Nigel Johnson to transfer from Kansas State basketball team

The Kansas State men’s basketball team lost another member of its back court on Wednesday, leaving the Wildcats with one returning scholarship guard as they prepare for next season.

Nigel Johnson, a sophomore point guard who averaged 5.2 points and 1.7 assists, announced Wednesday morning via Twitter that he is transferring.

“After much deliberation, I say farewell,” Johnson wrote. “Thank you to my KSU coaches, my teammates, KSU community, to all my fans & supporters.”

Johnson is the fourth player to leave the Wildcats since they ended a disappointing 15-17 season with a loss to TCU in the Big 12 Tournament.

Leading scorer Marcus Foster and freshman shooting guard Tre Harris were dismissed from the team two weeks ago, and starting point guard Jevon Thomas opted to transfer.

Justin Edwards, a former Maine transfer who averaged 6.3 points as a junior, is the team’s only returning scholarship guard. He is also the team’s leading returning scorer.

Johnson played behind Thomas for much of his sophomore season, but he did receive some starts and played well near the end of the year, scoring 20 points in a victory over Kansas and 17 points in a win over Iowa State. He figured to be in line for major playing time next season, with only newcomers to compete with at the point. Instead, he will seek playing time elsewhere.

K-State coach Bruce Weber has been busy recruiting replacements for K-State’s departures.

He has signed St. John forward Dean Wade, Texas center Dante Williams and Florida guard Barry Brown. And he has commitments from Baltimore guard Kamau Stokes and Connors (Okla.) State College point guard Corlbe Ervin.

This story was originally published April 8, 2015 at 11:17 AM with the headline "Nigel Johnson to transfer from Kansas State basketball team."