WHAT IT MEANS: Ish Massoud enters the transfer portal

Ish Massoud appeared to be a program piece for Jerome Tang but entered the transfer portal after one season under Tang at K-State. Massoud's decision to enter the transfer portal is potentially a surprise, depending on how you view it. Massoud was one of just two players to return to K-State after Bruce Weber stepped away from the program at the end of the 2021-22 season.

But despite being one of just two returners, Massoud's role was diminished at K-State in 2022-23, his second season as a Wildcat. In his first season with K-State, Massoud played over 24 minutes per game. But that was reduced to about 15 minutes this season under Tang.

Massoud shot the best percentage of any player on K-State's roster from 3-point range this season, which included clutch made shots in wins over Baylor and Kansas in the regular season before converting on daggers in the NCAA Tournament vs. Kentucky and Michigan State, helping K-State advance to the Elite Eight.

Despite staying at K-State and committing to Tang, Massoud's decision to enter the transfer portal means that he is the first player Tang has had to enter the transfer portal since he's taken over as K-State's head coach, assuming you don't count players who left the program before he ever coached at a game on the Bramlage Coliseum sidelines.

Tang has spoken about how he hopes to retain a high percentage of players, much like Baylor did when he was an assistant coach on Scott Drew's staff. So losing a veteran player to the portal is a hit to Tang's desire to retain players, but it's unrealistic to expect any program to not have players enter the transfer portal in today's college basketball. In 2022, there were 1,649 players entering the transfer portal, it's not easy for coaches to keep rosters intact. Tang is now finding that out even if on a small scale.

Kansas State needs to add shooting. Massoud wasn't K-State's best shooter, but he was their highest percentage, 3-point shooter. Massoud made almost 42 percent of his 3-point attempts this season, but he took only 91 shots this season from beyond the arc, so the volume wasn't there.

Massoud also wasn't much of a threat off of the bounce. He only scored eight points this season off the bounce and was in just the ninth percentile as an off-the-dribble shooter this season. He was, however, excellent in catch-and-shoot chances, ranking in the 90th percentile nationally.

But with Massoud, Markquis Nowell and the likely departure of Keyontae Johnson departing, K-State now needs to replace its top three shooters. Cam Carter could return for his junior season after making 33 percent of his 3-point attempts this season, but he took less than 3.0 attempts from the perimeter a game this season and only made more than two 3-pointers in a game twice this season. Nae'Qwan Tomlin could also return, but he shot less than 30 percent from deep in his one season playing high-major basketball. But no other returning players are experienced or have noticeable 3-point production at the college level.

Incoming freshmen Dai Dai Ames and RJ Jones are both bucket-getters, but they are both freshmen and it's unlikely that either is impactful enough to be consistent shooters, at least early in the season.

So with so many questions about who is going to make shots for K-State next season, the Wildcats need to hit the transfer portal, and there are already quality targets, to find shooters and floor spacers to help their incoming freshmen guards.

Massoud entering the portal could mean K-State believes in players who redshirted. The Wildcats redshirted three players this season -- junior college wing Anthony Thomas, freshman wing Taj Manning and LSU transfer big Jerrell Colbert. The K-State staff believes in Manning's potential a lot. Manning spent a lot of time practicing against Johnson -- who was an All-American this season -- and the freshman had a lot of success from what players said at times this season.

Manning was a three-star prospect in the 2021 class and committed to K-State over Power 6 offers from Creighton and Wake Forest. His year of development is likely to help him find immediate success when he sees the floor early in the 2023-24 season. Physically, he's mature enough now and he understands K-State's concepts a lot more than he would have as a true freshman.

Thomas is mostly an unknown coming from Tallahassee Community College, but the K-State staff felt that Colbert was underdeveloped at LSU before joining the K-State program this season. He gives K-State a big body to play on the inside that should help the Wildcats on the glass next season, an area that Massoud greatly struggled, but Colbert's not likely to be a shooting threat from the perimeter like Massoud was.

It's not likely that Tang and his staff pushed Massoud out of the door. But it's a possibility that after honest conversations, Massoud didn't see his role increasing before his final season of eligibility and with some increased competition on the wing he might have felt it was best to find a new home.