K-State men’s basketball gets another impact transfer in Wake Forest forward

The Kansas State men’s basketball team closed out a busy spring on the recruiting front by landing its third transfer of the offseason on Wednesday.

Ismael Massoud, a 6-foot-8 sophomore power forward who averaged 8.3 points and 3.4 rebounds last year at Wake Forest, has announced plans to continue his college basketball career with the Wildcats.

He will have an opportunity to make an immediate impact next season as a stretch four. After previously landing Missouri guard Mark Smith and Arkansas-Little Rock guard Markquis Nowell out of the NCAA transfer portal, K-State coach Bruce Weber decided to go after a big man with the Wildcats’ final remaining scholarship.

K-State will ask Massoud to help replace the rebounding void left by departing transfer Antonio Gordon. He will be expected to play alongside Montavious Murphy and incoming freshman Logan Landers at power forward in Manhattan.

But Massoud is not a traditional post player. Though he possesses the size and toughness to battle for points and rebounds in the paint, he also has enough shooting touch to step outside and make three-pointers. That is actually one of his specialties.

Massoud made 69 three-pointers during his two seasons at Wake Forest, shooting 36.3% from beyond the arc.

He flashed his potential by scoring 31 points in a game against Pittsburgh in which he made eight of 10 shots from three-point range.

He has good range for a big man and is looking to show off that part of his game more next season.

“This year I had to play a lot of big down low at the five,” Massoud told 247sports last month. “Vut I feel like my natural position where I can be the most effective is more as a wing or a stretch four so I’m looking at that as well.”

Massoud will have three seasons of eligibility remaining with K-State.

He was originally a four-star recruit out of Harlem, New York. He has a good relationship with K-State assistant coach Shane Southwell, who is also from New York.

Southwell’s recruiting connections have paid off for the Wildcats recently. He also played a big role in landing Nowell, who also happens to be from Harlem.

The Wildcats recovered quickly after losing four players to the transfer portal in March. They now have an unprecedented 14 scholarships heading into next season, and Weber can begin focusing on recruiting for future classes.

K-State also officially signed Max Edwards on Wednesday. He is a 6-foot-5 wing from Bronx, New York who committed to the Wildcats last winter.

“We’re excited to sign Max and welcome him and his family to K-State,” K-State coach Bruce Weber said. “The first thing about Max is his desire to just be a part of our program. He’s just excited to be here, wants to be a part of what we are doing at K-State. He was also attracted to the challenge of playing in the Big 12 and where he can compete night-in, night-out against the very best.”

Edwards will be expected to complement Selton Miguel and Missouri transfer Mark Smith on the wing as a freshman next season.

“Max gives us that athletic wing that we have been missing,” Southwell added. “He’s a lot like Xavier (Sneed). (He’s) that 6-foot-5 wing with a strong body, good frame that has great athleticism and can rebound at a high level on both ends of the court.”

“He is good in catch-and-shoot situations, but also can put the ball on the floor and go make a play. He gives us that athleticism from the wing spot that we haven’t had for the past year, which is really important when you think of how teams play in the Big 12. He fills that void, fills that need. He is one of the most explosive recruits in terms of athleticism that we had here under Coach Weber.”