Kansas State's biggest goal from last season is to win. Finishing with three conference victories after an influx of star additions was certainly not the vision. Bringing in Belmont veteran coach Casey Alexander was a great start after getting rid of Jerome Tang.
The transfer portal window, though? Hasn't been as much of a slam dunk. The program has added some solid pieces, but not enough to wow anyone or bring significant attention. Above all, all of Tang's former stars are gone, and it will take the Wildcats a significant amount to get back to that level.
Many media outlets are lauding former Wildcats guard PJ Haggerty as one of the best players to enter the portal, and rightfully so. Haggerty averaged 23.4 points last season, the third-highest in the country during the regular season. CBS Sports gave Texas A&M an "A" for adding him to its roster.
"Haggerty is pound-for-pound one of the best scorers in college basketball," the article wrote. "He is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-high 23.4 points in 31 games. He will be the rare player who plays five seasons at five different schools, having started his career at TCU back during the 2022-23 season."
The Aggies want to remain competitive in the SEC next season, and adding a high-level scorer like Haggerty will play right into their fast-paced offensive play style.
"Under coach Bucky McMillan, Texas A&M likes to play fast," the article wrote. "The Aggies averaged 15.7 seconds per possession, which ranked No. 16 among all Division I teams (KenPom). With Haggerty, Kansas State ranked in the top 15 in that stat this season. Last year at Memphis, the Tigers were ranked inside the top 30 in average possession time. Last season, five different Texas A&M players averaged at least 10 points per game. The scoring was almost by committee."
And the knife gets twisted deeper for Kansas State. Regardless of last season's results, having a guard like Haggerty or a sharpshooter like Abdi Bashir Jr. would have been a great place to start for coach Alexander in Year 1.
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