Alexander, Players Provide Summer Update
Jul 22, 2026 | Men's Basketball
Watch Casey Alexander’s Media AvailabilityWatch Kostic/Schutt Media AvailabilityWatch Rechsteiner/Rock Media Availability
The first-year head coach and his team are in the midst of summer workouts.
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head men's basketball coach Casey Alexander, along with players sophomore Andrej Kostic, senior Brandon Rechsteiner, redshirt junior JT Rock and graduate Jaden Schutt, met with the media on Tuesday afternoon (July 21) to provide a summer update as the Wildcats work towards the 2026-27 season.
Links to the video are above with a transcript of Alexander and player availability are below.
The first-year head coach and his staff welcome 14 players for the 2026-27 season.
Kostic is the lone returning Wildcat from last season's team, while Rechsteiner (Colorado State), JT Rock (New Mexico) and Schutt (Virginia Tech) are among 10 Division I transfers.
K-State recently announced its non-conference schedule, which includes nine home games at Bramlage Coliseum, the 14th Wildcat Classic against Wichita State at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City and the Players Era 16 in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena.
In all, the Wildcats will play 19 home games in 2026-27, including visits by NCAA Tournament participants Arizona, Houston, Kansas, TCU and Texas Tech.
Tickets for the 2026-27 season are currently on sale to the general public. Fans can purchase tickets by calling toll free at (800) 221.CATS (2287) and/or online at www.kstatesports.com/tickets.
HEAD COACH CASEY ALEXANDER
On having all of the alumni around this week…
"Yeah, it's great. I mean, it's a lot of very successful players, Big 12 champions and NCAA tournament appearance guys and guys that have played professionally for a long time. So it's been fun to welcome those guys back and get to meet them. You know, they are all new to us. We're all new to them, but we're all K Staters. So, it's been fun. Yeah, it's been good."
On what pleased him the most during practices…
"Yeah I think one of the amazing things about teams these days is honestly how quickly they come together and they feel like your own. And it's one of the benefits of having so much turnover is that, with the exception of [Andrej] Kostic, everybody came here hearing the same message and wanting to be a part of what we're doing, and so it really doesn't take very long for there to be some ownership and kind of collective pride and who we are, who we play for, things like that. And I was really pleased with how that happened. You know, naturally, there's a lot that only takes you so far. You know, but that carried over into a great work ethic. You know, great camaraderie from day to day. It's just been a really good seven weeks so far."
On Brandon and Jaden reuniting and if he can see their familiarity on the court…
"Well, I can for sure, and I think more than anything, they both just bring a veteran presence. You know, they've been to multiple places. They're very experienced guys, confident guys, and so with that, they kind of set themselves apart from a lot of the others just for that reason. But their familiarity with each other definitely helps."
On where the team has made the most strides…
"Yeah, I think there's a lot of buy-in just to what we want to do culturally. It's a lot more than it is the X's and O's piece? You know, we knew that we brought in our style of player, you know, and we've covered a lot. I mean, we've I told them the very first night that we met. We started on June 1st, and we sat in this room, and I said, hey, we're practicing tomorrow. Like it's going to look and feel like it's January or February. You're not going to know what we're doing, you know. It's going to take us a long time, but we're not going to ease into it. We're not going to try to get ourselves in shape. We're like we're practicing, and so that's a lot, you know. And we have gotten a lot done, which I've been really pleased with. We can, we will back off when fall rolls around, you know. But I wanted to get as much in as we could during the summer, so that they understand the big picture, and then we'll break it down and try to fine tune things before we really ramp it up in September and October."
On his defense being an offensive coach…
"Yeah, well, there's going to be some changes to what we've typically done. I think we'll mix defenses up a little bit more than we have historically. I would say historically we've been 95% man, and then we'll sprinkle in a possession or two of something else, you know. And I would like, in a perfect world, I'd like for that to be more of like an 80-20, 90-10 scenario or something like that. But even then, we've put a lot of that in. We started talking about zone defense today, and I've never done that before. You know, I'm just trying to give them as much as we can so that they understand, you know, what it all looks like."
On what having a full summer will mean to Andrej…
"Yeah, I just feel like just in general, just the repetitiveness of being here, you know, since March will mean a lot to him. I've seen a lot of improvement already, and he's become, you know, it's one thing to come in here and start working out with your new coaches. It's another thing to be part of a new team where everything is different. So, you know, but I do think that he has gotten more comfortable. I think I feel like the weight of the world dripping off of his shoulders a little bit more and more each day. Not so much where he just puts undue pressure on himself, you know. But he just, I mean, we know he came in highly acclaimed, you know, and it didn't go his way. And then he gets a fresh start, you know. And so, we've just tried to temper those expectations a little bit and say, hey, this is you know it's a long time in November, and you don't even have to be you know a lottery pick this season after this season you know I mean we can we can stretch this out if you got a lot a lot of college basketball in front of you."
On the non-conference schedule…
"I mean, I feel good about it. You know, I don't. It's such an inexact science. You know, I think that it's very important that we're tested multiple times, which I think we will be. I think it's very important that we get home games, which we do have. I think it's important that we find a way to get, you know, some games early in the season. Not that they are gimmies by any stretch. You'll never hear me say that, but where we can, you know, where we can see who we are and kind of ease our way into it a little bit, especially with a new coaching staff and a new team altogether, those early home games. I think four out of five of them are bye games, maybe. You know, I like how that part turned out. The Players Era is a great opportunity. I mean, that's the best of the best in a great venue, and so I'm excited about that as well. That's a pretty good challenge there, to say the least."
On his zone defense and other looks…
"No jump stuff. I'm not really wired that way. It's more, and it's not even necessarily a zone. We worked on a zone today, and we will have some zone. But it's more like you know, do we switch one through four sometimes? Do we switch one through five sometimes? Do we trap something sometimes? Do we play a little bit of a zone, you know, just some things that keeps the offense off balance to some degree. I think that'll be important for us."
On when did Manhattan start feeling like home…
"When my wife and one of my kids and my two dogs showed up, you know, that made me feel a lot more like I lived here and I got to move out of the Candlewood Suites. But that was about six weeks ago".
GRAD STUDENT GUARD JADEN SCHUTT
On why he chose K-State…
"Yeah, no, it's been great here so far. Really loved it, and just in the process of choosing a new school, just once Casey kind of reached out, obviously just understanding his background, his success that he's had with players, and just the way he plays just was really intriguing, and just wanted to be a part of it. Obviously, knowing it's going to be a new group, yeah, and just know things, just the area. Come back to the Midwest, got a lot of family in Nebraska, so just you know, it kind of just feels like home right here. So that's been great so far."
On Coach Alexander's offense and being the right fit…
"Yeah, no, I mean, you're always just trying to find the right fit, and just obviously him being able to show the film just kind of just matched up, so it just seemed like it'd be a good fit, and it has so far. So, it's been good."
On his chemistry with Brandon Rechsteiner…
Yeah, no, it was interesting because I was on my flight to my visit, and he had called me a ton. He'd committed and that I should look into K-State. So, it was kind of an interesting development. Obviously, I didn't know that each of us were being recruited by K-State. Obviously, it worked out. It's just nice. I mean, obviously we both started together at Virginia Tech and played a full season together, so it's just always nice having a familiar face around. And obviously, he's a tremendous basketball player; can really shoot the ball. So, it's just kind of fun playing with him, and yeah, so it's been fun so far."
SOPHOMORE GUARD ANDREJ KOSTIC
On where he has made the most strides at…
"That's a good question. To be more of a team player, I would say, like he's really teaching us to be one more guy, like passing the ball, moving the ball. Also, like probably, I would say that like a team more of a team player."
On his familiarity with Manhattan and that playing a role…
"Yeah, like as I talked before, like people here are just different, and I can see that when I go to the other states and cities, and I just love to be here. Like I know the whole city, I can really call this my second home because it was my first-year last year. Now it's gonna be my second one, and yeah, I can really call this place a second home, and I really like to be here. That's it."
On the difference from last year to this year culture wise…
"I feel like we spend a lot of time, like we spend more time off court than last year. But also, I wasn't here during the summer, so I don't know how it was. But yeah, probably like I think we're spending much more time like during the off course than last season. I think that's the most."
SENIOR GUARD BRANDON RECHSTEINER
On why he chose K-State…
Yeah, just this time around, I was trying to find something where I had some familiarity. Casey [Alexander] recruited me to Belmont when I was really young. I went on a visit to Belmont when I was like a freshman, sophomore in high school, and then when I kind of realized I was gonna go like power five, he kind of stopped recruiting me. But just having that prior relationship, you know, I visited Belmont. My dad met Casey [Alexander]. Like Casey [Alexander] was someone my dad liked, so that was big for me. So, it was easy.
On what it's like to play for Coach Alexander…
"Yeah, I mean he has his way and like he wants his guys to play, and I think that that freedom he allows, as long as you know you're doing the right things, is something everyone wants. You know they don't want to be restricted. He obviously plays very fast and has one of the most efficient offenses. So, I mean, just to be able to have that is kind of all I was looking for, especially as a point guard, the way he lets his point guards play in the pick and roll and stuff."
On being with Jaden Schutt again…
"Yeah, no, that was cool. I actually, so I think I was like one of the first guys to commit here, apart from like the high school kids that came with Casey [Alexander]. But I was just thinking, like, trying to get this thing going. I called Jaden [Schutt] and I was like, "Yo, like I just committed to Kansas State. Like I didn't announce it or nothing. I was like, you should come. And he's like, "That's crazy. Like I'm gonna go on a visit. I'm on the way to the airport now. I was like, "Wow! Like we didn't even know. And then from there, I think just having that connection is cool. I mean, me and him are good friends there at Virginia Tech, so it's cool."
JT ROCK REDSHIRT JUNIOR CENTER
On why he chose K-State…
"I would say what appealed to me even before speaking with the coaching staff here was the proximity to home. I'm from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, so it's about five and a half hours from here. It's really nice to be close to home, so my family and everybody can get to the games and stuff like that. And then speaking with the coaching staff really aligns with a lot of views I have. A lot of the culture within the program is stuff that I take really seriously, so I think it all worked out really well and appealed to me and seemed like the best option."
On if there's any players or anything that fans should be excited about…
"Yeah, I would say throughout the summer, as a new team where everybody in the program is new, it's been really nice to just see that. I think that our team is going to have good depth this year. We'll have a lot of guys that can play and just a team that plays together first and foremost. So really excited about the team environment that we've been able to build so early in this journey together."
On what it's like being the big in Coach Alexander's offense…
"Yeah, I would say the big man gets put in a position to make a lot of decisions and have a lot of touches with the basketball on the perimeter, so I would say it's a really nice position to be in, and not just kind of stuck down low on the block. Shoot some three pointers when you're open, of course, and then I think it's good finding a good balance between pick and roll and pick and pop is going to be important for us."
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.
Links to the video are above with a transcript of Alexander and player availability are below.
The first-year head coach and his staff welcome 14 players for the 2026-27 season.
Kostic is the lone returning Wildcat from last season's team, while Rechsteiner (Colorado State), JT Rock (New Mexico) and Schutt (Virginia Tech) are among 10 Division I transfers.
K-State recently announced its non-conference schedule, which includes nine home games at Bramlage Coliseum, the 14th Wildcat Classic against Wichita State at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City and the Players Era 16 in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena.
In all, the Wildcats will play 19 home games in 2026-27, including visits by NCAA Tournament participants Arizona, Houston, Kansas, TCU and Texas Tech.
Tickets for the 2026-27 season are currently on sale to the general public. Fans can purchase tickets by calling toll free at (800) 221.CATS (2287) and/or online at www.kstatesports.com/tickets.
HEAD COACH CASEY ALEXANDER
On having all of the alumni around this week…
"Yeah, it's great. I mean, it's a lot of very successful players, Big 12 champions and NCAA tournament appearance guys and guys that have played professionally for a long time. So it's been fun to welcome those guys back and get to meet them. You know, they are all new to us. We're all new to them, but we're all K Staters. So, it's been fun. Yeah, it's been good."
On what pleased him the most during practices…
"Yeah I think one of the amazing things about teams these days is honestly how quickly they come together and they feel like your own. And it's one of the benefits of having so much turnover is that, with the exception of [Andrej] Kostic, everybody came here hearing the same message and wanting to be a part of what we're doing, and so it really doesn't take very long for there to be some ownership and kind of collective pride and who we are, who we play for, things like that. And I was really pleased with how that happened. You know, naturally, there's a lot that only takes you so far. You know, but that carried over into a great work ethic. You know, great camaraderie from day to day. It's just been a really good seven weeks so far."
On Brandon and Jaden reuniting and if he can see their familiarity on the court…
"Well, I can for sure, and I think more than anything, they both just bring a veteran presence. You know, they've been to multiple places. They're very experienced guys, confident guys, and so with that, they kind of set themselves apart from a lot of the others just for that reason. But their familiarity with each other definitely helps."
On where the team has made the most strides…
"Yeah, I think there's a lot of buy-in just to what we want to do culturally. It's a lot more than it is the X's and O's piece? You know, we knew that we brought in our style of player, you know, and we've covered a lot. I mean, we've I told them the very first night that we met. We started on June 1st, and we sat in this room, and I said, hey, we're practicing tomorrow. Like it's going to look and feel like it's January or February. You're not going to know what we're doing, you know. It's going to take us a long time, but we're not going to ease into it. We're not going to try to get ourselves in shape. We're like we're practicing, and so that's a lot, you know. And we have gotten a lot done, which I've been really pleased with. We can, we will back off when fall rolls around, you know. But I wanted to get as much in as we could during the summer, so that they understand the big picture, and then we'll break it down and try to fine tune things before we really ramp it up in September and October."
On his defense being an offensive coach…
"Yeah, well, there's going to be some changes to what we've typically done. I think we'll mix defenses up a little bit more than we have historically. I would say historically we've been 95% man, and then we'll sprinkle in a possession or two of something else, you know. And I would like, in a perfect world, I'd like for that to be more of like an 80-20, 90-10 scenario or something like that. But even then, we've put a lot of that in. We started talking about zone defense today, and I've never done that before. You know, I'm just trying to give them as much as we can so that they understand, you know, what it all looks like."
On what having a full summer will mean to Andrej…
"Yeah, I just feel like just in general, just the repetitiveness of being here, you know, since March will mean a lot to him. I've seen a lot of improvement already, and he's become, you know, it's one thing to come in here and start working out with your new coaches. It's another thing to be part of a new team where everything is different. So, you know, but I do think that he has gotten more comfortable. I think I feel like the weight of the world dripping off of his shoulders a little bit more and more each day. Not so much where he just puts undue pressure on himself, you know. But he just, I mean, we know he came in highly acclaimed, you know, and it didn't go his way. And then he gets a fresh start, you know. And so, we've just tried to temper those expectations a little bit and say, hey, this is you know it's a long time in November, and you don't even have to be you know a lottery pick this season after this season you know I mean we can we can stretch this out if you got a lot a lot of college basketball in front of you."
On the non-conference schedule…
"I mean, I feel good about it. You know, I don't. It's such an inexact science. You know, I think that it's very important that we're tested multiple times, which I think we will be. I think it's very important that we get home games, which we do have. I think it's important that we find a way to get, you know, some games early in the season. Not that they are gimmies by any stretch. You'll never hear me say that, but where we can, you know, where we can see who we are and kind of ease our way into it a little bit, especially with a new coaching staff and a new team altogether, those early home games. I think four out of five of them are bye games, maybe. You know, I like how that part turned out. The Players Era is a great opportunity. I mean, that's the best of the best in a great venue, and so I'm excited about that as well. That's a pretty good challenge there, to say the least."
On his zone defense and other looks…
"No jump stuff. I'm not really wired that way. It's more, and it's not even necessarily a zone. We worked on a zone today, and we will have some zone. But it's more like you know, do we switch one through four sometimes? Do we switch one through five sometimes? Do we trap something sometimes? Do we play a little bit of a zone, you know, just some things that keeps the offense off balance to some degree. I think that'll be important for us."
On when did Manhattan start feeling like home…
"When my wife and one of my kids and my two dogs showed up, you know, that made me feel a lot more like I lived here and I got to move out of the Candlewood Suites. But that was about six weeks ago".
GRAD STUDENT GUARD JADEN SCHUTT
On why he chose K-State…
"Yeah, no, it's been great here so far. Really loved it, and just in the process of choosing a new school, just once Casey kind of reached out, obviously just understanding his background, his success that he's had with players, and just the way he plays just was really intriguing, and just wanted to be a part of it. Obviously, knowing it's going to be a new group, yeah, and just know things, just the area. Come back to the Midwest, got a lot of family in Nebraska, so just you know, it kind of just feels like home right here. So that's been great so far."
On Coach Alexander's offense and being the right fit…
"Yeah, no, I mean, you're always just trying to find the right fit, and just obviously him being able to show the film just kind of just matched up, so it just seemed like it'd be a good fit, and it has so far. So, it's been good."
On his chemistry with Brandon Rechsteiner…
Yeah, no, it was interesting because I was on my flight to my visit, and he had called me a ton. He'd committed and that I should look into K-State. So, it was kind of an interesting development. Obviously, I didn't know that each of us were being recruited by K-State. Obviously, it worked out. It's just nice. I mean, obviously we both started together at Virginia Tech and played a full season together, so it's just always nice having a familiar face around. And obviously, he's a tremendous basketball player; can really shoot the ball. So, it's just kind of fun playing with him, and yeah, so it's been fun so far."
SOPHOMORE GUARD ANDREJ KOSTIC
On where he has made the most strides at…
"That's a good question. To be more of a team player, I would say, like he's really teaching us to be one more guy, like passing the ball, moving the ball. Also, like probably, I would say that like a team more of a team player."
On his familiarity with Manhattan and that playing a role…
"Yeah, like as I talked before, like people here are just different, and I can see that when I go to the other states and cities, and I just love to be here. Like I know the whole city, I can really call this my second home because it was my first-year last year. Now it's gonna be my second one, and yeah, I can really call this place a second home, and I really like to be here. That's it."
On the difference from last year to this year culture wise…
"I feel like we spend a lot of time, like we spend more time off court than last year. But also, I wasn't here during the summer, so I don't know how it was. But yeah, probably like I think we're spending much more time like during the off course than last season. I think that's the most."
SENIOR GUARD BRANDON RECHSTEINER
On why he chose K-State…
Yeah, just this time around, I was trying to find something where I had some familiarity. Casey [Alexander] recruited me to Belmont when I was really young. I went on a visit to Belmont when I was like a freshman, sophomore in high school, and then when I kind of realized I was gonna go like power five, he kind of stopped recruiting me. But just having that prior relationship, you know, I visited Belmont. My dad met Casey [Alexander]. Like Casey [Alexander] was someone my dad liked, so that was big for me. So, it was easy.
On what it's like to play for Coach Alexander…
"Yeah, I mean he has his way and like he wants his guys to play, and I think that that freedom he allows, as long as you know you're doing the right things, is something everyone wants. You know they don't want to be restricted. He obviously plays very fast and has one of the most efficient offenses. So, I mean, just to be able to have that is kind of all I was looking for, especially as a point guard, the way he lets his point guards play in the pick and roll and stuff."
On being with Jaden Schutt again…
"Yeah, no, that was cool. I actually, so I think I was like one of the first guys to commit here, apart from like the high school kids that came with Casey [Alexander]. But I was just thinking, like, trying to get this thing going. I called Jaden [Schutt] and I was like, "Yo, like I just committed to Kansas State. Like I didn't announce it or nothing. I was like, you should come. And he's like, "That's crazy. Like I'm gonna go on a visit. I'm on the way to the airport now. I was like, "Wow! Like we didn't even know. And then from there, I think just having that connection is cool. I mean, me and him are good friends there at Virginia Tech, so it's cool."
JT ROCK REDSHIRT JUNIOR CENTER
On why he chose K-State…
"I would say what appealed to me even before speaking with the coaching staff here was the proximity to home. I'm from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, so it's about five and a half hours from here. It's really nice to be close to home, so my family and everybody can get to the games and stuff like that. And then speaking with the coaching staff really aligns with a lot of views I have. A lot of the culture within the program is stuff that I take really seriously, so I think it all worked out really well and appealed to me and seemed like the best option."
On if there's any players or anything that fans should be excited about…
"Yeah, I would say throughout the summer, as a new team where everybody in the program is new, it's been really nice to just see that. I think that our team is going to have good depth this year. We'll have a lot of guys that can play and just a team that plays together first and foremost. So really excited about the team environment that we've been able to build so early in this journey together."
On what it's like being the big in Coach Alexander's offense…
"Yeah, I would say the big man gets put in a position to make a lot of decisions and have a lot of touches with the basketball on the perimeter, so I would say it's a really nice position to be in, and not just kind of stuck down low on the block. Shoot some three pointers when you're open, of course, and then I think it's good finding a good balance between pick and roll and pick and pop is going to be important for us."
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.
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