MANHATTAN — Believe it or not, the countdown to the beginning of the 2025-26 college basketball season is on. And with how rough the beginning of the Kansas State football season has been, opening night at Bramlage Arena will be a warm welcome.
Jerome Tang, heading into his fourth year as coach, could be feeling some pressure after back-to-back sub-.500 seasons in the Big 12 and years without an NCAA Tournament appearance. His 14-man roster features 10 newcomers and four returners.
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K-State begins its 2025-26 campaign against UNC Greensboro on Nov. 4. Here’s a look at the Wildcats’ roster entering the season.
Kansas State basketball 2025-26 roster
Nov 30, 2024; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Monmouth Hawks guard Abdi Bashir Jr. (1) shoots the ball asSeton Hall Pirates center Godswill Erheriene (54) defends during the first half at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Bashir spent the last two seasons at Monmouth, where he shot 38.4% from deep. At 6-foot-7, he led the nation in 3-point makes per game (3.8), while attempting the second most (10.1).
Dorin Buca, Italy
Buca played last season in the second tier of Italian professional basketball. At 7-foot-2, Buca was a 60.8% shooter and was fourth in the league in shots made.
David Castillo
Kansas State Wildcats guard David Castillo (10) looks for a free pass against the Kansas Jayhawks in the first half of the Sunflower Showdown game inside Allen Fieldhouse Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.
Castillo returns after playing in 32 of 33 games during his freshman year with the Wildcats. He averaged 2.4 points on 22.1% shooting.
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Haggerty was among the top transfers in the nation, earning second-team AP All-American honors and the AAC Player of the Year honors at Memphis. The point guard had one-year stints at both TCU and Tulsa. He’s averaged more than 21 points per game in each of the last two seasons. According to a report by Jeff Goodman, Haggerty received an NIL deal “in the neighborhood” of $2.5 million to join the Wildcats.
Mobi Ikegwuruka
Feb 17, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Kansas State Wildcats guard Mobi Ikegwuruka (4) dunks against Utah Utes forward Ezra Ausar (2) during the first half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Ikegwuruka came off the bench 24 times last season, averaging eight minutes and 2.1 points on 60% shooting during his sophomore year with the Wildcats.
Nov 16, 2024; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Bowling Green Falcons forward Marcus Johnson (6) drives against Michigan State Spartans forward Coen Carr (55) during the first half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images
Johnson is a 6-7 transfer from Bowling Green, where he ranked sixth in the MAC in scoring (16.2 ppg) and was a 39.4% 3-point shooter.
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Akron Zips guard Nate Johnson (34) drives to the basket for a layup against Miami during the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game March 15, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Johnson’s a 6-3 guard who spent the last three seasons at Akron, where he has been a 44.9% shooter over his career and a 33% shooter from beyond the arc. He was named the MAC’s Player and Defensive Player of the Year.
CJ Jones
Mar 5, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Kansas State Wildcats guard C.J. Jones (3) reacts after a play against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the second half at Fifth Third Arena. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
Jones returns for his senior season after starting nine games last year. He averaged 5.7 points on 40.7% shooting.
Kostic was one of Tang’s biggest lands of the offseason, adding one of the most coveted overseas recruits. Kostic is a 6-6 guard who is already receiving 2026 NBA Draft hype. Playing in Serbia’s top-tier league, he averaged 16.4 points on 43.2% shooting.
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Taj Manning
Manning played in eight games off the bench, averaging 2.7 minutes per appearance.
North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawks forward Khamari McGriff (21) shoots over Kansas Jayhawks forward KJ Adams Jr. (24) during the second half of the game inside Allen Fieldhouse Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024.
McGriff joins K-State after four years at UNC Wilmington, where the 6-9 wing was a 67.9% shooter and considered one of the top players off the bench in the CAA.
Osei played last season at Casper College as a 6-10 big man who averaged 11 points on 63.8% shooting.
Rapieque joins K-State after playing in the highest level of pro basketball in Germany, where he averaged 3.5 points on 39.5% shooting this past season.
Wilson is a freshman guard from Father Tolton (Missouri), where he scored 1,700 points over his prep career. He was a three-time all-state performer, averaging 20.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists as a senior.
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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: Kansas State basketball roster breakdown 2025-26 season
