Alternative Ways That K-State Can Fill Their Men’s Basketball Roster

Kansas State men’s basketball coach Jerome Tang faces a unique challenge as the summer approaches.

With five scholarships left, the Wildcats still have to fill out a significant portion of their roster. And while the transfer portal remains the most likely way that K-State fills out the roster, it doesn’t have to be the only way.

Although recruiting is winding down across the country, the Wildcats do not need to rely on the transfer portal to fill out the roster. Instead, Tang and his staff can take other avenues to fill the remaining spots.

These pathways normally don’t promote immediate production, but they are creative ways to fill out the roster with high-upside athletes looking for a home.

Here are three ways, outside the transfer portal, that K-State can fill their roster for the 2024 season.

Before we go into this topic, it’s important to address that finding 2024 recruits that are available in May is challenging.

Most of the top recruits in the country have signed with other schools, and most have been committed to their programs for months. As a result, this isn’t the most sustainable way to find high-major talents.

However, it doesn’t mean there aren’t diamonds in the rough waiting to be signed.

Four-star point guard Christian Anderson is the only player in Rivals.com’s top 100 that remains uncommitted or unsigned. Anderson decommitted from Michigan following the firing of Juwan Howard and has since gone through the AAU and showcase circuit hoping to find his next spot.

This isn’t the best way to fill out their roster, but there will be opportunities to find high-potential players needing a home.

International recruiting is an inconsistent recruiting market. While potential stars are available overseas, these players can require further development to be ready for college basketball or have offers to play professional basketball in their home country.

As a result, most international recruiting takes place in the spring and summer months.

There are primarily two ways where K-State can recruit international prospects: Development academies and European leagues.

The NBA Academy in Africa is one of the top training centers to find college-eligible prospects, and it produces its fair share of highly-touted players. This year alone, the roster featured five-star Khaman Maluach (committed to Duke) and guard Amar Ankou Diop, who recently committed to Florida Atlantic.

Senegalese forward Mouhamed Camara is currently uncommitted from the academy and is a bouncy wing with loads of potential. At 19 years old, it appears he would be eligible to play college basketball, though that’s unconfirmed.

European leagues can also produce potential players, though it can be harder to land those players because they could be weighing professional options from their home country, which would allow them to play against top talent in preparation for the NBA.

Junior college can be a pathway to find high-major talents that didn’t make it to that level for different reasons.

Former four-star recruit Dior Johnson is one of the top junior college players in this year’s class. Johnson originally signed with Pittsburgh as a part of their 2022 recruiting class but was quickly suspended by the team after he was involved in a domestic abuse incident. He later pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors: strangulation and simple assault.

Johnson is reportedly receiving interest from Auburn and has heard from other top programs, but his off-the-court history makes it unlikely that K-State could pursue the guard.

Other junior college players, including Trevion LaBeaux, who was named an NJCAA Division 1 All-American after a strong season with Indian Hills Community College, are also available.

Ultimately, this is a volatile pathway to adding players. High-major talents are available in the junior college levels, but it’s hard to predict if a player will qualify from the JUCO level.

***

Come join the conversation over at THE CAT CAVE FORUM.

Follow EMAW ONLINE on Twitter: @RivalsFielder, @EMAWOnline