Nearly the entire Kansas State men’s basketball roster entered the transfer portal after a disappointing 2025–26 season, including former Wildcats guard Abdi Bashir Jr. However, his latest transfer choice won’t affect next season’s competition.
Bashir committed to the LSU Tigers over the Kansas Jayhawks and other Big 12 options. His playing time last season was limited, mostly due to a persistent foot injury that required surgery during conference play. He didn’t appear for the Wildcats after a January 17 road game against Oklahoma State.
Injury troubles plagued the team beyond Bashir. Against both Kansas and Utah last season, Kansas State had only seven healthy players available essentially a starting five with just two bench players.
In contrast, incoming head coach Casey Alexander has been active in the transfer portal, building a roster of 13 players. Unfortunately for Kansas State fans, Bashir won’t be part of that group.
According to reports from Joe Tipton and On3 on Friday, Bashir selected LSU over Kansas and NC State. He reportedly met with both schools via Zoom before choosing the Tigers.
Fans likely won’t view him as a traitor, but his meeting with Kansas does add an interesting rivalry wrinkle though for now, it’s just speculation.
Kansas State’s future without Bashir
Bashir was a key part of the Wildcats’ perimeter shooting last season, hitting 39.9% from three-point range and 38% overall from the field one of the best marks among starters. In the games he played, he averaged 13.2 points per game.
Moving forward, his role will likely be filled by Virginia Tech transfer Jayden Schutt, former Bradley guard Montana Wheeler, or Colorado State transfer Brandon Rechsteiner.
As of publication, 247Sports lists Rechsteiner as the only point guard the Wildcats have acquired via the portal. The transfer portal window closed on April 21.
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