K-State guard Dai Dai Ames the latest Wildcat to enter NCAA basketball transfer portal

A flurry of offseason movement for the Kansas State men’s basketball team continued on Sunday.

Dai Dai Ames, who was slated to be the top returning guard from last season, announced his plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal on Sunday. Ames averaged 5.2 points and 2.0 assists as a true freshman for the Wildcats and was a four-star, top-75 prospect in the 2023 recruiting class. He will have three years of eligibility remaining.

It’s been a busy weekend for K-State coach Jerome Tang, who received commitments from Villanova sharpshooter Brendan Hausen and Arkansas big man Baye Fall. The Wildcats have also signed Illinois-Chicago guard C.J. Jones and Michigan guard Dug McDaniel as part of a class EvanMiya.com has rated top-25 nationally.

Tang will now be looking at close to a complete overhaul of last year’s roster. K-State has lost four starters from last season — Tylor Perry (graduated), Cam Carter (transferred to LSU), Arthur Kaluma (NBA Draft) and Will McNair (graduated) — as well as Ames, Ques Glover, Jerrell Colbert, Dorian Finister and R.J. Jones, who have all hit the transfer portal.

Forward David N’Guessan is the only key returner from last season, as K-State has added four players through the transfer portal and also signed guard David Castillo, a four-star incoming freshman. That leaves the Wildcats with five open scholarships remaining to fill out the 2024-25 roster.