Ismael Massoud left Kansas State in search of a new home and an expanded role.
He decided that Georgetown was his best bet.
Massoud, a sharpshooting 6-foot-9 senior from East Harlem, New York, announced his commitment to the Hoyas and new coach Ed Cooley on Friday. It will be his third and final college stop after two years at Wake Forest and the past two seasons at K-State, where last year he helped the Wildcats to a 26-10 record and the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight.
“GTown I’m on my way,” he wrote on social media.
Massoud was recruited to K-State by former Wildcats coach Bruce Weber and was one of just two players to stay behind when Jerome Tang took over as head coach in March 2022. Although he was a key role player for the Wildcat, primarily as a perimeter shooter, he averaged just 15.3 minutes per game off the bench.
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Kansas State forward Ismael Massoud (25) drives to the basket against Florida Atlantic in the NCAA Tournament East Regional championship game at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Massoud announced Friday that he will play next season at Georgetown.
Massoud shot a team-best 41.8% from 3-point range.
While he averaged just 5.4 points and 1.7 rebounds per game — the lowest numbers since his freshman year at Wake Forest — Massoud did develop a flair for the dramatic. That was especially true in the NCAA Tournament, where he hit big baskets down the stretch to help knock off Kentucky in the second round and Michigan State in overtime in the Elite Eight.
Massoud, who had trouble early on adjusting to Tang’s system, also hit a game winner in overtime at Baylor in early January and was subsequently dubbed “Big 12 Ish” by his teammates.
But Massoud was not content filling a backup role, especially heading into his final season. Tang in turn could not promise him 30 minutes a game and reluctantly gave Massoud his blessing to look elsewhere with the understanding that the door was open should he want to return.
Massoud had a number of suitors after entering the transfer portal, eventually picking Georgetown after also visiting Fordham, George Washington and New Mexico. He will again play for a new head coach in Cooley, who was hired by the Hoyas in March after Patrick Ewing was fired.
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State men’s basketball transfer Ismael Massoud picks Georgetown
