After a busy off-season in the transfer portal, it’s been pretty quiet in Kansas State’s high school head coach recruiting Jerome Tang and its technical committee.
While the team has been active in trying to gain ground among rising seniors, it appears they are more focused on hitting home runs, engaging with several top 10 prospects on the recruiting trail.
On Friday, those big swings saw them fall into the top seven for five-star small forward AJ Dybansta. His shortened list also included Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, BYU, Kansas and North Carolina.
If this seems like a top-seven pick for the highest-ranked prospect in a draft class, that’s because it is. Dybansta, who will play his final high school season at Utah Prep Academy, has his pick of basketball programs but chose to pass on several heavy hitters, including Arkansas, Duke and Kentucky.
BYU’s inclusion is the most intriguing name to watch in this regard. BYU is said to have a hefty NIL budget that it is willing to use on an elite prospect like Dybansta. Current buzz has them as one of the top favorites to win it, although that could change as the summer progresses.
I don’t feel like Dybansta’s recruitment is anywhere near over. There’s a good chance that Dybansta will take a few visits before choosing a school, which could be a wonderful sign for K-State as they would likely receive one.
Getting a visit isn’t a guarantee that K-State would land a talent like Dybansta, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but Tang and his staff feel they can attract any prospect who walks onto campus. Part of this is blind trust, but there is validity to that statement after a transfer portal that included a potential NBA Draft pick Coleman Hawkins.
K-STATE MBB WILL LIKELY BE SELECTIVE IN HIGH SCHOOL RECRUITMENT
If you’re a fan of high school recruiting, you might be disappointed with Jerome Tang’s approach on the trail.
The prevalence of the recruitment route has meant that programs are beginning to neglect “marginal” secondary education perspectives in need of development. Instead, these schools will opt for transfers who can contribute immediately.
Last season, the Wildcats added just one high school recruit at guard David Castillo. They were also finalists in the Patrick Ngongba, who ended up signing with Duke. Both prospects were players that Tang and his staff believed could contribute immediately, and there’s a good chance Castillo can carve out a role on the bench early in his true freshman season.
This cycle, Tang and his team are trying to stay engaged with key prospects. We’ve already discussed Dybansta, but K-State is also a finalist at guard Meleek Thomas and guard Darryn Peterson.
The Wildcats are on the outside watching Thomas, but Peterson will likely visit K-State at some point. This doesn’t guarantee much for the Wildcats, but it’s the first step towards K-State having a chance to win them over.
If the ‘Cats don’t land any of these top recruits, there’s still a chance the Wildcats can find a lower-ranked recruit they like, but don’t expect Tang and his staff to add several.
NIL WILL NOT BE A PROBLEM FOR K-STATE IN RECRUITMENT
K-State flexed its muscles in the NIL space this off-season, adding multiple transfers for big deals. This approach culminated in the hiring of Coleman Hawkins, who reportedly struck a significant deal with NIL.
As high school recruiting heats up, it is important to mention that if any recruitment is decided by potential NIL opportunities, the Wildcats will be competitive in those recruitments.
That doesn’t appear to be the case for a player like Dybansta, who mentioned he’s looking for a school and coach who can continue to develop his game, but it could end up being the case for eventual transfer portal targets and other high school recruits.
