters who may compete in the upcoming Summer Games? -@ChadFullington via X.
I don’t think the Olympics are in my future.
But there is a good chance I will cover the World Cup this summer when soccer comes to Kansas City. I will have to check and see if FIFA will allow me to get an extra credential for a junior reporter.
Unfortunately, both the Olympics and the World Cup are going to be expensive to attend as fans. I was ecstatic about the World Cup coming here. At one point, I thought about putting some money into my savings so I could take my family to a USMNT match and watch the Yanks play on home soil. I’m glad I didn’t, because tickets alone to any games are absurdly priced.
The cheapest ticket to the USMNT opener is currently going for $1,500 on Seat Geek. Airlines and hotels are also lining up to gouge soccer fans.
No thanks.
I wish these events offered at least some affordable tickets. They are pricing out the typical fan.
But I digress ...
Getting back to your original question, I’m sure K-State will send a few Olympians to the next summer games. The Wildcats are surging under new track and field coach Travis Geopfert. Some of his athletes will make the cut.
There’s also a chance that we could see David N’Guessan or Andrej Kostic playing basketball for their countries.