Continuing to Ascend

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Arthur Kaluma came to Kansas State because he believed that he could do this.

After being named to the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship All-Tournament team following a pair of 18-point performances against Providence and No. 12 Miami, Kaluma continues to ascend on the hardwood.

In a 100-56 win over Central Arkansas last Wednesday, he had his best performance yet.

Kaluma, a junior, poured in 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting and hit 2-of-4 3-pointers to go along with eight rebounds in just over 23 minutes. It marked the most points in a K-State uniform for the 6-foot-7, 225-pound Kaluma, who transferred from Creighton in the summer.

"(This is) just about the vision I had for myself," Kaluma said. "The coaching staff has prepared me for these moments and these games. Understanding where I was coming from at the start of the season to where I am now is just a blessing from God, having the coaching staff that believes in me."

Kaluma transferred after two seasons at Creighton, where he helped the Bluejays to 47 wins, a pair of NCAA Tournaments (2022 and 2023) and the school's first trip to the 2023 Elite Eight.

He averaged 11.1 points (43.3% shooting, including 29.1% on 3-pointers and 71.4% on free throws), 5.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.6 blocks in 28.2 minutes per appearance while playing in 68 games with 67 starts at Creighton.

But Kaluma, who was on the watch list for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award as a sophomore, sought something more. It was while working out with the Boston Celtics as an early entrant for the NBA Draft in May that Kaluma, who had entered the transfer portal, learned that Jerome Tang, 2023 National Coach of the Year, was seeking to fill out his 2023-24 roster with experienced talent in Manhattan.

Currently, Kaluma averages 14.8 points on 42.4% shooting (25-of-59) and a team-leading 8.6 rebounds for the Wildcats, 4-2, who face Oral Roberts, 2-3, in Tuesday's 7 p.m. contest at Bramlage Coliseum.

Kaluma, a Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection, has played in five games with five starts. He had six points and nine rebounds but struggled from the floor (1-for-11) while getting adjusted to the Wildcats' system in a loss to No. 21 USC. He scored 12 points and had seven rebounds against Bellarmine, sat out against South Dakota State due to injury, then played true to form against Providence (18 points, 7 rebounds) and Miami (18 points, 12 rebounds) in the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship.

"Somebody asked something about a game in which (Kaluma) struggled, and my answer was that he needed to buy in," Tang said. "Art is buying in."

And how.

Against Central Arkansas, he scored nine of K-State's first 13 points. In the first half, he had three alley-oop dunks from point guard Tylor Perry, sank a pair of 3-pointers, drove the lane up and under opponents, and dished out three assists.

"Man, I'm just slowing down, letting the game come to me, and getting my teammates involved," Kaluma said. "My teammates do a great job of checking on me and talking with me about shots I take and reads that I could make, and I feel like that's getting me better as a player. All praise to them."

Tang sees continued potential in Kaluma, who was on the preseason watch list for the Julius Erving Small Forward Award.

"(The Central Arkansas game) was a game where he could've easily just tried to put up numbers because he was more talented than the guys out there, but he played the game the right way and it looked really good — 20 points, eight rebounds and a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover (ratio)," Tang said. "He's a really good passer. I think Art can be a triple-double guy.

"I'm looking forward to that part of his game growing and him taking advantage of those opportunities."

After playing Oral Roberts, the Wildcats face North Alabama, Villanova, LSU, Nebraska and Wichita State before opening the Big 12 season against UCF on January 6.

Kaluma's consistency could go a long way in helping the Wildcats to enter the league season on good footing.

"He can get buckets in a lot of different ways," forward David N'Guessan said. "He's an older guy with a lot of experience and has played in the (NCAA) tournament. He brings a lot of different things, not just scoring, but also defending, and he rebounds at a high level.

"He brings those things that you can use to help build this team."

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Arthur Kaluma

David N'Guessan

Tylor Perry

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