Kansas State Wildcats land 6-10 forward Kaosi Ezeagu as basketball transfer from UTEP
Bruce Weber added some extra size to Kansas State’s basketball roster on Monday.
Kaosi Ezeagu, a 6-foot-10 sophomore forward who began his college career at UTEP, announced he will transfer to K-State this season and play for the Wildcats next season.
Ezeagu averaged 3.2 points and 3.4 rebounds as a freshman while playing in 29 games as a freshman at UTEP, starting the team’s last seven games.
K-State was the front-runner for Ezeagu throughout his transfer recruitment, as the Wildcats were the only power-conference team that actively pursued him. Ezeagu visited campus on a recruiting trip last week and watched the Wildcats’ home game against TCU from behind the team’s bench. He also considered some other opportunities at smaller schools.
Ezeagu is a mid-year transfer who did not play in any games for the Miners this season, allowing him to join a new team now and take the court next season, either at the start of the year or midway through after sitting out a year in accordance with NCAA transfer rules.
Depending on the particulars of his transfer situation, the NCAA may need to grant a waiver in order for him to play immediately during the 2020-21 season.
Ezeagu led the Miners in blocked shots (24) and field goal percentage (57%) last season. He had a career-high 12 points during a game against Middle Tennessee State.
He is originally from Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
K-State coach Bruce Weber has said he wanted to add an extra big man to his 2020 recruiting class, which currently ranks in the top 25 with the signings of Nijel Pack, Selton Miguel, Davion Bradford and Luke Kasubke.
Ezeagu will certainly provide more size and a defensive presence inside, but there are questions about his offensive abilities.
The Wildcats are currently at their scholarship limit for 2020, so a roster spot will need to open up in order to accommodate any new recruit next season. The team has an open scholarship on its roster now following the departure of St. Louis guard Shaun Williams.
This story was originally published January 13, 2020 at 1:18 PM with the headline "Kansas State Wildcats land 6-10 forward Kaosi Ezeagu as basketball transfer from UTEP."