1. Kansas State added its fifth addition of the Class of 2022 in the form of New York City native and Chipola College (JuCo) transfer, Nae'Qwan Tomlin. He is the first junior college product of the class for new head coach Jerome Tang and his staff. He may not be the last. They've taken a peek at Demetrius Davis and Jaykwon Walton.
2. K-State assistant Jareem Dowling can be credited for landing Tomlin. Dowling's connections to the East Coast and the New York area gave him the ability to relate to the junior college transfer and helped the Wildcats to stand out over other high-major programs pursuing him.
3. Tomlin enters as a junior with three years of eligibility remaining. He's already played two seasons of junior college basketball, but he does have an extra year granted to him because of the pandemic. The frontcourt will be comprised of him, returner Ismael Massoud and fellow newcomers Taj Manning and Jerrell Colbert.
4. The No. 7 junior college player in America and top available junior college player available picked Kansas State over Texas Tech, St. John's, Xavier, Pittsburgh and Mississippi State. The only other program he visited was St. John's. Though he was scheduled to see Lubbock, he didn't leave Manhattan without giving the coaches his verbal pledge.
5. Tremendous length and a solid skill-set for someone his size are the hallmarks of his game. Tomlin is a high flyer near the rim and a capable three-point shooter off the catch, who also loves to free himself up on the pick-and-pop. He was adept at catching and finishing lobs at Chipola, cutting to the rim off the ball for easy dunks and attacking the basket off the bounce and finishing over smaller defenders. Tomlin was a decent offensive rebounder at the junior college level, but his free throw shooting was a liability.
6. His combination of length and athleticism instantly gives him an advantage on the defensive end, especially in the no-middle scheme that Tang will instill in Manhattan. He is 6-foot-8 and 195 pounds according to Chipola's website. His long arms help him in the post, but Tomlin may not be able to man up bigger and stronger opponents right away in the Big 12. He does have the ability to defend big wings and stretch fours. He is stronger than his lean body would suggest, but he still has some work to do in the weight room to improve his defense and rebounding. Chipola head coach Donnie Tyndall has experience coaching at the Division 1 level and has been known to be a strong defensive mind throughout his career. Tomlin's one season under his guidance will help his transition to the Big 12.
7. Six scholarships remain for the Wildcats to fill, as seven are accounted for as of May 3. Without knowing who else will occupy roster spots, I believe Tomlin will be given a decent role at K-State. He has the size and versatility to play on the wing or in the post. He may not have the strength immediately to dominate in the paint, but he should find a home in the rotation as an athletic stretch four.
8. THE RECRUITING CLASS
9/25/21 - Taj Manning - Forward - Roeland Park, KS/La Porte, IN - 3 Stars
4/17/22 - Jerrell Colbert - Center - Houston, TX/Germantown, TN - LSU Transfer
4/19/22 - Cam Carter - Guard - Donaldsonville, LA/Mouth of Wilson, VA - Mississippi State Transfer
4/28/22 - Dorian Finister - Guard - New Orleans, LA - 3 Stars
4/30/22 - Nae'Qwan Tomlin - Forward - New York, NY - Chipola College (JuCo)
9. COMMITS BY POSITION
Point/Combo guards: 2Wings/Forwards: - 2Posts/Centers - 1
10. COMMITS BY LOCATION
Transfer - 3
Kansas - 1
Louisiana - 1
