Kansas State men’s basketball — a squad consisting of just three returners from last year — just put the finishing touches on its annual Shark Week.
Shark Week is five days of grueling exercises, emphasizing the team’s “GRIT” mantra: Greatness Really Is Tough. The test of the Wildcats’ endurance prepares them for the hardest tasks they’ll face this season.
However, with a lack of continuity on the roster, it also serves as an early opportunity for K-State to build something that can be overlooked: A team.
“Shark Week is Shark Week,” third-year head coach Jerome Tang said. “I thought our guys did a great job attacking it. Before that, we went on a team retreat. There were a lot of psychological challenges and mental stuff that they had to overcome on the team retreat, and they did a really good job of that. … They came back and attacked Shark Week.”
K-State brings 14 players to the 2024-25 season, including 3 returning lettermen in senior David N’Guessan and sophomores Taj Manning and Macaleab Rich.
The 11 newcomers come to Manhattan from across the world, starting with eight Division I transfers.
Bigs and wings are Achor Achor (Samford), Coleman Hawkins (Illinois), Baye Fall (Arkansas) and Ugonna Onyenso (Kentucky). Then at guard, K-State welcomes Dug McDaniel (Michigan), Brendan Hausen (Villanova), C.J. Jones (UIC) and Max Jones (Cal State Fullerton).
Lastly, Tang brought in junior college All-American Mobi Ikegwuruka, top-50 high school prospect David Castillo and walk-on Spencer Bain from Overland Park.
While the transfer class is regarded highly across the nation, building team chemistry is at the forefront of success. Tang has experience with that situation in Manhattan, especially during his first season with just two returners.
Still, this year is different for Tang — in a good way.
“I was super excited that we got to have everybody for July,” Tang said. “This is my first time — three years now, third season — and [I] never had a whole team in July. That was really exciting.”
Has Tang brought his team’s chemistry further along than in years past? The jury is still out.
“That’s hard to judge, I know that David and Taj say things are going pretty well, and that all the guys like each other,” Tang said. “I think it’s just hard to say which [team] is further along because the team last year really liked each other.”
When the Wildcats turned to just two returners in Tang’s first season, Markquis Nowell and Ishmael Massoud, the duo was instrumental in bringing together a team. Tang sees the same thing, namely in the experienced N’Guessan.
“David N’Guessan has been incredible,” Tang said. “His confidence level is at an all-time high. You see how he carries himself, how he practices. His personality is really blossoming and that definitely helps.”
As far as the other two returners — Manning and Rich — there is still room for growth.
“Taj also is coming along,” Tang said. “Taj hasn’t had as big of a role, so he’s still fighting.
[Rich] is still trying to figure some things out … So not quite the impact of Ish, a fourth-year college guy, and Markquis, a fifth-year college guy. But definitely important in how we’ve been able to recruit. And now as we prepare for the season.”
K-State will host Fort Hays State in an exhibition Oct. 29 before hosting four non-conference games to kick off the season.
“We have 43 days before our first game and I’m excited about seeing how far we can go from here till then,” Tang said. “We won’t be a finished product in 43 days, but we’ve got certain things we have to get in order to give us a chance to win that first one.”
