Kansas State's Casey Alexander Has To Keep Pushing Forward After Missing Out On Top Recruit

Kansas State Wildcats basketball coach Casey Alexander has the first recruiting battle of his tenure. 

After chasing guard Malik Olajuwon during the recruiting process, the Wildcats lost out when he committed to the SMU Mustangs. Olajuwon initially had K-State on the list of six finalists. He is one of the nation's top recruits, starring at IMG Academy in Florida. 

He is also the son of former NBA superstar and Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon. 

The key for Alexander is to not get discouraged by the disappointment. Furthermore, he has to continue to go after top talent despite this being his first year on the job and K-Stat not exactly being a top destination spot. 

The hope is eventually Alexander can land a big fish to bolster his first recruiting class. 

Here are a few other players to receive offers within the class:

William Powers, Guard 

Last year Powers was a third-team All-Metro selection by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He led Westminster in points per game (22.1) and rebounds (7.6). He also averaged 3.1 assists, leading his team to a 20 -8 record. He was also a first-team All-State selection in Class 5A. 

Four-star power forward Davis Cochran, who currently attends Brentwood High School in Brentwood, TN, has narrowed Kansas State as one of his top institutions. The Wildcats are among the eight favorites to land him, joining schools like Tennessee, Cincinnati, and Virginia. Last season, Cochran averaged 22 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, 1.9 blocks, and one steal.

Teke Deng, who currently attends Olathe North High School in Olathe, KS, is one of the primary targets the Wildcats have kept an eye on. In his three state Tournament games, he averaged 19 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks. Deng also received an offer from UNLV. Most of Kansas State's frontcourt is underclassmen, so big men aren't an immediate need. However, adding depth to that position is essential, especially for a frontcourt that was exposed nearly all last season as injuries piled up.

MORE KANSAS STATE NEWS 

K-State reached settlement with former hoops coach Jerome Tang 

The Wildcats women's hoops team dealing with huge loss to injury 

Collin Klein continues to get it done by landing another top recruit for 2028 

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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of KStateRoundtable. He can be reached at [email protected]