Kansas State Forward Would Be Great Addition for Iowa State Basketball

Which player from Kansas State would be a good addition for the Iowa State Cyclones?

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger calls a play during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

As the Iowa State Cyclones start to navigate the transfer portal and recruiting for next season, the team has to be pleased with the direction that they are heading in. 

This year, the Cyclones were able to start off the campaign by winning their first 16 games, and they got all the way up to number two in the AP Poll. While they did have some troubles on the road, they were still able to be one of the best teams not only in the Big 12, but the entire nation. 

In the NCAA tournament, Iowa State came in riding some momentum following a strong showing in the Big 12 conference. Unfortunately, an injury to star forward Joshua Jefferson ended up becoming too much for them, and they ultimately lost to the Tennessee Volunteers in the Sweet 16. This team certainly had the talent and the ability to go further if their best player was healthy, but the campaign will sadly end as a “what-if”. 

Even though the Michigan Wolverines were just recently crowned national champions, the transfer portal is open, and players will be on the move. For the Cyclones, they have key players like Tamin Lipsey and Joshua Jefferson graduating, and replacing that level of production is going to be hard. Furthermore, Milan Momcilovic’s future with the program is uncertain, as he will be testing the NBA waters with the right to come back to school. 

One player who has been linked to the program already in the portal is forward Taj Manning from the Kansas State Wildcats. 

Manning Would Be an Excellent Addition

Feb 28, 2026; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Kansas State Wildcats forward Taj Manning | Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

When looking at some of the players who are expected to return, the backcourt with Killyan Toure and Jamarion Batemon appears to be a very strong duo. As both players head into their second year, there is reason to believe that they will be even better after logging some significant minutes as freshmen. 

Furthermore, the front court will have Blake Buchanan and Dominykas Pleta returning to lead the way down low. While the status of Momcilovic is still unknown, help at the forward spot is needed regardless of whether or not he will be back. 

Manning might not have lit up the stats sheet, but he was a solid rotation player for the Wildcats last year. In the 2025-26 campaign, he averaged 4.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in 20.7 minutes per game. While he might not be a star addition, he will help provide some quality depth and is familiar with Big 12 basketball.