KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang’s answer was simple when he was asked why he proclaimed Abdi Bashir Jr. as the nation’s best 3-point shooter.
“Because when he shoots it, it goes in,” Tang said.
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Bashir, a transfer from Monmouth, was one of the three Wildcats that Tang proclaimed as one of America’s best at what they do during Wednesday, Oct. 22’s Big 12 Media Day at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.
The 6-foot-7 sharpshooter was one of the nation’s top scorers last season, averaging 20.1 points per night, leading the nation in 3-point makes per game and second in total 3-pointers, only four shots behind a player who played in five more games.
His 3-point shooting is desperately needed for a team that ranked near the bottom of the Big 12 in 3-point percentage in the back half of the league in makes per game a year ago.
“When I walk into the gym in the morning, he’s already in there getting up shots, working on it, and then he’s back in the evening,” Tang said. “I’ve coached some really good shooters, and man, the way the ball comes off his hands and the confidence that he has goes a long way.”
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There’s no secret to Bashir’s work ethic or a specific routine that has helped make him the shooter that he is. There’s no particular number of shots that he puts up each day. He simply gets in the gym and works on what he needs to improve.
“It’s just about repetition and confidence,” Bashir said. “Getting reps in the gym helps, and having a coach who believes in you. I have my days where I might not shoot as well, and (Tang) will still come up to me and tell me that I’m still the best shooter in the country. He just has confidence in me, and it uplifts me every time.”
Bashir figures to fit into a starting backcourt that includes PJ Haggerty, an All-American transfer guard out of Memphis, Tang said, will be the nation’s best. The group should also include Nate Johnson, an Akron transfer who was the Mid-American Conference’s Player and Defensive Player of the Year last season.
One thing you can’t question about this Kansas State basketball team is a lack of confidence.
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“I told them that I’ll never apologize to them for holding them to such high standards because I believe in them so much,” Tang said.
What remains to be seen is whether Bashir will live up to the Tang’s high standards defensively. He’s thin, listed at 175 pounds, and was evaluated by 247Sports College Basketball Analyst Isaac Trotter in April upon entering the portal, who said Bashir is not an impactful defender.
Bashir doesn’t believe he’s “just a shooter,” saying he sees himself as a “basketball player.” He’s aware that his defense is a talking point, and he has made that an emphasis to improve at that end of the floor.
“I feel like I’ve improved my defense; I feel like that’s the one thing they hold me accountable on, no matter what, they don’t really care about my offense, it’s just about getting my defense better,” Bashir said. “I’m just trying to prove that I can guard, I’m getting stronger, and being a better defender at this level.”
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Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at wwheeler@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Abdi Bashir is an elite shooter for Kansas State basketball
