Kansas State Wildcats transfer Ismael Massoud finds new basketball home in Big East

Ismael Massoud has found a new college basketball team.

The 6-foot-9 Kansas State senior forward announced on Friday that he will transfer to Georgetown and play for the Hoyas in the Big East next season.

He chose Georgetown over a host of other suitors. Massoud also took recruiting visits to New Mexico, Fordham and George Washington before he committed to coach Ed Cooley and the Hoyas this week.

Massoud departed K-State after spending two seasons with the Wildcats. He started his college basketball career at Wake Forest. The biggest highlights of his career came last season when he helped new coach Jerome Tang win 26 games and reach the Elite Eight.

His ability to make shots from the perimeter made him a valuable role player as the season went on, and he made crucial shots in March Madness victories over Kentucky and Michigan State. He also hit a game-winning shot at Baylor during the regular season.

Massoud averaged 5.4 points and 1.7 rebounds last season while he made 41.8% of his shots from three-point range. But he only logged 15.3 minutes per game.

He decided to transfer away from K-State in order to search for more playing time. A New York native, he also wanted to move somewhere closer to his home town. Georgetown could provide Massoud an opportunity to be a star player for the Hoyas, as Cooley is looking to overhaul the team’s roster after he was brought in to replace Patrick Ewing.

It was interesting to see how many schools pursued Massoud as a transfer.

Tang didn’t want to lose Massoud to the portal, but he also told Massoud that he couldn’t promise him 30 minutes per game next season. So coach and player agreed to part ways, albeit with an understanding that Massoud would be welcomed back to Manhattan with open arms if he couldn’t find an attractive transfer destination.

That door closed on Friday when Massoud committed to Georgetown. He will finish his college basketball career in the Big East.