K-State's roster just got legit — international star joins transfer frenzy

Kansas State has landed a key international addition for the 2025–26 season, as German forward Elias Rapieque has officially joined the Wildcats, per multiple reports.

The 6-foot-8, 220-pound Rapieque played last season with ALBA Berlin, appearing in 27 games and making four starts. He averaged 4.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.6 steals in about 15 minutes per game.

Rapieque also spent time with ALBA Berlin’s affiliate, SSV Lok Bernau, in Germany’s ProB league, where he put up 18.1 points, 7.4 boards and 5.5 assists per game. He’s drawn comparisons to a young Boris Diaw and to former K-State standout Coleman Hawkins for his versatility.

He has international experience as well, suiting up for Germany at the U18 and U20 levels, including the 2022 European U18 Championship and both the 2023 and 2024 U20 European Championships.

Rapieque is expected to slide into the starting lineup at forward, joining new guards Nate Johnson and transfer PJ Haggerty, a recent 2nd-team All-American from Memphis, along with Serbian wing Andrej Kostic and likely one of the team’s new big men.

He’s the second international signee in this class, joining Kostic.

K-State, which missed the NCAA tournament in back-to-back seasons, is reloading under head coach Jerome Tang. The Wildcats return just three scholarship players—point guard David Castillo and forwards Mobi Ikegwuruka and Taj Manning—and have hit the transfer portal hard.

Joining Rapieque in the incoming class are MAC Player of the Year Nate Johnson (Akron), Marcus Johnson (Bowling Green; 16.2 PPG, 5.2 RPG), PJ Haggerty (Memphis), Khamari McGriff (UNC Wilmington), Abdi Bashir (Omaha), Kostic, and 6-foot-11 JUCO big man Stephen Osei, who is expected to redshirt.

Kansas State finished 16–17 overall and 9–11 in Big 12 play last season, tying for ninth in the conference.

Whether the roster overhaul translates to wins remains to be seen, but the pieces are in place for a major turnaround.