Preview // K-State Hosts Unbeaten Cal Thursday

Complete Release Available Here
2025-26 Media Guide Available Here
2025-26 TV/Radio Speed Chart Available Here

GAME 3
KANSAS STATE (2-0) VS. CALIFORNIA (3-0)
Thursday, November 13, 2025 | 8:05 p.m., CT | Bramlage Coliseum (11,010) | Manhattan, Kan.

TICKETS
Single-game tickets are available for as low as $17.

There are a variety of season, mini-plan and group ticket packages available. These can be purchased online at kstatesports.com/tickets, by calling (800) 221.CATS or by visiting the Bramlage Coliseum Ticket Office, Monday-Friday, 8:30 am to 5 pm.

EVENTS/PROMOTIONS
Women's Basketball vs. South Dakota, 4 p.m., CT
Each game requires a separate ticket. Fans must exit Bramlage Coliseum between games. A men's single-game parking pass will be valid for both games.

Halftime Act – Mutts Gone Nuts

TELEVISION
CBS Sports Network (online link)

John Sadak (play-by-play)
Mike O'Donnell (analyst)
Matthew Kushner (producer)

RADIO
K-State Sports Network
Flagships: // KMAN 1350 & WIBW 580
Satellite Radio: Ch. 384
Online: Varsity Network [free] / www.kstatesports.com/watch [free]

Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play)
Stan Weber (analyst)

LIVE STATS
kstate.statbroadcast.com

COACHES
K-State: Jerome Tang [Charter Oak State College '07]
Record at K-State: 63-42/4th Year
Career Record: 65-42*/4th Year+
vs. California: 1-0

California: Mark Madsen [Stanford '00]
Record at Cal: 30-38/3rd Year
Career Record: 100-89/7th Year
vs. K-State: 0-0

LAST GAME STARTERS:
K-State (2-0)
G: #4 P.J. Haggerty
G: #34 Nate Johnson
G: #1 Abdi Bashir Jr.
W: #0 Elias Rapieque
W: #21 Khamari McGriff

California (3-0)
G: #7 Dai Dai Ames
G: #10 Justin Pippen
F: #2 John Camden
F: #22 Chris Bell
F: #34 Lee Dort

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: K-State leads 7-1
At Home: K-State leads 1-0
At Bramlage Coliseum: K-State leads 1-0
Active Streak: K-State, 2
First Meeting: K-State won 64-50 (12/11/1951)
Last Meeting: K-State won 63-54 (11/11/2022)
Jerome Tang vs. California: 1-0
Jerome Tang vs. Mark Madsen First meeting

A K-STATE WIN WOULD…

Make the Wildcats 3-0 for the first time since 2022-23.
Move the Wildcats to 8-1 all-time vs. Cal.
Move coach Jerome Tang to 42-9 at Bramlage Coliseum.
Give the Wildcats a 191-62 non-conference mark since 2006.
Extend its home non-conference mark to 149-18 since 2006.

K-STATE HOSTS UNBEATEN CAL THURSDAY TO CAP DOUBLEHEADER
K-State (2-0) continues its 4-game homestand to open the 2025-26 season by hosting California (3-0) in the second game of a men's and women's basketball doubleheader on Thursday night at Bramlage Coliseum. The game will tip off at 8:05 p.m., CT on CBS Sports Network. The contest will conclude a home-and-home series with the Golden Bears, which started in 2022.

This will be the ninth meeting between K-State and Cal on the hardwood, which dates back nearly 75 years when the Wildcats defeated the Bears, 64-50, on Dec. 11, 1951. K-State leads the series, 7-1, including a 63-54 win in Berkeley on Nov. 11, 2022, in the last meeting.

Led by 2-time NBA champion Mark Madsen, Cal is 3-0 on the season after convincing home wins over Cal State Bakersfield (87-60), Wright State (77-67) and Cal State Fullerton (93-65). The Golden Bears are led by former Wildcat Dai Dai Ames (21.7 ppg.). Ames played in 31 of 34 games with 16 starts for K-State in 2023-24, averaging 5.2 points and 2.0 assists in 20.6 minutes per game. He is in his first year in Berkeley after playing at Virginia in 2024-25.

LAST TIME OUT

The hot start for the K-State offense continued in the 98-71 win over Bellarmine, as the Wildcats posted 90 or more points in the first 2 games for the first time in nearly 34 years while totaling the most points in that span since scoring 193 to open the 1992-93 season.
The Wildcats posted the highest field goal percentage of the Jerome Tang era at 62.3 percent (33-of-53), including 60.9 percent (14-of-23) from 3-point range. It was the highest field goal percentage since hitting on 62.5 percent against Alabama State on Dec. 11, 2019.
Four Wildcats scored in double figures led the first career points/assists double-double for junior P.J. Haggerty, who finished with a game-high 23 points on 5-of-9 field goals and 11-of-12 free throws to go with a career-best 11 assists. It is just the ninth 20-point, 10-assist double-double in school history and the first since Markquis Nowell in 2023.
Two Wildcats – senior Khamari McGriff and sophomore David Castillo – each went perfect from the field, becoming the 24th and 25th players in school history to go perfect from the field on 5 or more field goals. Castillo scored a career-high 19 points on 7-of-7 shooting, including 5-of-5 from 3-point range, while McGriff totaled 16 points on 8-of-8 field goals. Castillo is also just the eighth Wildcat to go 5-of-5 or better from 3-point range.

OFFENSE OFF TO HOT START

K-State's offense is off to a hot start, as the Wildcats lead the Big 12 in six offensive categories (scoring offense, field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage, 3-pointers/game, effective field goal percentage and assists/game). The Wildcats are first nationally in 3-point percentage.
According to @OptaStats, K-State is the first Big 12 team to start with consecutive games of at least 14 made 3-pointers and a 50.0 3-point percentage. The only other DI teams to do that in the last 30 seasons are North Florida in 2015-16 (also coached by associate head coach Matthew Driscoll) and Drake in 2017-18.

POINTS IN THE FIRST 2 GAMES
193, 1991-92
191, 2025-26
188, 1986-87
187, 1956-57
184, 1967-68
184, 2008-09
182, 1997-98
181, 2014-15

NOTES ON CALIFORNIA

Led by third-year head coach Mark Madsen, California is off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2019-20 after home wins over Cal State Bakersfield (87-60), Wright State (77-67) and Cal State Fullerton (93-65).
The Golden Bears return 5 players, including 2 starters (DJ Campbell, Rytis Petraitis), from a squad that went 14-19 overall, including 6-14 in their first season in the ACC, in 2024-25.
California is averaging 85.7 points on 45.6 percent shooting, including 28.4 percent from 3-point range, while allowing 64 points on 37.6 percent shooting, including 25.0 percent from 3-point range. The Bears out-rebound their opponents, 41.7 to 35.3, and turn the ball over just 10.7 times per game. They are shooting 81.4 percent from the free throw line.
The Bears are a balanced team with all 5 starters averaging in double figures led by former Wildcat Dai Dai Ames, who is averaging a team-best 21.7 points per game on 57.1 percent shooting, including 60 percent from 3-point range. Delaware transfer John Camden is averaging 16.7 points on 47.1 percent shooting with 4.7 rebounds, while Michigan transfer Justin Pippen is averaging a team-best 5.7 assists to go with 14.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Syracuse transfer Chris Bell (10.7 ppg.) and Vanderbilt transfer Lee Dort (10.0 ppg.) are also averaging double figures, while Dort has a team-best 8.0 rebounds per game.
The Bears were picked 16th in the 18-team preseason ACC poll by the league coaches. Duke is the preseason favorite to win the league.
Madsen, who won NBA championships in 2001 and 2002 while playing for Lakers in a 9-year playing career, is in his seventh season as a head coach, including his third at Cal. He won his 100th game as a head coach in the 93-65 win over Cal State Fullerton on Monday. He went 70-51 in 4 seasons at Utah Valley (2019-23) before becoming head coach at Cal in 2023.

LAST GAME OUT

Cal led from wire-to-wire in posting a 93-65 win over Cal State Fullerton on Monday night, as four Golden Bears scored in double figures led by Dai Dai Ames' 24 points.
Ames scored his game-high 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including 6-of-7 from 3-point range. Justin Pippen approached a triple-double with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists.

WE'VE MET BEFORE

Cal's leading scorer - Dai Dai Ames - started his college career at K-State in 2023-24, where he played in 31 of 34 games with 16 starts for the Wildcats while averaging 5.2 points and 2.0 assists in 20.6 minutes per game. He is in his first season with the Golden Bears after playing at Virginia in 2024-25.

HEY, THESE NAMES LOOK FAMILIAR

Aside from Ames, there are several familiar names on the Cal roster.
Justin Pippen is the son of Chicago Bulls' great Scottie Pippen and the brother of Scotty Pippen Jr., who plays for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Stephon Marbury II is the son of two-time NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury Sr.

SERIES HISTORY

K-State leads the all-time series, 7-1, including 1-0 in games played in Manhattan and consecutive wins. This will be the first meeting since a 63-54 win by the Wildcats at Haas Pavilion on Nov. 11, 2022. The lone previous meeting in Manhattan was an 82-75 Wildcat win on Dec. 9, 2007.
K-State is 28-26 against teams from the ACC, including a 10-1 mark in games played at home. This is the first meeting at home with a current member of the ACC since a 69-61 win over Virginia Tech on Dec. 4, 2011.

ALL-TIME MEETINGS (7-1)

Date	Rank	Result	Score	Location
12/11/1951	5/—	W	64-50	Berkeley
12/28/1954	—/—	W	88-75	Kansas City
12/20/1957	3/—	W	58-44	Lawrence, Kan.
12/12/1958	3/—	W	68-65	Berkeley
12/29/1995	—/—	W	65-58	Oakland, Calif.
11/29/2006	—/—	L	48-78	Berkeley
12/9/2007	—/—	W	82-75	Manhattan
11/11/2022	—/—	W	63-54	Berkeley

LAST MEETING:
K-STATE 63, CAL 54 (Nov. 11, 2022)

Markquis Nowell's 4-point play with just over 5 minutes to play helped ignite an 8-0 run that lifted K-State to a 63-54 win over California at Haas Pavilion in the last meeting between the schools on Nov. 11, 2022.
Nowell hit a 3-pointer from the corner right in front of the Wildcat bench before being knocked to the ground. He calmly hit the free throw to give K-State a 51-46 lead with 5:07 to play. The Bears got to within 55-50 before a 6-0 Wildcat run pushed the lead back to double figures with just over a minute to play.
Nowell's clutch shot came with the momentum clearly on the side of the Golden Bears, who had used separate runs of 13-0 and 11-0 run to erase a 20-point deficit and cut the lead to 47-46 with 5:37 to play.

HOME SUCCESS UNDER JEROME TANG

The Wildcats have been impressive at Bramlage Coliseum under head coach Jerome Tang, posting a 41-9 mark with a 20-2 mark in non-conference play. Last season, the team went 10-6 at home (10-5 at Bramlage Coliseum) with losses to LSU, No. 12/11 Houston, Texas Tech, Arizona State and No. 10/10 Iowa State.

SPECIAL NIGHT IN THE OPENER

Junior Nate Johnson nearly made history in his first game in a Wildcat uniform, as he narrowly missed the school's first recorded triple-double, as he finished with 22 points on 8-of-11 field goals, including 6-of-7 from 3-point range, to go with 9 rebounds and 9 assists in 31 minutes, in the 93-64 win over UNC Greensboro on Nov. 4.
Johnson's 6 made 3-pointers are the most by a Wildcat in a season opener, while his 9 assists tie Aaron Swartzendruber vs. Kansas City in 1996 and Larry Reid vs. UTSA in 2000 for the most in an opener. He finished the game with an impressive +47 +/- rating.
Junior All-American candidate P.J. Haggerty and Johnson became the first duo to go over 20 points in a season opener in nearly 18 years since Michael Beasley and Blake Young went for 32 and 22 points against Sacramento State on Nov. 9, 2007.
Haggerty's 27 points, which came on 10-of-20 field goals and 6-of-7 free throws, are ninth-most by a Wildcat in an opener and the most since the aforementioned Beasley, who had 32 points in his first career game.
Haggerty and Johnson became the first Wildcat duo to post 20-point games since Arthur Kaluma (23) and Cam Carter (21) did it against No. 6/6 Iowa State on March 9, 2024.
The 93 points equaled the most by a Jerome Tang-team in a season opener (93 vs. UTRGV (11/7/22) and were the most since scoring 98 vs. Southern Utah on Nov. 14, 2014.
K-State shot just over 50 percent (34-of-67) from the field, including 59.5 percent (22-of-37) in the second half, while hitting on 51.9 percent (14-of-27) from 3-point range. The 14 made 3-pointers tie for the seventh-most in any game and are the most-ever in a season opener.
The Wildcats scored 60 of their 93 points in the second half, connecting on 59.5 percent from the field and 64.7 percent (11-of-17) from 3-point range. The 60-point second-half marked the 11^th time that a Wildcat team has scored 60 or more points in a half and tied for the ninth-most points in any half.

SEASON OPENER INS AND OUTS

K-State is now 95-27 all-time in season openers dating back to the first season in 1903, including an 83-10 mark at home. The Wildcats have a 31-3 record in openers played at Bramlage Coliseum, which includes a 16-game winning streak from 1995-2012.
K-State has now won 20 of its last 23 season openers with home losses to Northern Colorado in 2013 and Drake in 2020 and to No. 21/22 USC in the Hall of Fame Series Las Vegas event in 2023 at the T-Mobile Center.
Head coach Jerome Tang is now 3-1 in openers, as the Wildcats successfully opened his tenure with a 93-59 win over UTRGV on Nov. 7, 2022, before an 89-65 win over New Orleans to open 2024-25 and the 93-64 win over UNC Greensboro.

HAGGERTY AMONG THE BEST

Junior P.J. Haggerty is the among the best players to ever transfer to K-State, as he is coming off a career-best year in 2024-25, in which, he became the first Memphis Tiger since 2008 to be named an AP All-American while becoming the first Division I player to average at least 21.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game to go with 6.5 free throws per game since Ja Morant in 2018-19. He is the only Division I player to average at 21 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game in each of the last 2 seasons.
Haggerty ranked third nationally in both scoring (21.7 ppg.) and total points (759) in 2024-25, while his 759 points were an AAC single-season record and the most since Dajuan Wagner (762) set the school season record in 2001-02.
Haggerty was a consensus Second Team All-American in his lone season at Memphis, while was just the second Tiger to be named the AAC Player of the Year as well as Most Outstanding Player at the AAC Tournament. He was also a finalist for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year award, the Wooden Award and the Riley Wallace Award as the most impactful transfer.
Haggerty, who has also made stops at TCU (2022-23) and Tulsa (2023-24), has scored more than 1,400 points (1,433) in his college career, connecting on 48.4 percent from the field and 79.1 percent from the free throw line. He has scored in double figures in 64 of 72 career games with 25 games of 25 or more points, including two 30-point games and one 40-point game. He scored a career-high 42 points vs. Wichita State on March 14.

HAGGERTY'S PRESEASON ACCOLADES
2025-26 Jersey Mike's Naismith College Player of the Year Watch List
2025-26 NABC Preseason Division I Player of the Year Watch List
2025-26 Jay Bilas Preseason First Team All-American
2025-26 @CBB Analytics Preseason First Team All-American
2025-26 CBS Sports Preseason Third Team All-American
2025-26 The Field of 68 Preseason Third Team All-American
2025-26 Preseason All-Big 12 Team (coaches)
2025-26 Jerry West Award Preseason Watch List (one of 20)

MOST POINTS THROUGH THE FIRST 2 GAMES
73, Bob Boozer, 1958-59
62, Michael Beasley, 2007-08
59, Dick Knostman, 1952-53
55, Wally Frank, 1959-60
52, Norris Coleman, 1985-86
50, P.J. Haggerty, 2025-26
49, Mike Evans, 1977-78
48, Mitch Richmond, 1987-88
47, Larry Dassie, 1976-77
46, Bob Boozer, 1956-57
46, Cartier Martin, 2005-06

20-POINT GAMES IN FIRST 2 GAMES
32 and 27 points by Dick Knostman, 1952-53
45 and 28 points by Bob Boozer, 1958-59
35 and 20 points by Wally Frank, 1959-60
21 and 21 points by Willie Murrell, 1963-64
31 and 21 points by Norris Coleman, 1985-86
28 and 20 points by Mitch Richmond, 1987-88
24 and 22 points by Cartier Martin, 2005-06
32 and 30 points by Michael Beasley, 2007-08
27 and 23 points by P.J. Haggerty, 2025-26

HAGGERTY ALSO GREAT AT LINE

In addition to his scoring prowess, P.J. Haggerty is also great at getting to the free throw line, as he ranked in the top-3 nationally in both free throws made and attempted in the past 2 seasons, including second in attempts (309) and third in makes (237) in 2023-24 while at Tulsa and second in both makes (224) and attempts (274) in 2024-25 while at Memphis.
Haggerty has made 461 free throws on 583 attempts in the past 2 seasons, averaging nearly 7 makes on nearly 9 attempts in his last 66 games played.
Last season, Haggerty connected on 81.8 percent from the free throw line with an AAC-best 224 makes on 274 attempts. He went perfect from the line in 6 games, including 14-of-14 vs. Tulane on March 15 in the AAC Tournament. He made 27 straight free throws at one point during the season.
Haggerty drew 7.9 fouls per 40 minutes as a sophomore at Tulsa in 2023-24, finishing behind only National Player of the Year Zach Edey with 309 free throw attempts, while his 237 free throws were the third-most in the country.

BASHIR GOOD FROM 3

Junior guard Abdi Bashir Jr. is among the best returning 3-point shooting in the country, as he led the NCAA in 3-point field goals/game (3.85) while he was second in total 3-point field goals (127) and 3-point field goals attempted (332) in 2024-25). He broke both the Monmouth and CAA single-season record for 3-pointers (327).
Bashir connected on a career-high 10 3-pointers in his 38-point performance against Rutgers on Nov. 18, 2024. The 10 treys tied for the second-most in Monmouth history. He made at least 5 3-pointers in 12 games, while he had 8 triples in back-to-back games vs. Northeastern (2/24/25) and Elon (2/27/25).
Bashir has made 178 3-point field goals in his 66-game college career on 38.4 percent shooting, which is nearly 3 made 3-pointers per game.
As a sophomore, Bashir led Monmouth and the CAA in scoring at 20.1 points per game, while he was 16th in scoring and 25th in total points (663) in the NCAA. He posted five 30-point games, which tied for the most in program history, while he scored 20 or more points in 13 other contests. He scored a career-high 38 points at Rutgers on Nov. 15, 2024, which were the most points scored against the Scarlet Knight since 1977.
Bashir also had notable performances against Michigan State (20 points), Wichita State (15 points), Stephen F. Austin (30 points), Seton Hall (28 points), Lehigh (22 points), Princeton (26 points) and Auburn (15 points) in 2024-25.

BASHIR ALSO A TWIN

Junior Abdi Bashir Jr. and his brother Abdul are among 9 sets of twins playing Division I basketball in 2025-26, including one of 3 sets of identical twins (Illinois' Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic and Texas State's Dimp and Ky Pernell).
They also one of 3 sets playing at different schools, joining Ethan (Air Force) and Eli (Le Moyne) Greenberg and Tajuan (Seton Hall) and Takai (Oregon) Simpkins.

TWINS PLAYING DIVISION I BASKETBALL
Abdi and Abdul Bashir (K-State, Auburn)
Micah and Marley Curtis (North Dakota)
Cameron and Cayden Boozer (Duke)
Dominykas and Dovydas Butka (Campbell)
Ethan and Eli Greenberg (Air Force, Le Moyne)
Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic (Illinois)
Dimp and Ky Pernell (Texas State)
Tajuan and Takai Simpkins (Seton Hall, Oregon)
Donny and MJ Yeager (Oakland)

1750 WINS AND COUNTING

K-State enters the 2025-26 season as one of the winningest programs in Division I history, as the Wildcats have posted a 1,756-1,255 (.583) all-time record which includes 32 NCAA Tournament appearances and 21 conference championships.
The current 1,758 wins are the 43rd-most in Division I history, including the seventh-most among current Big 12 schools.

SUCCESS IN NON-CONFERENCE PLAY

K-State has posted a 190-62 (.752) record in non-conference play since the 2006-07 season. During that span, the Wildcats have a 148-18 (.890) mark at home venues (includes games played at Bramlage Coliseum, INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita and the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City) in non-conference play, including a 132-14 (.903) mark at Bramlage Coliseum.
K-State's 12-1 non-conference mark in 2022-23 was the best since the 2009-10 team went a program-best 13-1. Last season, the team went 7-6 in non-conference play, including 4-1 in Bramlage Coliseum.

Year	Overall	Home	Bramlage
2006-07	11-4	7-0	7-0
2007-08	10-4	8-1	7-1
2008-09	12-3	11-0	10-0
2009-10	13-1	9-0	8-0
2010-11	12-3	9-1	8-1
2011-12	11-1	7-0	6-0
2012-13	11-2	9-0	8-0
2013-14	10-3	7-1	7-1
2014-15	7-6	6-2	5-2
2015-16	11-2	8-0	8-0
2016-17	11-2	8-0	8-0
2017-18	11-2	8-1	8-0
2018-19	10-3	7-0	6-0
2019-20	7-6	6-2	6-1
2020-21	4-5	4-5	4-5
2021-22	8-5	6-1	6-1
2022-23	12-1	8-0	7-0
2023-24	10-3	8-1	7-1
2024-25	7-6	4-2	4-1
2025-26	2-0	2-0	2-0
Total	190-62	148-18	132-14

'CATS PICKED 9TH IN BIG 12 POLL; HAGGERTY NAMED TO ALL-BIG 12 TEAM

K-State was picked ninth in the 16-team Big 12 preseason poll, while junior transfer P.J. Haggerty was one of 10 selections to the Preseason All-Big 12 by the league coaches.
The Wildcats totaled 117 points in the preseason poll, just 3 points behind eighth-place Cincinnati and 27 points ahead of 10^th-place TCU.
Reigning regular-season and tournament champion Houston was selected first with 224 points and 14 of the 16 first-place votes followed by second-place BYU (204 points, one first-place vote) and third-place Texas Tech (200 points). The rest of the top-7 included Arizona (179 points, one first-place vote), Iowa State (170), Kansas (163) and Baylor (137).
The rest of the preseason poll included eighth-place Cincinnati (120) followed by K-State, TCU, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Utah, UCF, Colorado and Arizona State.
Haggerty's selection marks the second straight year that a Wildcat has been named to the preseason all-conference team (Coleman Hawkins, 2024) by the league coaches. He is one of nine players in school history to be chosen for preseason all-conference honors dating to Manny Dies in 1998-99. Others include Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly in 2010-11, Rodney McGruder in 2012-13 and Marcus Foster in 2014-15 and Barry Brown Jr. and Dean Wade in 2018-19.

WHAT'S BACK FOR K-STATE

K-State returns 4 players (C.J. Jones, David Castillo, Mobi Ikegwuruka and Taj Manning) from the 2024-25 season, in which, the Wildcats posted a 16-17 record, including a tie for ninth in Big 12 play with a 9-11 mark.
Jones played in all 33 games with 9 starts in his first season in 2024-25 after starting his college career at UIC where he played in 62 games from 2022-24. He averaged 5.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 18.9 minutes per game.
Castillo played in 32 games as a true freshman in 2024-25, averaging 2.4 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 10 minutes per game.
Ikegwuruka played in 24 games as a sophomore, scoring in 15 games.
Manning has seen action in 22 games with a start in his K-State playing career, which dates back to the 2022-23 season.

WHAT'S NEW FOR K-STATE

The team welcomes 10 newcomers, including 5 Division I transfers (Abdi Bashir Jr., P.J. Haggerty, Marcus Johnson, Nate Johnson and Khamari McGriff), 4 international players (Dorin Buca, Andrej Kostic, Stephen Osei and Elias Rapieque) and one freshman (Exavier Wilson).
Bashir was the top 3-point shooter in the nation at 3.85 per game as a sophomore at Monmouth in 2024-25, where he was a First Team All-CAA selection.
Haggerty was a consensus Second Team All-American at Memphis last season, where he ranked third nationally in scoring at 21.7 ppg.
Johnson has scored more than 1,900 points in his college career, including more than 1,600 points at the Division I and II ranks at Wheeling and Bowling Green.
Johnson transferred after 3 seasons at Akron where he became the first Zip to be named both the MAC Player and Defensive Player of the Year in 2024-25.
McGriff was part of 99 wins in 4 seasons at UNC Wilmington, where he developed into the CAA's Top Six man and was named to the All-CAA Tournament team.
Buca is one of the tallest players in school history at 7-foot-2, playing for Akern Libertas Livorno in 2024-25 in the Italian Series A2.
Kostic was a member of the Serbian U18 and U19 National Teams, winning gold at the 2023 European U18 Championship. He grew in the KK Crvena Zvezda club team.
Osei played at Casper College in 2024-25, where he scored in 15 of 26 games with 3 20-point games and 7 double-doubles.
Rapieque was a member of the German U18 and U20 National Teams, playing at the 2023 and 2024 European U20 Championships. He grew in the ALBA Berlin club team.
Wilson scored more than 1,700 career points in his prep career at Tolton Catholic High School in Columbia, Mo., which ranks second behind only Michael Porter Jr.

FIVE INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS

K-State's 5 international players (juniors Dorin Buca, Mobi Ikegwuruka and Elias Rapieque, sophomore Stephen Osei and freshman Andrej Kostic) are the most on any Wildcat team in school history.
Buca (Perugia, Italy), Kostic (Belgrade, Serbia) and Rapieque (Berlin, Germany) are the first Wildcat players from their respective countries.

RECAPPING LAST SEASON

During a roller coaster of a season that included a 6-game losing streak followed by a 6-game winning streak, K-State could not overcome an up-and-down non-conference season, as the Wildcats finished with a 16-17 overall record, including a tie for ninth place with TCU in the new-look 16-team Big 12 with a 9-11 mark.
Among the 16 wins were 10 over teams that advanced to the postseason (3 NCAA Tournament, 1 NIT and 6 College Basketball Crown), including ranked wins over No. 3/3 Iowa State, No. 16/17 Cincinnati, No. 16/17 Kansas and No. 23/23 West Virginia.
K-State won 6 of its first 8 games before losing its last 3 non-conference games (at St. John's, Drake and Wichita State) to enter Big 12 play with a 6-5 record. After a 70-67 win over No. 16/17 Cincinnati in the Big 12 opener, the Wildcats lost their next 6 league games (at TCU, at Oklahoma State, No. 12/11 Houston, Texas Tech, at No. 9/10 Kansas and at Baylor). After an impressive win over No. 23/23 West Virginia, the team rattled off 5 more victories, including an 80-61 win at No. 3/3 Iowa State and back-to-back home wins over No. 16/17 Kansas and No. 13/13 Arizona. However, the Wildcats couldn't keep the momentum going with 4 straight losses (at BYU and Utah, Arizona State and at UCF). The team won 3 of their last 4 before falling to Baylor at the Big 12 Championship.
Seniors Coleman Hawkins and David N'Guessan were both lauded for their outstanding seasons, as Hawkins was named to the All-Big 12 Third Team while N'Guessan was selected to the Honorable Mention team.
Hawkins was the only Division I player in the country to average at least 10 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. The Wildcats' leading scorer (13.3 ppg.) and rebounder (7.2 rpg.), N'Guessan led the Big 12 with a 64.4 field goal percentage while ranking in the league's top 20 in both scoring and rebounding.

HARTMAN TO BE INDUCTED INTO NATIONAL COLLEGIATE BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME

Legendary head coach Jack Hartman, who won a school-record 295 games during his illustrious 16-year tenure from 1970-86, will be among eight individuals who will be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
Hartman was the only head coach in the eight-man induction class, which included Dave Meyers (UCLA), Sihugo Green (Duquesne), Lennie Rosenbluth (North Carolina), Wayne Estes (Utah State), Sam Lacey (New Mexico State), John Rudometkin (USC) and Tom Stith (St. Bonaventure).
Hartman won nearly 600 games in his legendary career, which included stints at Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College from 1955-62 and Southern Illinois from 1962-70. He won a NJCAA national championship at Coffeyville in 1961-62, going a perfect 32-0, while he led the Salukis to the 1967 NIT Championship with a 24-2 record.
Hartman led K-State to a 295-169 (.636) record, 3 Big Eight regular-season conference titles (1971-72, 1972-73, 1976-77), 2 Big Eight Tournament championships (1977, 1980) and 9 postseason appearances (7 NCAA Tournaments) during his 16 seasons as head coach.
Hartman saw the Wildcats post 20 or more wins 7 times, including 24 wins in both 1976-77 and 1980-81. He also guided the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament 7 times (1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982), including 4 trips (1972, 1973, 1975, 1981) to the Elite Eight.
Hartman is the sixth person with K-State to be named to the Hall of Fame, including the fourth men's basketball head coach following Jack Gardner (2006), Tex Winter (2010) and his former player Lon Kruger (2022). In addition, former Wildcat players Rolando Blackman (2015) and Bob Boozer (2016) have also been elected to the Hall of Fame.

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Players Mentioned

Abdi Bashir Jr.

Dorin Buca

David Castillo

P.J. Haggerty

Coleman Hawkins

Mobi Ikegwuruka

Marcus Johnson

Nate Johnson

C.J. Jones

Andrej Kostic

Taj Manning

Khamari McGriff

David N'Guessan

Stephen Osei

Elias Rapieque

Exavier Wilson

Kansas State University Athletics