As expected, many Kansas State players from last season are likely moving on with a new coach and a disappointing 2025-26 season.
But this loss will arguably be the most detrimental. Sophomore guard David Castillo has announced his intentions to leave the school, making him the second player to depart from last year's roster. He rose in his second season, averaging 10.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists.
Yes, he's no PJ Haggerty or Abdi Bashir Jr., but Castillo's loss is detrimental to program development. He was one of the few players on the team before this season, so he was one of the few players with prior Wildcats experience. We all know Haggerty, Bashir, and the others brought in by Jerome Tang are likely to depart. But Castillo was one who fans were hoping to stay, even for his dip in conference play.
His departure makes it that much more difficult for coach Casey Alexander. Alexander has done decently in retaining some former Belmont stars and assistants, but lost out on Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Player of the Year Tyler Lundblade, who committed to Tennessee on Wednesday. He averaged 15.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists last season, leading the conference's top offense and regular-season winner.
Still, Alexander has been reaching deep into his recruitment bag for his next unit, which has already resulted in some of the former Bruins recruits flipping to Kansas State. Three-star prospects Jaylen Alexander (Oxford High) and Devin Hutcherson (Holy Innocents Episcopal School) followed coach Alexander to the Wildcats last month.
They're 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."
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