Kansas State was dealt a blow to their transfer portal recruitment on Saturday when UNC Greensboro forward Mikeal Brown-Jones committed to Ole Miss over K-State.
Brown-Jones was a top target for K-State, and the staff pulled out multiple stops to attempt to land the 6-foot-8 forward. K-State eventually made his top three, along with Ole Miss and Pittsburgh.
While the loss is a temporary gut punch, the portal is still young, and there is plenty of time to add additional transfers into the mix.
Here is a look at where K-State could pivot following the loss of Brown-Jones.
OTHER TARGETS TO WATCH
Florida State transfer Baba Miller is on campus this weekend for a visit and could be a quick commitment if things go right for the Wildcats.
At 6-foot-10, Miller is likely a better fit at center than forward but could slot in there if he improves his shooting. Overall, Miller was a poor three-point shooter last season, but he shot a respectable 39.1% on corner threes, according to CBB Analytics.
Even though he’s a fine three-point shooter, he’s a highly effective interior presence on both ends and moving him away from the rim isn’t the way to maximize the untapped potential the Spanish native has. Last season, Miller shot 66.1% at the rim and had multiple games with three blocks.
As a result, the Wildcats will likely pivot towards other options in the transfer portal.
EMAW Online believes that K-State’s staff has reached out to Duke transfer Mark Mitchell, but it doesn’t appear those conversations have gone far. The problem with Mitchell is that, like Miller, he’s best at the rim and isn’t much of a three-point threat.
Arizona transfer Filip Borovicanin is another player that K-State has kicked the tires on, but the Serbian didn’t play much at Arizona last season, averaging just 2.3 points in 5.6 minutes per game.
Borovicanin has impressed on the international stage, but he’s not a proven commodity yet, and pushing all your chips into him being a starter for the Wildcats. At least right now.
WHAT ABOUT IN-HOUSE OPTIONS?
Arthur Kaluma and David N’Guessan are the looming question marks that have to be answered.
Both players have proven they can be starters – though N’Guessan is likely better off the bench – and could fill in the remainder of their frontcourt with little concern. However, Kaluma will likely test the NBA Draft waters again, making that a pipe dream.
Macaleab Rich showed flashes last season for K-State but didn’t play enough to be a consistent starter. His development could provide a major boost in the front court for K-State, especially as they attempt to fill out the numbers.
Regardless, it feels likely that a transfer forward is coming in.
WHY IT’S NOT TIME TO PANIC
K-State has only landed one commitment and still has at least four scholarships available. At the surface, that looks like a viable cause for panic, especially as teams across the country have added multiple players through the transfer portal.
However, it’s important to realize that transfer portal recruitment was essentially paused for a week with the dead period, meaning no players were visiting schools. This was the first week players could visit schools again, and K-State immediately landed two players on campus: Baba Miller and Illinois-Chicago guard CJ Jones.
The other thing to realize is that the Wildcats added their first transfer in May last season when Tylor Perry committed. The year before, the Wildcats didn’t add Keyontae Johnson until August.
The situation was different for Johnson was different, but the transfer portal is a marathon, not a sprint. No one cares what your roster looks like on April 13 because NCAA Tournaments are not won a month after the season.
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