As Kansas State men’s basketball officially tip-offs its season on Tuesday, it’s no secret that the Wildcats are a largely new bunch.
While the new faces bring a lot of optimism to the product at Bramlage Coliseum, some might wonder: what happened to the outgoing Wildcats, and what do those relationships look like when they’re gone?
As far as the relationships go, it’s a difficult line to walk for head coach Jerome Tang, knowing the NCAA’s restrictions on recruiting players outside of the transfer portal.
“It’s tough because when they’re at another school if they still have eligibility, if you remain in too much contact with them, it could be considered tampering,” Tang said. “But we still root for them.”
The Wildcats’ three leading scorers last year, guards Tylor Perry and Cam Carter, plus forward Arthur Kaluma are no longer Wildcats.
Perry, a graduate transfer last year, was selected by the Raptors 905 in the first round of the NBA’ G-League Draft last week, following a similar path to Markquis Nowell across the north border.
Carter, one of the members of K-State’s Elite Eight squad during Tang’s first season, went back to his home state of Louisiana after transferring to LSU this offseason.
“I want Cam Carter to have a great season,” Tang said. “Cam did a great job while he was with us. He was wise with his NIL money, and did in some investments with a financial advisor that I have a relationship with. I know he’s doing wise with his money right now.
Carter is one of two former players K-State faces this year, hosting LSU on Nov. 14.
“I’m happy for him — the only game I don’t want him to play well is when he comes back to Bramlage,” Tang joked.
Kaluma, who was one of the last players to enter the portal last year, ended up at an old conference foe at Texas, avoiding a rematch as the Longhorns moved to the SEC.
The Wildcats debuted an anticipated signing class of then-freshmen Dai Dai Ames, RJ Jones and Macaleab Rich last year. While Rich remained in Manhattan, Ames and Jones went portaling.
Ames, who played the most amongst the group as a true freshman, transferred to Virginia. Ames, however, did see a change there recently as longtime head coach Tony Bennett unexpectedly retired, ending his storied career.
“[Ames] at Virginia, [I] really hurt for him that he doesn’t get to play for Tony Bennett,” Tang said. “But I know he’s going to have a great time because of the staff out there.”
Jones will join Carter as players reuniting with K-State on the set schedule, playing in-conference for TCU this year. The sophomore sharp-shooter will not return to Bramlage, however, as K-State sees the Horned Frogs once on Jan. 4, 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas.
It was an immediate “no” with a smile from Tang when asked if it excites him to familiar faces on the schedule.
“I don’t want to see them,” he joked. “I know how good they are…[I’d rather] love them from a distance.”
Another guard the Wildcats’ lost was Dorian Finister, a redshirt during the Elite Eight run and a spark plug off the bench for K-State last year. He transferred to Sam Houston State.
“I want Dorian to have a ton of success,” Tang said. “I’ve said all along, I believe he has NBA gifts, it just has to all come together.”
The last two transfers the Wildcats saw were big man Jerrell Colbert who went to SMU and guard Ques Glover who missed the season with an injury and then transferred to Ohio State. Center Will McNair joined Perry as the lone graduates to leave college basketball.
