3-2-1: Kansas State basketball offseason in full swing

THREE THINGS WE LEARNED ABOUT KANSAS STATE

1. TANG: It was announced recently that, though Shaka Smart was awarded Coach of the Year by the AP, that Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang has won the Naismith Coach of the Year award. Both had outstanding first seasons at their respective schools.

2. NOWELL: Not many had a better month than K-State point guard Markquis Nowell. He was named to the All-Tournament team and was enshrined as the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year as well after the Elite Eight run by Kansas State. The Wildcats’ star also saw his NIL value skyrocket due to his new fame and popularity after the show he put on in Madison Square Garden. That culminated in new deals with both TurboTax and Wingstop.

3. TOMLIN: Tang made news when he shared on the Field of 68 podcast that K-State forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin would test the NBA waters while maintaining his college eligibility. That is not a shock given his enormous potential and traits. However, there is still confidence that Tomlin will return to Kansas State for another season. His head coach even noted that he could be an All-Big 12 player and perhaps an NCAA All-American.

TWO QUESTIONS

1. MONEY: K-State Athletics Director Gene Taylor is going to have a busy offseason. While he was able to soak up and enjoy the championships, hardware and accolades from the football and basketball teams, now he is tasked with the mission of ensuring that it can be sustained. That requires money, and both Tang and Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman and their staffs are likely set for both raises and extensions. Both have already dismissed other opportunities elsewhere.

2. PORTAL OPTIONS: Two interesting transfer options have surfaced for K-State due to their ties. Though he has only shared his intention to do so, Baylor guard LJ Cryer is expected to be available and has the obvious connection to Jerome Tang. After all, the Wildcats’ head coach was the reason that Cryer picked the Bears. Additionally, North Texas guard Tylor Perry has also chosen to leave his school. He was coached in Denton at one time by current Kansas State assistant Jareem Dowling.

ONE K-STATE PREDICTION

1. RANKED: In all of the way-too-early basketball polls for next season that I have seen, K-State is not ranked in the top 25. However, a few of them did note that the Wildcats were just out of it. Some of that is just because we don’t know what the full roster will look like, yet. However, Tang is a media darling at this point and I more than expect to nail some coveted additions from the transfer portal that will raise the ceiling for next year. Because of that, my prediction is that the Wildcats will be ranked in the preseason top 25 at the end of the day.

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