Kansas State Adds Xavier Transfer Pape N’Diaye as Wildcats Continue Roster Rebuild Under Casey Alexander
Kansas State has added another piece to its rapidly reshaped men’s basketball roster, securing a commitment from transfer forward Pape N’Diaye as head coach Casey Alexander continues rebuilding the Wildcats ahead of his first season in Manhattan.
N’Diaye, a 7-foot sophomore transfer from Xavier University, officially signed his scholarship agreement with Kansas State on Saturday, becoming the 10th transfer addition for the Wildcats this offseason. His commitment moves the program closer to completing its roster for the 2026-27 campaign as Alexander prepares for his debut year leading the team.
With N’Diaye’s addition, Kansas State now has 13 players lined up for next season, leaving the coaching staff with two available scholarship spots if it chooses to use them before the roster is finalized.
The towering big man arrives after spending last season at Xavier, where he provided interior depth for the Musketeers. In limited action, N’Diaye averaged 2.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.0 block per game, showing flashes of his defensive potential and rebounding ability in the paint.
Before transferring to Xavier, N’Diaye played his freshman season at UNLV, where he posted averages of 2.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest. Though his offensive production has been modest to this point in his college career, Kansas State views him as a valuable developmental piece who can strengthen the frontcourt rotation with his size, length, and rim-protection skills.
Originally from Abidjan, Ivory Coast, N’Diaye brings international experience and physical presence to a Kansas State team that has undergone one of the most dramatic offseason overhauls in the country.
Alexander is expected to use N’Diaye primarily as a depth option in the frontcourt, where his size could help bolster rebounding and interior defense against bigger opponents in the Big 12. While he may not immediately step into a starring role, his addition provides valuable insurance and versatility to the Wildcats’ post rotation.
Kansas State’s offseason transformation has been extensive following widespread roster turnover. The Wildcats have seen nine players depart via the transfer portal, including several notable contributors from last season. Among those leaving the program were David Castillo, who transferred to Santa Clara, PJ Haggerty, who joined Texas A&M, Taj Manning, who moved to Iowa State, Elias Rapieque, who transferred to Loyola-Chicago, and Exavier Wilson, who landed at Akron.
The program also lost four seniors to graduation: Marcus Johnson, Nate Johnson, CJ Jones, and Khamari McGriff.
As a result, Alexander has had to aggressively reconstruct the roster in his first offseason on the job. N’Diaye joins a transfer class that already includes Isaiah Abraham (Georgetown), Matt Gilhool (LSU), Dezdrick Lindsay (Oregon), Timotej Malovec (Miami), Brandon Rechsteiner (Colorado State), JT Rock (New Mexico), Jaden Schutt (Virginia Tech), Brock Vice (Murray State), and Montana Wheeler (Bradley).
In addition to the transfer haul, Kansas State will also welcome high school signees Jaylen Alexander and Devin Hutcherson, while Andrej Kostic stands as the lone returning scholarship player from last season’s roster.
The dramatic reconstruction reflects Alexander’s urgency to put his own stamp on the program immediately. By blending veteran transfers with young talent, Kansas State hopes to quickly return to contention in the highly competitive Big 12.
With N’Diaye now in the fold and two roster spots still available, the Wildcats may not be finished adding talent just yet. But as things stand, Kansas State’s roster makeover is nearly complete—and Alexander’s first team is rapidly taking shape.
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