K-State Q&A: Jerome Tang, Wildcat basketball transfers and March Madness in Manhattan

It’s time for another K-State Q&A.

Nearly every question is about basketball this week. We have some good ones on tap, so there is no need for a lengthy introduction from yours truly. Let’s dive right in. Thanks, as always, for your participation.

Final grades for the men’s basketball team? Who’s your MVP for the year? - @bfullingt1 via X.

Some will give Jerome Tang and these Wildcats a failing grade simply because they missed the NCAA Tournament.

And, hey, I get that. Anymore, if you’re a coach who isn’t getting to the Big Dance every single year you (or something darn near close to it) you’re looking for a new job.

But I also think that most fans would have taken 19 wins before the season started if they knew Nae’Qwan Tomlin and Ques Glover weren’t going to play a single minute for the Wildcats.

Given the available scholarship players for this team, I think winning 19 games and reaching the NIT was more like a C+ than a F.

One could argue that Tang got everything he could out his team. Sure, they could have reached March Madness had they finished off close games against Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Cincinnati. But it’s impossible to win every game that goes down to the wire.

Imagine the doom and gloom that would have come without a perfect 7-0 record in overtime games.

To me, that 7-0 mark is a sign of good coaching and a clutch team.

And it’s not like K-State didn’t win some big games. I can’t remember a home slate with more impressive victories than Baylor, BYU, Iowa State and Kansas. Unfortunately, the Wildcats also got blown out by teams like USC, Miami and Oklahoma, which all missed the NCAA Tournament. That was also a sign that this team had a low floor without two of its best players.

In conclusion, I would say it was an average year. Nothing to be overly disappointed about. But nothing to truly celebrate, either.

My MVP award goes to Tylor Perry. He wasn’t as good as some fans expected him to be, but he still had some big-time moments and it’s scary to think about where this team would have been without him.

Will other schools pursue Tang? This season was obviously a bit of a disappointment, but he has shown twice now that he can navigate the transfer portal to put a good team together. That ability has to be highly sought after in this era. -@MyNamesTheo via X.

Maybe.

But his star has dimmed a bit since last season and he recently signed a contract extension. Based on the jobs that are currently open, I don’t think there is much danger of him leaving K-State during this cycle of coaching changes.

Is it true that Logan Landers is the only former K-State men’s basketball student-athlete to be in post season play? - @PowercatEng via X.

That is not true.

Logan Landers was part of the Grand Canyon team that made it to the NCAA Tournament last season, but he was not with the team this year. Pretty sure I read that he switched sports and is now trying to play baseball ... like Michael Jordan.

But there is a former Wildcat who is still playing.

Remember Selton Miguel? He was the leading scorer for South Florida this season and his 15 points per game were a big reason why the Bulls have been able to win 25 games and advance beyond the first round of the NIT.

I always liked Miguel. He was a good defender and he could attack the rim with his driving ability. All he needed to do was develop more of a jump shot and mature as a basketball player. I am happy he found a place where he could shine.

Why did Buddy Rich play so little this season? - @getontheradar1 via X.

He was a freshman.

That is the easiest way to answer that question. I totally understand why you ask it, though. Every time Macaleab Rich got the ball in the paint good things seemed to happen. He could finish and dunk better than just about anyone on the entire K-State basketball roster. Jerome Tang gave him a few minutes against Iowa in the NIT and he took advantage by scoring seven points and grabbing five rebounds.

I absolutely think he should have played more this season, because of that upside.

But his defense and court awareness were also seriously lacking. As a freshman, he didn’t know what to do when he was the floor and he didn’t have the ball around the basket.

Tang didn’t want to play a freshman who looked lost and gave up easy buckets. Young players do that sometimes.

If he chooses to stay at K-State and figures out how to become more of a complete player he could really help the Wildcats down the road.

How many players on the men’s basketball team do you think enter the transfer portal this year? - @T_Kellams via X.

I would put the Over/Under at 3.5.

Cam Carter has already said that he is transferring. That did not come as a surprise to me, by the way. I was told by an insider several weeks ago that he was likely going to be the first K-State player to enter the portal.

It was probably a mutual decision between him and the coaching staff. Carter definitely had his moments this season, but his play over the final month left much to be desired. A fresh start is probably best for both sides.

After proving himself as a Big 12 starter who can average 14 points, it will be interesting to see where Carter ends up and how much NIL money he can attract. My guess is he transfers back to the SEC and finishes his career closer to his home in Louisiana.

At least a few more players are sure to join him in the portal. The main candidates seem like Dorian Finister, Taj Manning, Arthur Kaluma and Ques Glover. I’m not saying any or all of those players are definitely on the move. I’m just saying no one will be shocked if they do look elsewhere.

My guess is Tang definitely wants all three of K-State’s freshmen back next season, along with Jerrell Colbert and David N’Guessan. That, plus anyone else who sticks around, would give him a nice core to build around with David Castillo coming in as a heralded recruit.

Crystal ball predictions of how many K-State players return next year from this year’s team. - @jamesglessner92 via X.

Six sounds like the magic number to me.

Dai Dai Ames, RJ Jones, Jerrell Colbert, David N’Guessan, Macaleab Rich and Taj Manning are the ones I think will be back.

Somebody asked me yesterday if college basketball had “pretty much” turned into a free agency. I told him there is no “pretty much” about it. Now that the NCAA allows unlimited transfers, no player is bound any team.

What’s going to have a bigger impact on the Cats next season -- retaining a current player or finding a player in the portal? - @Pantone268Plus via X.

Bringing in a few talented impact transfers seems like the much more important task to me.

K-State didn’t have enough “dudes” to make it back to the NCAA Tournament this season. And they are for sure losing Tylor Perry and Will McNair as departing seniors. Bringing back N’Guessan and/or Kaluma would be big for this team, but neither of them are irreplaceable.

The ticket to this team getting back to the Big Dance next year will be finding more “dudes” like they did two years ago with Keyontae Johnson, Desi Sills and Nae’Qwan Tomlin. Putting them around Markquis Nowell and Ismael Massoud made all the difference.

Tang only invited two players back from Bruce Weber’s final team. That right there should tell you all you need to know about getting better quickly in college basketball.

Given that we’ve secured one recruit, what can we expect to see out of the portal to replace our graduates or potential transfer losses? -@KingWillieEMAW

I don’t have any specific names for you just yet, but the Wildcats are going to want a veteran point guard, a shooter, an athletic wing and a versatile big.

Tang has shown lots of patience when recruiting out of the transfer portal since he took over as K-State’s coach. It might behoove him to strike a little faster this offseason and get some of those “dudes” locked up before summer arrives.

Does K-State possess the means to be a NIL leader in the Big 12 or is it content to be second-tier when recruiting players? Men’s basketball needs some dudes to be competitive next season. - @shanekrull1 via X.

Both Jerome Tang and Chris Klieman have made it very clear that they want K-State to provide more NIL money for their players, and it sounds like the Wildcats have responded.

Now that the athletic department is backing off facility projects and Wildcat NIL has beefed up its fundraising efforts I am confident that K-State has more NIL money available than ever before to help recruit and retain players.

I can’t tell you how K-State’s NIL war chest compares to other Big 12 schools, because no one shares those numbers publicly.

But I’ve got a feeling it is comparable to the top schools in the league now that Oklahoma and Texas aren’t in the picture. You don’t hear any NIL complaints around K-State right now like you do at Oklahoma State.

Which is the best Wildcat? (i.e. cocaine Willie, flag Willie, powercat, etc.) -@meara_lennea via X.

I am partial to Sailor Willie.

Sorry if that’s not what the cool kids that era of the K-State Wildcat logo, but I like the one where Willie is wearing a puffing out his chest while wearing a purple sweater with an oversized K on the front. The sailor hat puts that logo over the top for me.

You don’t want to mess with that Willie. He will definitely steal your girl ... and your lunch money.

After that, I like Cocaine Willie because he’s ferocious and then Flag Willie because he looks so happy.

The Powercat does its job as a symbol of a football strength and an unmistakable logo that no one can really object to. It’s the best choice for primary logo. But the ones mentioned above are a lot more fun.

More impressed that the women’s team will be playing out in a near sold out stadium or that Gap Goat sent out excuses for kids to fill out to get out of school? -@bfullingt1 via X.

I am impressed by everything the K-State women’s basketball team has done this season.

From inventing the Gap Goat to winning a bunch of games to surviving without Ayoka Lee and to hosting games in the NCAA Tournament ... it’s all been great.

Playing in front of a near sellout crowd at Bramlage Coliseum this weekend is their reward.

But if this team really wants to be special it needs to beat Portland and then Drake or Colorado to advance to the Sweet 16. This program has rarely made it beyond the first weekend of March Madness. Doing so with this group would be a nice step. But it won’t be easy. The Buffaloes are really good.

The Wildcats may need every fan they can get cheering for them to beat them in the Round of 32.