K-State and Jerome Tang lost their first player to the transfer portal on Wednesday, forward Ish Massoud.
Massoud played the last two seasons at K-State, with his first two coming at Wake Forest before committing to Bruce Weber in the 2021-2022 season. Massoud averaged 6.1 points per game in his two seasons in Manhattan and was a 37.5% three-point shooter. He did see a minutes reduction in the first year under Jerome Tang though, going from 24 minutes per contest to just 15.
Massoud’s volume went down in 2023, but he improved his shooting from three to almsot 40% and played a crucial role in big wins at Baylor, against Kansas and then in the NCAA Tournament.
Massoud’s large role in K-State’s Elite Eight run saw him hit the go-ahead three to beat Kentucky in the second round, and then hit big shots to clinch a victory against Michigan State in the Sweet 16, which in total was a 15 point performance.
Massoud made the announcement on Twitter on Wednesday afternoon and said that he will be graduating in the spring and use his final year of eligibility as a grad transfer elsewhere.
Massoud is the first Wildcat to enter the transfer portal since the season ended, and the Wildcats now have three open scholarships. They are yet to take in a transfer.
