Two more Kansas State men’s basketball players have decided to transfer
Some of the optimism that the Kansas State men’s basketball team created when the Wildcats won four of their final six games this season is already beginning to fade.
K-State lost a trio of players this week after they decided to transfer. Though none of them will be impossible to replace in terms of production next year, they leave behind plenty of available minutes that Bruce Weber and his coaching staff will need to fill.
DaJuan Gordon and Rudi Williams are the latest players who’ve decided to finish their college basketball careers elsewhere. They joined former teammate Antonio Gordon in the NCAA transfer portal on Firday.
The biggest loss is obviously DaJuan Gordon. The sophomore guard averaged 9.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists while making 37.5% of his shots while playing in 25 games and making 22 starts. Though, he did only made 21.7% of his three-point shots.
“After several conversations with DaJuan and his family following the season, he informed me of his decision,” Weber said. “Although DaJuan has played significant minutes and started most games the past two season, he indicated his desire to have a larger role offensively. Obviously, we are disappointed with his decision, but we wish him the best in basketball and life.”
Even though Gordon’s numbers weren’t overwhelming, he brought many intangibles to the court that didn’t show up on the stat sheet. He was one of the team’s most reliable leaders as both a freshman and then again as a sophomore. He was also one of Weber’s toughest guards and played through myriad ankle and foot injuries.
Replacing his hustle and grit may be a challenge for K-State’s coaching staff. He also gave the Wildcats lineup flexibility by playing either on the wing or inside as a stretch four.
Gordon originally joined K-State as a four-star recruit out of Chicago in 2019. He was recruited by former assistant coach Brad Korn, who is now the head coach at Southeast Missouri State.
After K-State finished this past season by winning four of its final six games, Gordon spoke more confidently about the team’s future than anyone. So his exit comes as a surprise.
“I see this team being the No. 1 team in the country next season,” he said. “I know we all work and I feel like if we had to start over right now and start from today we would be one of the best teams in the country.”
Rudi Williams averaged 4.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists during his lone season with the Wildcats.
Williams played in 27 games and made four starts after joining K-State last spring as a junior-college transfer. He showed off his skills early in the season by scoring 16 points in a nonconference victory against Milwaukee, but only reached double digits in one other game the rest of the way.
He was primarily a backup behind Nijel Pack and will presumably search for a new team where he can play a more meaningful role next season.
“We recruited and signed Rudi during the early part of the (COVID-19) pandemic without him even visiting campus and getting a feeling for our program,” Weber said, “so this gives him the opportunity to evaluate what type of school will be best for him moving forward. We wish him well.”
This story was originally published March 19, 2021 at 10:35 AM with the headline "Two more Kansas State men’s basketball players have decided to transfer."