NIL

Kansas State basketball lands Andrej Kostic with reported $1M NIL deal

Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang on the end of the season Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang talks about his team after the season ended with a Big 12 Tournament loss to Baylor. Big 12 Conference MANHATTAN — Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang has passed up the transfer portal and gone overseas to […]

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MANHATTAN — Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang has passed up the transfer portal and gone overseas to land his latest recruit.

Tang, who had said he intended to go international in recruiting this cycle, delivered by picking up Andrej Kostic, a 6-foot-6 combo guard from Serbia with a reported $1 million NIL deal.

Kostic, 18, currently plays for Dynamic Balkan Bet in the Serbian professional league and leads his team in scoring with 16.4 points per game while shooting 43.2%, including 35.2% from 3-point range while making 75.7% of his free throws. He also averages 3.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists.

Kostic also helped lead the Serbian under-18 team to a silver medal in the 2024 European championship.

Kostic is the fifth player added by the Wildcats during the 2025 recruiting cycle. He joins transfer guards Nate Johnson from Akron, Abdi Bashir from Monmouth, forward Khamari McGriff from North Carolina-Wilmington, and high school recruit Exavier Wilson from Columbia, Missouri.

The Wildcats also added a mid-year transfer forward in Tyreek Smith from Memphis, but he needs a waiver from the NCAA to be eligible next season.

Tang still has work to do to fill his 2025-26 roster after losing starting forwards David N’Guessan and Coleman Hawkins to graduation, along with guards Dug McDaniel, Brendan, and CJ Jones, forwards Macaleab Rich and Baye Falle, and center Ugonna Onyenso to the transfer portal. McDaniel and Hausen both were starters.

Starting guard Max Jones also exhausted his eligibility but is seeking an extra year of eligibility after starting his career at the NCAA Division II level. The Wildcats return only three reserves — forward Taj Manning and guards David Castillo and Mobi Ikegwuruka.

The current roster is very guard-heavy with McGriff, the seldom-used Manning, and possibly Smith as the only frontcourt players. Tang still has at least three spots available, depending on the status of Jones and Smith.

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)
  • CJ Jones, junior guard

Incoming transfers

  • Abdi Bashir, sophomore guard (Monmouth)
  • Khamari McGriff, junior forward (UNC-Wilmington)
  • Nate Johnson, junior guard (Akron)

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.



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