Tomlin Proving to Be a Highlight Machine

By: D. Scott Fritchen

There are moments in a season that you just remember. Everyone remembers a buzzer-beating 3-pointer and everyone remembers a grind-it-out victory. Then there's the case of Kansas State's Nae'Qwan Tomlin, who might be the biggest sleeper in the Big 12 Conference, and who, with a mightily devastating dunk, might leave some opposing coaches restless around the league.

It's more than a dunk, really. But Tomlin's dunk showed plenty. It demonstrated deft decision making, it demonstrated other-worldly athleticism, and it demonstrated a maturity that revealed the strides that the junior-college transfer from Chipola (Fla.) College has taken in the twilight of his first non-conference season at the major college level.

More immediate, it perhaps best illustrated why Tomlin just might be the most athletically-gifted player K-State has had in several years.

The moment started at the 3-point line midway through the second half of a hard-fought 73-65 win over Radford on Wednesday afternoon. Yes, it started at the 3-point line, as Tomlin took a pass and stood a few feet from K-State head coach Jerome Tang and the K-State bench. Tomlin hesitated. He took a strong dribble to his right. He rubbed off a screen from Keyontae Johnson. He took one dribble a few feet inside the free-throw line. He took a giant step. He lifted off from his left foot. Then he extended the ball with his right hand, his momentum carrying him toward the right side of the rim. All that stood in his way was 6-foot-10, 230-pound graduate transfer Madiaw Niang. Niang challenged him. Niang jumped high off both feet and hung in the air.

And then…and then...Tomlin posterized Niang with a dunk so absolutely thunderous that it caused the backboard to gently sway.

THE TOMAHAWK #KStateMBB x @Nae_Ratty pic.twitter.com/njpQB8tr0H
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) December 21, 2022

"I've seen Nae'Qwan make some pretty good dunks," Tang said. "But that Nae'Qwan dunk, I had to lock in, because that was impressive — a drive, hesitate, big step, go across the lane on someone, yeah, that was pretty crazy."

Tang pauses.

"I would tell Nae'Qwan to act like he did it before," he says, "but I don't know if he's ever done THAT before."

Tomlin scored a season-high 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting, including 1-of-4 on 3-pointers. He had a season high-tying nine rebounds. He had one assist, one steal and two blocks in 35 minutes. And he had four dunks. He has now scored in double figures in eight games, including each of the last five, as the Wildcats improved to 11-1 ahead of their Big 12 opener against West Virginia on December 31.

While Keyontae Johnson averages a team-leading 17.7 points and 6.8 rebounds, and Markquis Nowell averages 13.7 points and a Big 12-leading 8.3 assists, Tomlin is making plenty of noise during his first season at the Division I level — 11.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and a team-high 1.2 blocks. Tomlin's 1.2 steals per game ranks third on the team — behind Nowell and Johnson.

The best part about Tomlin? There's still more left in the tank.

"He's physically capable of doing more on both ends of the floor, especially defensively," Tang says. "He's getting hands on a lot of balls and blocking shots and keeping things alive offensively. We always say that it takes a junior-college kid a semester (to adapt)…he's been really good the last few games.

"He's kind of unique. He reminds me of Perry Jones (former Baylor player), who was 6-foot-11, could dribble, pass and shoot. Nae'Qwan has got a little bit more bite to him than Perry did."

ESPN college basketball guru Fran Fraschilla marveled over Tomlin during Wednesday's outing.

"Major sleeper," Fraschilla tweeted. "Loved him at K-State practice in October. Another guy that comes out of 'nowhere' in the Big 12 Conference."

Major sleeper. Loved him at @KStateMBB practice in October. Another guy that comes out of "nowhere" in the @Big12Conference.
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) December 21, 2022

Tomlin responded from a pair of scoreless games against LSU and Butler with strong outings against Wichita State (14 points), Abilene Christian (12), Incarnate Word (15) and Nebraska (15) before his best game yet against Radford, 6-7, which is a sneaky good squad.

Tomlin leads the team with 22 dunks. He also has hit nine 3-pointers. And he is 6-foot-10.

"It's just my energy and being aggressive," Tomlin says. "My teammates always tell me I play the best when my energy is good from tipoff and I'm aggressive. I've developed a lot. In the beginning of the season, my 3s weren't falling, so that's one thing I've worked on a lot.

"I'm just playing with energy and a lot of effort, trying to make winning plays."

The 22-year-old Tomlin arrived at K-State as the No. 7 prospect by 2022 JuCoRecruiting.com. Some believe he'll emerge as a considerable NBA prospect.

You might remember the story, how Tomlin was born in Brooklyn, New York, before he and his mother moved to Harlem when he was 10; how he grew up playing at legendary Rucker Park; how he first dunked at age 17 yet never played high school basketball. He proved his moxie on the playground. He came in contact with Big Apple Sports, attended a Strength N Motion program that focused on development, and he landed at Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York, where he played his first season of organized basketball.

Upon moving onto Chipola (Fla.) College for his sophomore and junior seasons, Tomlin helped his team to a 53-11 record and back-to-back trips to the NJCAA National Tournament. Last season, he averaged 13.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks.

Tang, who became K-State head coach last March, believed that Tomlin would fit in just fine as Tang sought to fill a roster of talented players who could help elevate the K-State program.

"I'm only four years into really playing basketball and I'm still learning," Tomlin said in September. "I'm getting up 1,000 shots a day. I'm still learning and trying to learn fast, too. Four years of playing organized basketball can't be an excuse. I want to look like I've been hooping my whole life."

Entering the season, Tomlin certainly considered himself to be a sleeper.

"Most definitely," he said in September. "They don't know who I am, but this year I'm going to show them and prove that I can come to the Big 12 and do something."

Tomlin has avid supporters in Tang, Johnson and Nowell.

"He helps me bring a lot of energy when he makes big plays and you just feed off it," Johnson says. "He's my roommate. We just have that connection."

Adds Nowell, "Man, he's been a great addition with his energy on the court. You know what Nae'Qwan is capable of on the court and off the court he has this spirit about him that makes you want to be around him. Every day he's always laughing and making jokes. On the court, how he plays is how K-State is and the culture that we have."

Tomlin's potential is no laughing matter.

"He's a sleeper because nobody knew about him coming in," Tang says. "I think the conference, the coaches, are going to be aware of his talent level, and there's going to be an adjustment period for him. I can tell him how much more physical the Big 12 is, and I can tell him how much more the refs are going to let us play, but until you go through it, you just don't get it. It's going to be an adjustment."

And hopefully there will be many more memorable moments.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Keyontae Johnson

Markquis Nowell

Nae'Qwan Tomlin

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