NCAA Basketball: Top 25 impact freshmen classes for 2023-24 season

21. Kansas State Wildcats

We’ve seen how new head coach Jerome Tang worked with veteran transfers last season, as Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell led them to an Elite 8 appearance. And the team still used the portal to reload, adding Tylor Perry and Arthur Kaluma. This time though, there are a few newcomers likely to join the rotation.

Kansas State has tried to add another guard this offseason but has failed to do so. That works to the benefit of the new guards, Dai Dai Ames and RJ Jones. both of whom are four-star perimeter players. Ames is a 6’1 point guard from Chicago who is a capable scorer at all three levels.

Then there’s Jones, a 6’3 shooting guard from Texas that is also an offensive threat. Assuming that Cam Carter starts in the backcourt, these two newcomers will be the first ones off the bench for the Wildcats. The last newcomer is Macaleab Rich, a four-star forward listed at 6’6 and 210 pounds. He was one of the late risers in the class and could be a darkhorse candidate to start.

After the surprising early success, look for Kansas State to be even more effective on the high school recruiting trail going forward. If this trio can have an early impact as well, that’ll be even better for the program.