Kansas State isn’t going to have one of its best players for at least the early portion of its non-conference schedule.
“I have indefinitely suspended Nae’Qwan Tomlin for not living up to the expectations we require of our players,” Kansas St. head coach Jerome Tang told the Wichita Eagle’s Kellis Robinett this morning. “Although he is not with the team, he is still part of our family, and we will do what [we] can to support him as he moves through this process.”
Tomlin was arrested in Manhattan at around 1:51 a.m. Sunday morning for fighting at Tubby’s Sports Bar, according to Riley County Police Department arrest records. He was charged with brawling/fighting and disorderly conduct.
The 6-foot-10 inch Tomlin was a pivotal piece in the Wildcats’ Elite Eight run during Tang’s first season as a HC after a long tenure at Baylor as Scott Drew’s top assistant. He started all 36 games for Kansas St. after transferring from Chipola (FL.) Junior College, averaging 10.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocked shots per game.
Tomlin has incredible length and athleticism, allowing him to defend multiple positions in the paint or on the perimeter. With the loss of Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell, Tomlin is expected to take on a larger role offensively in 2023-24.
Tang’s team returns three starters with Cam Carter and David N’Guessan joining Tomlin in coming back to school. The Wildcats have added three key players from the transfer portal in guard Tylor Perry (North Texas), forward Arthur Kaluma (Creighton) and Ques Glover (Samford).
Kansas St. opens the season vs. USC at T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas on Monday (Nov. 6). The Wildcats then have home games vs. Bellarmine and South Dakota St. before facing Providence on Nov. 17 in the opening round of the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship in Nassau. They’ll take on either Georgia or Miami on Nov. 19.
As of this morning, FanDuel had Kansas St. with 50/1 odds to win the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Lindy’s Sports preseason college basketball magazine has the Wildcats predicted to finish seventh in the Big 12 standings.