7-footer Rock Becomes First Signee Under Alexander
Apr 17, 2026 | Men's Basketball
The 7-foot-1 center has spent time at Iowa State and New Mexico.
MANHATTAN, Kan. – First-year head coach Casey Alexander has begun the process of building the 2026-27 Wildcat men's basketball team with the addition of transfer JT Rock (Sioux Falls, S.D./Lincoln/Iowa State/New Mexico) on Friday (April 17).
A 7-foot-1, 255-pound center originally from Sioux Falls, S.D., Rock arrives at K-State with three years of Division I experience, having played in 46 games with one start in his time at Iowa State (2023-25) and New Mexico (2025-26). In those 46 games, he averaged 5.2 points on 54.7 percent (88-of-161) shooting with 2.9 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 10.7 minutes per game.
Rock most recently played one season at New Mexico in 2025-26 for head coach Eric Olen, playing all 37 games with one start for a Lobo squad that advanced to the semifinals of the NIT. The redshirt sophomore averaged 6.2 points on 54.5 percent (85-of-156) shooting with 3.5 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 12.8 minutes per game. He led the team in 34 blocked shots, while his 23 made 3-pointers were the most ever by a UNM 7-footer.
Rock scored in 33 of 37 games as a Lobo with nine double-digit scoring games, including a season-high 14 points twice (Sam Houston and Tulsa) in the last 4 games of the season. He played his best during the team's run in the NIT, averaging 10.3 points on 50 percent (16-of-32) shooting, including 40 percent (6-of-15) from 3-point range, with 6 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game.
Rock played two seasons (2023-25) at Iowa State for head coach TJ Otzelberger, including redshirting as a true freshman in 2022-23. He was part of teams that won 54 games in those two seasons, including 25 as a redshirt freshman in 2024-25. He saw action in 9 games off the bench as a redshirt freshman, averaging 0.7 points on 60 percent (3-of-5) shooting with 0.7 rebounds in 2.3 minutes per game. He scored a season-high 2 points on three occasions.
Rock was viewed as South Dakota's top prep player in the Class of 2024, as he was a consensus Top 100 player and four-star recruit at Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls, S.D. He took the extraordinary step of graduating from high school early to enroll at Iowa State in the Class of 2023.
He was named the 2023 South Dakota AA Player of the Year after averaging 18 points, 10 rebounds and 4.5 blocks for a Patriot squad that finished fourth in Class AA with a 22-2 record.
How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on K-State men's basketball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X, Instagram and Facebook.
A 7-foot-1, 255-pound center originally from Sioux Falls, S.D., Rock arrives at K-State with three years of Division I experience, having played in 46 games with one start in his time at Iowa State (2023-25) and New Mexico (2025-26). In those 46 games, he averaged 5.2 points on 54.7 percent (88-of-161) shooting with 2.9 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 10.7 minutes per game.
Rock most recently played one season at New Mexico in 2025-26 for head coach Eric Olen, playing all 37 games with one start for a Lobo squad that advanced to the semifinals of the NIT. The redshirt sophomore averaged 6.2 points on 54.5 percent (85-of-156) shooting with 3.5 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 12.8 minutes per game. He led the team in 34 blocked shots, while his 23 made 3-pointers were the most ever by a UNM 7-footer.
Rock scored in 33 of 37 games as a Lobo with nine double-digit scoring games, including a season-high 14 points twice (Sam Houston and Tulsa) in the last 4 games of the season. He played his best during the team's run in the NIT, averaging 10.3 points on 50 percent (16-of-32) shooting, including 40 percent (6-of-15) from 3-point range, with 6 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game.
Rock played two seasons (2023-25) at Iowa State for head coach TJ Otzelberger, including redshirting as a true freshman in 2022-23. He was part of teams that won 54 games in those two seasons, including 25 as a redshirt freshman in 2024-25. He saw action in 9 games off the bench as a redshirt freshman, averaging 0.7 points on 60 percent (3-of-5) shooting with 0.7 rebounds in 2.3 minutes per game. He scored a season-high 2 points on three occasions.
Rock was viewed as South Dakota's top prep player in the Class of 2024, as he was a consensus Top 100 player and four-star recruit at Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls, S.D. He took the extraordinary step of graduating from high school early to enroll at Iowa State in the Class of 2023.
He was named the 2023 South Dakota AA Player of the Year after averaging 18 points, 10 rebounds and 4.5 blocks for a Patriot squad that finished fourth in Class AA with a 22-2 record.
How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on K-State men's basketball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X, Instagram and Facebook.
K-State Men's Basketball | Chief of Staff Wes Long Media Availability - May 22, 2026
Friday, May 22
K-State Men's Basketball | General Manager Sean Rutigliano Media Availability - May 22, 2026
Friday, May 22
K-State Men's Basketball | Assistant Coach John Cooper Media Availability - May 19, 2026
Tuesday, May 19
K-State Men's Basketball | Assistant Coach Phil Cunningham Media Availability - May 19, 2026
Tuesday, May 19
