After spending over a decade and a half as an assistant coach at Baylor, Jerome Tang made a huge splash in his first year as head coach, leading the Kansas State Wildcats to a surprising Elite 8 appearance in 2022-23. Things have taken a quick downturn for the Wildcats as they have struggled offensively and missed the NCAA Tournament the last two years. Truthfully, the Wildcats had lots of issues last year.
Kansas State Basketball: Jerome Tang Excited About 2025-26 Squad That Features 10 Newcomers
Kansas State went 16-17 and finished ninth in the Big 12 with a 9-11 record in 2024-25, marking the Cats’ second straight losing conference record. K-State’s biggest issue has been on the offensive end, as the Wildcats finished 262nd in scoring, averaging 70.8 points per contest. It was the second consecutive camapign they finished in the bottom third in the nation in offensive rating. The now-departed David N’Guessan led the squad, with just four players in double figures, averaging 13.2 points per game.
While K-State struggled offensively, especially from beyond the arc, defense continues to be a staple of Tang’s squads. The Wildcats finished just outside the top 100 in the nation on that end of the floor as they held their opponents to 69.4 points a contest. The Cats were one of the best in the country at defending the 3-point line, although they struggled on the glass, rim protection, and creating turnovers.
Tang will have a completely new lineup, with only four returnees overall. Despite the recent news that forward Tyreek Smith was denied a waiver by the NCAA, the 58-year-old coach is excited about the upcoming season that will feature 10 newcomers. Six of the newcomers are transfers, and three are international players.
“I’m excited about this group,” Tang said recently. “They are high character, hardworking, and a mature group. They take their craft seriously, and they understand that how they do anything is how they do everything. So, regardless of the results of what happens with the season, we’re going to be able to enjoy this journey together.”
Kansas State Top Players In 2025-26
Elias Rapieque, 6-9 Junior Wing
Elias Rapieque is an intriguing 6-9 wing who had a small role with German Pro A Club Alba-Berlin last year. Rapieque, who has been one of the best German ProB players the previous two years, averaged 5.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.0 steals with shooting splits of 43.3/26.7/61.5. The 21-year-old, who produced one triple-double last season, does need to improve his shooting and ball-handling.
“Man, my interested in Elias started by watching film of him,” Tang said about Rapieque. “His ability to pass the basketball, how easy it came out of his hands, and he just seemed to make the other players on the floor better. It reminded me of Royce O’Neale, who I coached at Baylor and plays with the Phoenix Suns. Just his passing ability, his versatility, and his toughness.”
Abdi Bashir Jr., 6-7 Junior Guard
Abdi Bashir Jr. transferred to K-State after spending two seasons at Monmouth. The 2024-25 All-CAA selection is a fantastic scorer and shooter. He posted double-figure points in 36 of 66 career games at Monmouth, including 14 20-point games and five 30-point games. He led the nation in 3-pointers a game last season with 3.8 treys at a 38.3% clip.
“Abdi’s playing style, best described with one word, he’s a bucket,” Tang said about the 6-7 guard. “He can score it from all three levels, and the ball comes out of his hands easily. He has a beautiful shot, loves making plays for his teammates.”
C.J. Jones, 6-5 Senior Guard
C.J. Jones is one of the four Wildcats returnees. Jones was a part-time starter and a key member of the Wildcats’ rotation last season, averaging 5.2 points with shooting splits of 40.7/30.9/67.4. The 6-5 guard, who spent two seasons at UIC before landing at Manhattan (KS), has posted two double-doubles and 31 career double-digit scoring games, including three 20-point efforts. However, he is not a good shooter and an inefficient scorer.
PJ Haggerty, 6-4 Junior Guard
Kansas State is PJ Haggerty‘s fourth school. The 6-4 guard is coming off a fantastic year at Memphis, where he averaged 21.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists with 47.6/36.4/81.8. The 2024-25 AAC Player of the Year and AAC Tournament MVP was among 75 players invited to the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago this past summer. Although Haggerty participated in the event, he eventually withdrew from the 2025 draft. He also took part in the 2025 Chris Paul Elite Guard Camp.
“PJ’s style of play is aggressive and attack,” Tang said about Haggerty. “I think those two words describe him, while he’s playing downhill, he’s trying to get to the rim, get to the free throw line. Big time shot maker, and then he makes the game easier for his teammates.”
Marcus Johnson, 6-7 Senior Wing
Marcus Johnson transferred from Bowling Green after spending two seasons at Division II Wheeling. The 6-7 wing had a great one-season stint at Bowling Green, where he posted one double-double and scored in double figures 26 times, including topping the 20-point plateau 13 times. He finished sixth in the MAC in points per game at 16.2, fifth in field goals, fifth in 3-pointers, and 10th in effective shooting percentage.
“We were very interested in Marcus because we needed a stretch forward,” Tang said about Johnson. “And a forward who could stretch the floor but was a mismatch in the post-up area. Marcus’ quickness, agility, and touch are very unique for someone of his size.”
David Castillo, 6-1 Sophomore Point Guard
David Castillo, a consensus top 60 2024 recruit, struggled in a limited role in his freshman camapign, though he did appear in 32 games, including making a pair of starts.
Khamari McGriff, 6-9 Senior Forward
Khamari McGriff was highly productive and efficient last season. McGriff, who played four seasons at UNC Wilmington, is coming off a career season, as he totaled 11.5 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 65.1% from the field in 19 minutes a contest. He produced one double-double and scored in double-figures 22 times.
“Khamari’s a long athletic forward, Tang said. “Our interest in Khamari was because of his versatility at the forward spot, his ability to be a rim protector, run the floor, and finish in transition. He’s excellent at the pick-n-roll.”
Stephen Osei, 6-10 Sophomore Forward
Stephen Osei is an athletic 6-10 forward who arrives in Manhattan (KS) from Casper (Wyoming) College. Osei, a JUCORecruiting.com Fab 50 selection, averaged 11.0 points along with 7.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game in his lone season at Casper. He scored in double-figures in 15 of 26 games played with three 20-point games.
“He’s a rim-runner, shot blocker, lob-catcher, but he’s also got a skill package that’s gonna allow him to be able to dribble, pass, and shoot and be somewhat of a playmaker down the road,” Tang said about Osei.
Nate Johnson, 6-3 Senior Guard
Nate Johnson comes to K-State from Akron, where the 6-3 guard was named both the MAC’s Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Johnson has improved in each of his first three collegiate seasons, averaging 14.0 points along with 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists last season for the Zips. He also connected on a career-high 1.1 triples with shooting splits of 43.9/30.1/80.3. Additionally, the 6-3 guard has scored in double figures in 40 of his 90 games, with five 20-point games and one 30-point game in his career.
“Nate’s style of play is unique in that he’s got great physical gifts and that he can put the ball in the hole, but he’s also rugged and physical and willing to play with and through contact,” Tang said. “He’s so versatile he can play any position on the floor, his toughness allows him to guard bigger guys, his quickness allows him to guard smaller guys.”
Andrej Kostic, 6-6 Freshman Wing
Andrej Kostic arrives in Manhattan from Belgrade, Serbia. The 6-6 wing, who was named to the Adidas All-Eurocamp Five in 2025, has been a member of the Serbian U18 and U19 National Teams. Just 18 years old, Kostic averaged 13.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 43 appearances across all levels in 2024-25. He appeared in five Serbian ABA League games with KK Crvena Zvezda, though he saw limited action.
“At 6-foot-6 and the ability to play the point guard position, Andrej’s play style is just fun,” Tang said. “There’s nothing on the court that he can’t do, and he plays with supreme confidence. He’s got a baby face, but man, he’s got a killer heart.”
K-State’s 2025-26 projected Depth Chart
Tang used nine players regularly in his first season. However, he shortened the rotation to seven players the last two seasons.
Starting Five
PG: Nate Johnson
SG: PJ Haggerty
SF: Abdi Bashir Jr.
PF: Marcus Johnson
C: Stephen Osei
Second Unit
6th: CJ Jones
7th: Andrej Kostic
8th: Khamir McGriff
9th: David Castillo
10th: Elias Rapieque
Wildcats Schedule
Kansas State will play two exhibition games, traveling to Missouri on Oct. 24 and hosting Division II Newman on Oct. 31. The Wildcats will play 13 nonconference contests, opening the season against UNC Greensboro at the Brainbridge Center on Nov. 4. Nine of the Wildcats ‘ games are at home, with the most intriguing being against California and Seton Hall.
K-State will also participate in the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City, with the Cats’ first contest scheduled against Mississippi State on Nov. 20. The Wildcats will then face either Nebraska or New Mexico the following night. Their other biggest nonconference games are on the road against Indiana (Nov. 25) and Creighton (Dec. 13).
With the Big 12 going to an 18-game conference schedule, Kansas State will only play three home-and-home series. K-State will host and travel to Kansas, TCU, and West Virginia. The Wildcats will host Baylor, BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, Iowa State, TCU, and Utah. They will travel to Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Houston, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech.
Photo Credit: William Purnell, Imagn Images
The post 2025-26 Kansas State Basketball Preview: Jerome Tang Excited About 2025-26 Squad That Features Intriguing Newcomers appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.