Kansas State basketball forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin to return for senior season in 2023-24
Kansas State's Nae'Qwan Tomlin has withdrawn from the 2023 NBA draft and will rejoin the Wildcat basketball team for his senior season in 2023-24.
Tomlin, a 6-foot-8, 195-pound forward from Harlem, New York, decided to test the NBA waters and work out for NBA teams without giving up his college eligibility. He made his decision late Tuesday before the May 31 withdrawal deadline.
Forward senior forward Keyontae Johnson, who also entered his name in the draft, opted to stay in after he was medically cleared recently by the NBA's Fitness to Play Panel.
Tomlin was one of four players to start all 36 games last season for a K-State team that went 26-10 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight. His 10.4 points per game ranked third on the team behind senior All-Americans Markquis Nowell (17.6 ppg) and Johnson (17.4), and he was second to Johnson (6.8) in rebounding with a 5.9 average.
Related: Kansas State basketball's Keyontae Johnson declares for NBA Draft, but leaves door open
Related: Kansas State basketball forward Keyontae Johnson to attend NBA Draft Combine
Tomlin, who also led the Wildcats with 35 blocks and 43 dunks, is one of three Wildcats with starting experience returning next season. The other two are junior guard Cam Carter with 36 starts and 6.5 points per game, and senior forward David N'Guessan, who started 18 games while averaging 6.4 points and 3.5 rebounds.
Sophomore center Jerrell Colbert and freshman forward Taj Manning also are back after redshirting last year, along with sophomore guard Dorian Finister, who appeared in just six games. The Wildcats also welcome graduate transfer guard Tylor Perry from North Texas, along with freshmen recruits Dai Dai Ames, R.J. Jones and Macaleab Rich.
Tomlin's return did not come as a surprise, given that he was not listed on any mock draft boards and was not invited to the NBA Draft Combine. K-State coach Jerome Tang had said he encouraged Tomlin to enter the draft in order to receive valuable feedback from the pros.
Johnson, a Florida transfer and third-team All-American in his only season at K-State. He is projected as a second-round pick in the draft.
Johnson may have left the door open for his return in case he was not medically cleared by the NBA. He only received clearance to join the Wildcats last summer after missing most of the previous two seasons at Florida with a heart condition.
The Wildcats will have 10 players on the roster when they report for summer workouts on Monday, leaving three spots available.
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State men's basketball forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin to return
