Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang has added a junior college big man to the Wildcats’ 2025-26 roster, though it is uncertain how soon he will contribute.
Stephen Osei, a 6-foot-11 forward from Casper College in Wyoming, has committed to the Wildcats, though he is expected to redshirt next season while recovering from an injury.
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Osei, a Toronto native, appeared in 26 games with 25 starts as a freshman for Casper, averaging 11.0 points and 7.0 rebounds while shooting 63.8% from the floor and 68.6% from the free-throw line. The T-Birds finished with a 27-6 record.
Osei was a three-star prospect by 24-7 Sports coming out of Utah Prep in Hurricane, Utah.
With the addition of Osei, K-State now has at least nine players on the roster and perhaps two more with transfer forward Tyreek Smith and 2024-25 starter Max Jones still awaiting word from the NCAA after petitioning for an extra year of eligibility.
RElated: Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang fills staff vacancy with veteran assistant
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Related: Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang nabs MAC Player of the Year from transfer portal
Kansas State coach Jerome Tang yells to his team during the Wildcats’ March 2 game against Colorado at Bramlage Coliseum.
Osei joins three transfer portal pickups — guards Abdi Bashir from Monmouth and Nate Johnson from Akron, plus North Carolina-Wilmington forward Khamari McGriff — Serbian combo guard Andrej Kostic and high school point guard Exavier Wilson from Columbia, Missouri.
They will join returning guards David Castillo and Mobi Ikegwuruka, along with forward Taj Manning.
K-State lost six players to the transfer portal from a team that finished 16-17 last year with a 9-11 Big 12 record.
Kansas State basketball roster breakdown
Outgoing transfers
Macacleab Rich, sophomore forward
Brendan Hausen, junior guard (Iowa)
Dug McDaniel, junior guard (Memphis)
Ugonna Onyenso, junior center
Baye Fall, sophomore forward (Rutgers)
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Incoming transfers
Abdi Bashir, sophomore guard (Monmouth)
Khamari McGriff, junior forward (UNC-Wilmington)
Nate Johnson, junior guard (Akron)
Stephen Osei, freshman forward (Casper CC)
Incoming freshmen
Exavier Wilson, guard, Columbia, Mo.
International recruits
Andrej Kostic, guard, Serbia (age 18)
Returning players
Taj Manning, sophomore forward
Mobi Ikegwuruka, sophomore guard
David Castillo, freshman guard
*Starting guard Max Jones and midyear transfer forward Tyreek Smith are seeking waivers from the NCAA for another year of eligibility
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @arnegreen.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State basketball gains commitment from junior college big man