Making a Splash Early in the Season
Nov 22, 2022 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
We had seen Nae'Qwan Tomlin score in Bramlage Coliseum, and we had seen him shine in California, but we hadn't seen anything yet. The 6-foot-10, 210-pound dynamo took his game to another level in international waters at the Cayman Islands Classic on Monday, and he toyed with Rhode Island in a 77-57 win in George Town.
The big man dominated in a small gym.
"I mean, Nae'Qwan is special," says K-State senior guard Markquis Nowell, whose 12 assists were the most by a K-State player since 1989.
Some of the purple-clad fans probably saw Tomlin in person for the first time. They'll always remember their first impression of the Harlem, New York, native, who turned The John Gray Gymnasium into his little playground.
Tomlin had a game-high 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor, including 1-of-2 from 3-point range, and 4-of-5 free throws. He had six rebounds. His five blocks marked the most since Jordan Henriquez-Roberts had five blocks against La Salle in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
"He could be an all-conference player," K-State head coach Jerome Tang says. "You see it. The talent is there."
We'll see Tomlin and the Wildcats (4-0) face Nevada (5-0) in the semifinals of the Cayman Islands Classic at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. The game can be seen on FloHoops and heard across the K-State Sports Network.
Against Rhode Island, Tomlin didn't test the waters, he dove in — "splash" went his 3-pointer in the first half, "boom" went his breakaway dunk, "wow" went the crowd of K-State fans behind the Wildcats' bench, who witnessed Tomlin's next step.
"He plays super hard," junior transfer David N'Guessan says. "He can do a little bit of everything. It's fun to play out there with him. He brings the energy. He rebounds, pushes the ball, creates for teammates, scores the ball — a little bit of everything."
We had seen Tomlin's potential from the start. He had 14 points and eight rebounds in his first game at K-State. We knew it was a matter of time when he'd elevate a little bit more, and man, he did exactly that during the first half against Rhode Island. He scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds and nearly sent one shot by a Rhode Island player out of the gym. Tomlin dunked. He spotted up and drained a 3-pointer. He cleared the glass and dribbled three-quarters of the basketball court. He caught the ball behind the 3-point line and drove the lane and picked up a foul. Rhode Island simply had no answer for him.
K-State has had some very fine big men, including most recently Dean Wade. Tomlin, too, is making YouTube-ready highlights that might be cherished for decades. It really is remarkable to watch him at work — and to understand that he has been on campus less than five months, and to understand that he didn't play high school basketball.
"He's 6-10 and can dribble and pass and score and has a 40-inch vertical," Nowell says. "He hasn't surprised me much because I see it every day in practice. I know he has new levels and new heights he can reach, and I can't wait for him to reach those."
No, a couple years ago, Tomlin couldn't have envisioned playing in the Big 12 Conference, or moving to Manhattan, or visiting the Cayman Islands, where the water is clear, as is his seemingly limitless potential that hangs in the breeze and will no doubt heat up Bramlage on those cold nights in December and January. Who knows where Tomlin will be in his development by the time the league schedule really sizzles.
Want to know about Tomlin? He arrived as the No. 7 prospect by 2022 JuCoRecruiting.com. He attended elementary school across the street from Holcombe Rucker Park, where he dreamed about playing like Kevin Durant and LeBron James. And this: He didn't play high school basketball.
Some believe that Tomlin could become an NBA prospect. And who are we to doubt them?
"Nae'Qwan can do a lot of different things on the basketball court," Tang says. "Today, he allowed his speed to be a difference both defensively and transitioning to the offensive end.
"He's a little more locked in on the defensive end. His rotations are better and he's staying in stance more and not getting beat off the bounce quite as easy. He's growing and he's learning as a player."
During his first four games as a Wildcat, Tomlin has averaged 12.3 points, 5.8 rebounds with 1.0 steals and 2.0 blocks in 24.4 minutes per contest. He ranks just behind Keyontae Johnson (15.5) in points and just above Nowell (11.3). He's right in the thick of it.
Which is a nice place to be.
"He's doing an amazing job each and every day getting better," Nowell says. "He's just a special talent."
So far, the international waters have treated Tomlin well.
He's already made a splash.
We had seen Nae'Qwan Tomlin score in Bramlage Coliseum, and we had seen him shine in California, but we hadn't seen anything yet. The 6-foot-10, 210-pound dynamo took his game to another level in international waters at the Cayman Islands Classic on Monday, and he toyed with Rhode Island in a 77-57 win in George Town.
The big man dominated in a small gym.
"I mean, Nae'Qwan is special," says K-State senior guard Markquis Nowell, whose 12 assists were the most by a K-State player since 1989.
Some of the purple-clad fans probably saw Tomlin in person for the first time. They'll always remember their first impression of the Harlem, New York, native, who turned The John Gray Gymnasium into his little playground.
Tomlin had a game-high 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor, including 1-of-2 from 3-point range, and 4-of-5 free throws. He had six rebounds. His five blocks marked the most since Jordan Henriquez-Roberts had five blocks against La Salle in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
"He could be an all-conference player," K-State head coach Jerome Tang says. "You see it. The talent is there."
We'll see Tomlin and the Wildcats (4-0) face Nevada (5-0) in the semifinals of the Cayman Islands Classic at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. The game can be seen on FloHoops and heard across the K-State Sports Network.
Against Rhode Island, Tomlin didn't test the waters, he dove in — "splash" went his 3-pointer in the first half, "boom" went his breakaway dunk, "wow" went the crowd of K-State fans behind the Wildcats' bench, who witnessed Tomlin's next step.
"He plays super hard," junior transfer David N'Guessan says. "He can do a little bit of everything. It's fun to play out there with him. He brings the energy. He rebounds, pushes the ball, creates for teammates, scores the ball — a little bit of everything."
We had seen Tomlin's potential from the start. He had 14 points and eight rebounds in his first game at K-State. We knew it was a matter of time when he'd elevate a little bit more, and man, he did exactly that during the first half against Rhode Island. He scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds and nearly sent one shot by a Rhode Island player out of the gym. Tomlin dunked. He spotted up and drained a 3-pointer. He cleared the glass and dribbled three-quarters of the basketball court. He caught the ball behind the 3-point line and drove the lane and picked up a foul. Rhode Island simply had no answer for him.
K-State has had some very fine big men, including most recently Dean Wade. Tomlin, too, is making YouTube-ready highlights that might be cherished for decades. It really is remarkable to watch him at work — and to understand that he has been on campus less than five months, and to understand that he didn't play high school basketball.
"He's 6-10 and can dribble and pass and score and has a 40-inch vertical," Nowell says. "He hasn't surprised me much because I see it every day in practice. I know he has new levels and new heights he can reach, and I can't wait for him to reach those."
No, a couple years ago, Tomlin couldn't have envisioned playing in the Big 12 Conference, or moving to Manhattan, or visiting the Cayman Islands, where the water is clear, as is his seemingly limitless potential that hangs in the breeze and will no doubt heat up Bramlage on those cold nights in December and January. Who knows where Tomlin will be in his development by the time the league schedule really sizzles.
Want to know about Tomlin? He arrived as the No. 7 prospect by 2022 JuCoRecruiting.com. He attended elementary school across the street from Holcombe Rucker Park, where he dreamed about playing like Kevin Durant and LeBron James. And this: He didn't play high school basketball.
Some believe that Tomlin could become an NBA prospect. And who are we to doubt them?
"Nae'Qwan can do a lot of different things on the basketball court," Tang says. "Today, he allowed his speed to be a difference both defensively and transitioning to the offensive end.
"He's a little more locked in on the defensive end. His rotations are better and he's staying in stance more and not getting beat off the bounce quite as easy. He's growing and he's learning as a player."
During his first four games as a Wildcat, Tomlin has averaged 12.3 points, 5.8 rebounds with 1.0 steals and 2.0 blocks in 24.4 minutes per contest. He ranks just behind Keyontae Johnson (15.5) in points and just above Nowell (11.3). He's right in the thick of it.
Which is a nice place to be.
"He's doing an amazing job each and every day getting better," Nowell says. "He's just a special talent."
So far, the international waters have treated Tomlin well.
He's already made a splash.
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