Mailbag: Analysis of the Kansas State basketball roster and recruiting efforts

1. Who is the top Kansas State basketball target in the Class of 2025?

DY: Kansas State targets that immediately come to mind are Aaron Rowe, Meleek Thomas, Mikel Brown, Jeremiah Green and Akai Fleming. But there has been an increase in communication with Hudson Greer and Will Riley as well.

Rowe has been visited by K-State a lot at Link Academy and has the obvious ties to assistant Rodney Perry. Brown was at Sunrise and saw the Kansas State coaches a lot as well. Thomas went to Madison Square Garden to watch the Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament.

Fleming always lists lists K-State. Green has even already visited Manhattan. It’s hard to differentiate between anyone in that group at the moment.

2. Which incoming freshman basketball player would you pick to make an All-Big 12 team at some point in their career?

DY: I have been asked about the incoming freshmen class a lot, and my answer is typically Kansas State guard RJ Jones. I think he has the quickest impact and has the highest ceiling of the potential and most scoring ability of the three.

3. Is Taj Manning an under-sized big or a wing?

DY: It isn’t that he can’t be a wing, but he doesn’t have enough of a shot to be one just yet. Until Taj Manning has more of an outside game, he’s more apt to be used in the paint by K-State.

Taj Manning/Kansas State Athletics

4. Where does K-State women’s basketball finish in the Big 12 next season?

DY: Look, I’m not going to pretend to know the entire Big 12 landscape when it comes to women’s basketball. So, in terms of what other teams in the league have, I’m the wrong person to ask. However, I do know that Kansas State has a terrific roster and should be contending near the top.

5. What is the floor and ceiling for Taj Manning this season?

DY: I’m worried that folks took some of the praise for Manning last year and misinterpreted it. He can be an All-Big 12 choice at some point down the road. They believe in him that much. But he isn’t really close to that caliber as we sit here on June 15, 2023. That is a ceiling that can be reached in a few years.

I’m sure his floor is someone that still struggles to see the floor, but I think it would be an achievement this season if the K-State forward turned the corner enough to be a role player that comes off the bench for the Wildcats.

6. Will Kansas State tight end Ben Sinnott have over or under 500 receiving yards this season?

DY: I’d sure hope it is over, quite frankly. It’d be a disappointment if he didn’t. No offense to Adrian Martinez, but the Kansas State aerial game wasn’t exactly clicking with him under center, and Ben Sinnott still achieved nearly 450 receiving yards last year.

With Will Howard as his quarterback for a full slate, anything below 500 would be a concern.

7. Who will be the leading receiver in 2023?

DY: Again, I would be stunned if it isn’t Keagan Johnson. No receiver on the K-State roster really comes close to him in game-ready talent.

8. What is the over/under on catches for Sterling Lockett this season?

DY: Unfortunately, he isn’t guarantee a role as soon as this season. A couple catches is probably the maximum I see for Sterling Lockett in 2023.

9. Is the K-State basketball success dependent on Jerome Tang or the staff as a whole?

DY: There is no doubt about it. Jerome Tang assembled an elite coaching staff at Kansas State, and though he is the head of the snake, he couldn’t have success without their immense contributions.

Jareem Dowling is a heck of a recruiter and a defensive mind. Ulric Maligi is the same. Rodney Perry provides some boost on the offensive end. Austin Carpenter is an operations guru, Marco Borne has everyone on the same page and Anthony Winchester is a rising star.

However, he is the reason why K-State can build a great staff with elite ability. He makes everything go, and people want to work for him.

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