It's only been two days since Kansas State men's basketball lost its big man in center Dorin Buca to the transfer portal. Now, there's an answer and it came faster than both fans and experts likely saw coming.
Kansas State basketball lands New Mexico transfer JT Rock in portal
Enter JT Rock, a seven-foot-one junior entering his third season of eligibility after playing just one season at New Mexico. His sophomore season with the Lobos, Rock averaged 6.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and saw an average 12.8 minutes per game.
He bolsters those numbers with a 54.5% shooting percentage from the field, and one of the lowest turnover margins on the entire New Mexico roster. It's worth noting that Rock also spent the 2024-25 season at Iowa State under head coach T.J. Otzelberger.
Otzelberger's staff also played a key role in recruiting former Kansas State forward Taj Manning, who previously spent three seasons with the Wildcats.
Biggest questions answered by Kansas State in the transfer portal
It's no secret that the so-called "big man" position is one of the hardest in all of college basketball to fill. With Buca opting to test the portal, how the Wildcats would fill one of the nation's most expensive slots was a mystery.
Earlier reports indicated that the highest demand in the country for a center could reach a figure of $5 million, first outlined by Adam Finkelstein and CBS Sports in reference to Kansas transfer Flory Bidunga. Whether or not the former Jayhawk actually received the reported $5 million asking price wasn't officially reported, but still remains a shocking margin.
The Wildcats push also answers another burning question on the minds of fans: how many more players are still to come from the portal? After Rock's addition, the answer is five. The announcement also comes following the commitment decisions of Colorado State transfer Brandon Rechsteiner and former Oregon forward Dezdrick Lindsay.
Other notable additions include former Belmont commits Jaylen Alexander and Devin Hutcherson, both currently seniors in high school. Kansas State has also pursued Murray State transfer Brock Vice and former Virginia Tech guard Jaden Schutt, both of which also committed.
At the time of publication, eight former players have entered their names into the transfer portal, two of which have already committed or signed with the intentions of playing elsewhere next season. If the first-year Wildcats head coach could flip those two, the sky's the limit.
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