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Kansas State basketball has had as good of an offseason as the program could've hoped for. Although the Wildcats lost previous commit Riley Krugel to Mississippi State, they've landed several other quality players in the transfer portal.
As a result, Kansas State coach Jerome Tang has his sights set on cutting the nets in March, via The Wichita Eagle's Kellis Robinett.
“We want to compete for a national championship, and I think we have a great group that starts that, just not a lot of margin for error,” Tang said. “The goal is to add to that so we can have a margin for error and be one of the 10 best teams in the country.”
The Wildcats' incoming transfer class includes four-star players Achor Achor, Brendan Hausen, and Baye Hall, via 247 Sports.
Will Kansas State be a true title contender, or is Tang overhyping his squad?
Kansas State basketball has been building a foundation
Tang boasted about the Wildcats' culture, saying how players get attached to the program after spending time there.
“Once a young person gets here they really don’t want to leave,” Tang said. “Sometimes it’s in their best interest for them to leave, which is what happened this year. But the ones we wanted to stay, stayed.”
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Kansas State did lose several four-star players in the portal, including Dai Dai Ames, RJ Jones, Jerrell Colbert, and Cam Carter. Tang mentioned that while so much turnover takes a toll on the program, it has no choice but to power through the difficult moments.
“It’s hard on the fans, because they want to get to know kids and watch them grow,” Tang said. “But we have got impatient parents and impatient administration. It is what it is. Coaches are out here getting fired after two years, even when they win. That’s tough. We are all on year-to-year contracts.”
However, the new high-school recruits in addition to the transfers should provide plenty of firepower to help the Wildcats rebound from their 19-win campaign last season. The program signed four-star recruit David Castillo, a point guard out of Wichita, Kansas, to his letter of intent. It also has a hard commit from Chimobi Ikegwuruka, an unranked small forward out of Iowa Falls, Iowa. Tang has high hopes for the 6-foot-6, 200-pound student-athlete.
“Chimobi has athleticism very similar to Buddy Rich,” Tang said. “He’s got pop and he can score easy buckets for you because of his athleticism and his length. He has got a 7-foot wingspan and he’s played internationally. He has played a lot of basketball, so he’s got a savviness to him.”
The Rich comparison is high praise, as the East St. Louis, Illinois native was rated as a top-40 small forward nationally before his true freshman season with Kansas State last year. While he only averaged 3.8 points per game, he should be able to take a step forward this year with a full season under his belt.
It's impossible to say if these Wildcats will make a deep run in March, but they'll likely improve on last year's disappointing finish.
