Notable transfer targets begin to emerge for Jerome Tang and Kansas State basketball
It should come as no surprise that Jerome Tang wants to “hit the transfer portal very hard” this spring.
The Kansas State men’s basketball team won 26 games and reached the Elite Eight this past season in large part because the Wildcats had a plethora of impact transfers on their roster.
Tang landed nine incoming transfers before his first year in Manhattan and the results were excellent. Senior forward Keyontae Johnson was a third-team All-American, senior guard Desi Sills was a game changer, sophomore guard Cam Carter was a valuable starter and junior forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin was a matchup nightmare.
Add in solid contributions from David N’Guessan, Abayomi Iyiola and Tykei Greene and the Wildcats have proven they can win immediately with newcomers.
So much so, that Tang and his coaching staff have found themselves taking calls from prospective recruits rather than the other way around.
“We have,” Tang said, “but I don’t know that is necessarily because we had success with transfers as much as people have seen the environment that we have, the culture that we have and the way our guys respond to each other and out staff. People want to be a part of that.”
At the moment, K-State has three open scholarships to recruit with for the 2023-24 season. Tang has made it clear that he wants to use those exclusively on transfers. In a perfect world, the Wildcats will find two experienced guards capable of making a big impact next season and a versatile center who can hold his own on both ends of the floor.
Targets are beginning to emerge.
More than a few players who currently reside in the transfer portal fit those descriptions. It seems like two guards are already worth keeping an eye one.
Houston transfer Tramon Mark told On3sports this week that he is down to four schools — Arkansas, Florida, K-State and Texas A&M. Mark is a 6-foot-5 junior guard who averaged 10.1 points and 4.9 rebounds while starting 37 games for the Cougars this past season. He has two years of eligibility remaining and will bring valuable NCAA Tournament experience wherever he ends up.
Baylor transfer LJ Cryer is an even bigger transfer target who has shown up on K-State’s radar. The 6-foot-1 junior guard averaged 15 points and two assists this past season for the Bears and he has been a sharpshooter from three-point range (42.5%) throughout his college career.
Cryer told 247Sports that he has heard from a long list of schools (Arkansas, Gonzaga, Houston, Illinois, Kansas, K-State, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M) since he placed his name in the portal earlier this week.
His connection to Tang is obvious. Tang recruited Cryer out of Katy, Texas, when he was an assistant coach at Baylor. It’s only natural that he would consider reuniting with him next season.
“Coach Tang changed the culture around there,” Cryer told 247Sports. “He is a great coach. They went to the Elite Eight and he lets his guys play with freedom. That is what I am looking for. They have a great fan base and he is doing things the right way over there. I am for sure going to give them a fair chance to tell me what it is.”
It may be a while before Cryer decides on a transfer destination. He told 247Sports he is testing the NBA Draft waters while he is in the transfer portal, and there is a chance he may turn pro rather than return to college.
That won’t deter Tang from recruiting him, or any other transfer in a similar situation.
The Wildcats were still adding transfers to their roster last summer. He is not afraid to take a patient approach.
“I’m not in a hurry,” Tang said, “because I think that getting it done fast might not be the best way to get it done or allow you to get the best guys. There is a group of guys right now in the portal that some of them are pretty good players, but I also believe there is going to be a second run of guys in the portal. Some of them might be better fits for us. I don’t want to rush into it just to get it done.”
This story was originally published April 5, 2023 at 12:30 PM with the headline "Notable transfer targets begin to emerge for Jerome Tang and Kansas State basketball."