Jerome Tang adds another foreign recruit to Kansas State men’s basketball roster
The Kansas State men’s basketball team will have some international flair next season.
Elias Rapieque, a 6-foot-8 and 200-pound forward from Germany, has committed to play for the Wildcats after spending the past few years playing for ALBA Berlin.
K-State and Rapieque have been linked on the recruiting trail for months. His agent, Milan Nikolic, told ESPN that Rapieque was officially on his way to Manhattan on Wednesday.
That means two foreign players will be suiting up for the Wildcats inside Bramlage Coliseum next season. Rapieque will join Serbian guard Andrej Kostic in the K-State rotation.
Head coach Jerome Tang will rely on both of them right away.
If K-State’s international players can contribute at a high level then the Wildcats figure to be an improved team and contend for a berth in the NCAA Tournament with high-profile Memphis transfer PJ Haggerty leading the way at point guard.
If they struggle to adjust to basketball in the Big 12, K-State may be in for another mediocre season.
For now, fans have reason to feel cautiously optimistic about the Wildcats’ foreign additions. Rapieque is not your typical recruit. He is a 21-year old baller who just finished playing 27 games on a professional team overseas. During the 2024-25 season, he averaged 4.2 points and 2.1 rebounds while playing 15 minutes per game in Berlin.
Kostic is younger. But he most recently played for Dynamic Balkan Bet in Serbia and averaged 15.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in the U18 league. He was also the leader of Serbia’s U18 national team that took the silver medal at the Eurobasket 2024 competition.
Their additions might also mean that Tang is finished rebuilding the K-State roster.
If Tyreek Smith is granted a waiver to play an extra season of college basketball, then that will give the Wildcats a full allotment of 13 scholarship players.
K-State will return at least three players in Mobi Ikegwuruka, Taj Manning and David Castillo. They will join six incoming transfers, one high school recruit and two international newcomers.
K-State Wildcats basketball tracker
Outgoing transfers:
- Brendan Hausen (Iowa)
- Ugonna Onyenso (Virginia)
- Macaleab Rich
- Baye Fall (Rutgers)
- Dug McDaniel (Memphis)
- CJ Jones
Incoming transfers:
High school recruits:
International recruits:
- Andrej Kostic of Serbia
Elias Rapieque of Germany
Returners:
- Mobi Ikegwuruka
- Taj Manning
- David Castillo
- Max Jones*
- Tyreek Smith*
*Player is seeking a waiver to gain extra eligibility
Available scholarships: 0-1
This story was originally published June 4, 2025 at 11:11 AM with the headline "Jerome Tang adds another foreign recruit to Kansas State men’s basketball roster."