No stranger to splash additions, is Kansas State's roster ready to support blockbuster transfer PJ Haggerty?

Jerome Tang had one heck of a Memorial Day when he landed Memphis star guard PJ Haggerty, the No. 2-rated player in the transfer portal, to give his fourth Kansas State roster the splashy addition it so desperately needed. Haggerty becomes just the third-ever All-American to transfer to another club, joining Hunter Dickinson (from Michigan to Kansas) and Max Abmas (from Oral Roberts to Texas).

Kansas State has a chance at yet another offseason championship. Hang the proverbial banner.

June 14, a mere 19 days away, will mark the one-year anniversary of Illinois transfer Coleman Hawkins committing to Kansas State, as Tang took advantage of one of the highest NIL coffers in the sport. Hawkins, who mentioned at the 2024 NBA Draft Combine that he wanted to keep his money details private, had his $2 million-plus NIL deal aired out for the world to see.

The fallout was cruel and eerily predictable.

In the preseason, one Big 12 coach expressed pessimism behind the scenes about Tang's roster that was heavy on power forwards and centers and light on difference-making guards. That coach, who may make the Hall of Fame one day, was not alone in the concern of whether that K-State roster, conducted by the mercurial Dug McDaniel, could survive in a top-heavy Big 12 filled with some of the best pressure defenses in the country.

A 16-17 season ensued with turmoil, turbulence and lots of tears.

So, will this work?

It's fair to question Tang's roster-building chops after flunking the last two transfer portal cycles, but it's crystal clear that Kansas State learned some lessons from last year.

While the 2024-25 frontcourt compilation drew plenty of preseason ire, it was the backcourt that wound up causing Kansas State's ultimate demise. McDaniel had the worst season of his career and left for Memphis last month (yet another Memphis-Kansas State pseudo trade). Brendan Hausen was a sweet-shooting specialist, but he didn't help Kansas State in many other areas. Hausen wasn't the problem at all, but he wasn't the solution, either. He left Kansas State to smartly join Ben McCollum's first Iowa squad. Fellow guards CJ Jones (who couldn't shoot) and Max Jones (who was just OK after transferring in from Cal State Fullerton) have exited stage right.

Tang's new-look guard quartet of Haggerty, Akron transfer Nate Johnson, Abdi Bashir Jr. and Andrej Kostic is a real upgrade … on paper.

Last season, Kansas State's guards combined to finish dead last in college basketball with just 5.1% of their pick-and-roll possessions finishing in a trip to the charity stripe. 364th out of 364 Division I teams.

The lack of rim pressure and free throws will not be a problem with this 2025-26 group. Kansas State's top-five guards shot 275 combined free throws. Haggerty shot 274 by himself. While Kansas State will be the fourth team in four years for Haggerty, he's no good-stats, bad-team guy. The 6-foot-3 guard leveled up into a true three-level scorer who also notched an assist rate over 20%. Haggerty answered the 3-point questions by drilling 36% from beyond the arc last year on over 3.0 attempts per game. He destroyed drop coverage with an unguardable floater. He hit a respectable 40% on a high volume of those tough pull-up jumpers that many defenses try to coax. And boy, does he get to the rim, especially in transition.

Over 40% of Haggerty's shots came at the rim.

Over 44% of Johnson's shots came at the rim.

That duo will be the engine of this Kansas State roster. Johnson, the reigning MAC Player of the Year, looks poised to be an outstanding secondary role player for this Kansas State group. He should be able to handle the top assignment defensively every night to save Haggerty's legs for the offensive burden that's in store. Kansas State's transition offense should be much improved with Haggerty and Johnson, both of whom have a knack for pushing the rock in the open floor like heat-seeking missiles.

While Haggerty and Johnson are low-volume shooters, Bashir offsets that a tad. The Monmouth transfer basically only shoots 3-pointers right now. His off-movement barrage of treys could add a different layer to this mix, but Kansas State suddenly has the backcourt depth to put Bashir on the bench when the jumper isn't falling and his defensive limitations are on display. Bashir as a piece looks much more manageable than Bashir as the piece.

Kostic, an 18-year-old Serbian guard, is shaping up to be the massive X-Factor. The 6-foot-6 guard is regarded as a plus shooter with intriguing feel as a jumbo playmaker. Kansas State believes Kostic can be an integral piece, likely a Day One starter.

More talent + more free throws + more transition chances = much higher offensive floor for a group that rated a putrid 125th (and 12th during Big 12 play) in offensive efficiency last year.

More to come?

Tang is not done yet, either. Kansas State needs to get an answer from the NCAA on the waiver status of Tyreek Smith, another Memphis transfer, who'd buff up the frontcourt depth in a hurry. The Wildcats are also in the mix for more international talent. German 21-year-old forward Elias Rapieque is a name to watch there. Adding more dudes to this frontcourt will be essential. In an ideal world, Bowling Green transfer Marcus Johnson and Junior College big man Stephen Osei aren't massive pieces this year, but Kansas State's final additions will have a big say on their respective statuses.

The Big 12 is going to be a bear with Texas Tech, BYU and Houston boasting talent-laden rosters and Iowa State doing what Iowa State does. But Kansas State can start envisioning hearing its name again on Selection Sunday after two straight years of sitting out the best tournament sports can offer.

Giving Hawkins the money last June was not a mistake, per se. He was clearly Kansas State's second-best player last year, even with a jumper that betrayed him. But at his core, Hawkins is a high-feel connector who is best-suited as a third option and was forced into a role at Kansas State that was not ideal, surrounded by a supporting cast that didn't have enough juice. This year, Kansas State's highest-paid player will be an alpha scoring guard who can create something out of nothing for himself and has multiple years of experience as the top guy on the scouting report.

That matters.

And that's why this roster construction blueprint looks quite different (and better).

Oh, to be a fly on the wall in the office of that Big 12 coach.