The Kansas State Wildcats basketball team is entering the season with a plethora of new faces.
Aside from their three returners (David N’Guessan, Taj Manning, and Macaleb Rich), the Wildcats field a team compiled of mostly transfers.
They added 11 newcomers along with nine Division 1 transfers who collectively exude the versatility in talent the Wildcats need.
The most notable freshman is point guard David Castillo, the No. 45 recruit in the country. Castillo is a player capable of generating action on offense at both guard positions with his shooting and passing abilities while possessing a certain mature poise.
Another major pick up for them is guard Mobi Ikegwuruka, a junior college transfer from Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Iowa. Ikegwuruka helped carry the Panthers to fourth place in the NJCAA Division II Championship while averaging 19 points and 10 rebounds.
He posses an uncanny ability to score and rebound at the guard position.
Out of the nine D1 transfers, three stand out: Dug McDaniel (Michigan), Coleman Hawkins (Illinois), and Ugonna Onyenso (Kentucky).
McDaniel led the Wolverines in scoring, assists, steals, and minutes last year. Hawkins developed a reputation for being a solid defender and a good passer as a 6-foot-10 big man with the Fighting Illini. Onyenso, a native of Nigeria, is regarded as one of the best shot blockers in the nation.
The other transfer players include Baye Fall (Arkansas), Brendan Hausen (Villanova), C.J. Jones (Illinois-Chicago), and Max Jones (Cal State Fullerton).
Despite an absence of marquee players, it doesn’t bother players like McDaniel, who is up to the challenge of trying to blend this group together.
“I was excited. We might not have big names like everybody expected, but you know we have a lot of great dudes,” he said. “Leading up to the season, you know we’re going to find a way to mesh and make it work, and we’re going to be really good this season.”
Coach Jerome Tang says this new group is slowly but surely getting familiar with each other.
“I feel really comfortable around them, and I think they feel comfortable around each other,” Tang said. “But, you know, in a two-hour practice today, there’s probably three or four things I had to stop and explain what we’re doing, why we’re doing it. If you have guys for a couple years, it’s not something that you have to really explain. And so, there’s some newness. But then there’s also some community.”
Zachary Draves is a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats On SI. He can be reached at zdraves1013@gmail.com and on Instagram @zdraves0633.
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