Yep, the inevitable is coming to fruition.
It was only a matter of time before Kansas State's stars entered the transfer portal, delayed by the news of much smaller names headlining the losses. Abdi Bashir Jr. announced his plans to enter on Sunday afternoon. He averaged 13.2 points on 44.4 percent shooting from 3-point range.
Bashir had to get surgery for a foot fracture in January, sidelining him for the rest of the year. Kansas State struggled even before his injury, but his absence was the nail in the coffin for the season. Without one of the nation's best sharpshooters, the Wildcats lost their edge on the perimeter and their second-leading scorer. Nate Johnson failed to elevate as the next man up on offense, while David Castillo completely faltered in conference play.
Jerome Tang's cast is slowly exiting the program now, with Casey Alexander at the top, and Matthew Driscoll also likely to leave. It's only a matter of time until PJ Haggerty and the other stars depart with the coaching change and the sting of a disastrous season.
Alexander has done decently in retaining some former Belmont stars and assistants, even with losing out on Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Player of the Year Tyler Lundblade to Tennessee on Wednesday. However, it will be difficult to form a completely new roster with seemingly every star or rotational player leaving.
Alexander has flipped a few former Bruins recruits to Kansas State: three-star prospects Jaylen Alexander (Oxford High, guard) and Devin Hutcherson (Holy Innocents Episcopal School, forward).
The Wildcats are also still in the mix for sophomore forward Drew Scharnowski, a player Alexander can continue working with to build a more developmental Kansas State program than a revolving door every season. Scharnowski averaged 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists last season, earning First-Team All-MVC and MVC All-Defensive Team honors.
"I think we need to broaden. We gotta have some more experience at this level, and that’s a given," Alexander said in his opening radio interview. "We’ll have a really good staff, and one thing they’ll be is like-minded. We'll all be on the same page and pulling in the same direction, and all about the same thing."
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
Don't miss out on our ROUNDTABLE community and the latest news!
It's completely free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members. Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!