Kansas State basketball surprises walk-on guard Taymont Lindsey with a scholarship

MANHATTAN — Taymont Lindsey had no reason to suspect anything was up earlier this week when Kansas State's basketball players were summoned to the team theater and meeting room.

Even when assistant coach Marco Borne announced a team best-dressed contest with Lindsey, a 5-foot-8 walk-on guard, as one of the five finalists, he wasn't suspicious.

It was not until teammates voted him the "winner" and Borne handed him an envelope that it finally dawned on him. No longer was the fifth-year senior from Kerens, Texas, by way of Manhattan Christian College a walk-on.

"We always do table wars and stuff like that, so I thought it was like another funny kind of table war that I was happy to receive if I won it," Lindsey said of opening the envelope to read a note from coach Jerome Tang that he had been placed on scholarship for the 2024 spring semester. "But I didn't think it was going to be a scholarship or anything.

"I just thought I was going to get a certificate or something like that, honestly."

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The scholarship opened up when Nae'Qwan Tomlin was dismissed from the team and Tang and his staff came up empty in their search for a suitable replacement.

"I told you I was going to flip over every rock to see if we could find someone that could come in and add value to the program, either immediately or in the future, and nobody popped up," Tang said. "Actually, some of the players said something to somebody, one of the assistants, about hey, Qwan's scholarship, would we consider doing that?

"And that's something I would normally do anyhow, it was just really cool that some of the guys brought it up."

The original plan was for Lindsey, a member of the scout team who has appeared in just one game, to receive the scholarship during the Wildcats' road trip to Houston two weeks ago, so his parents could take part. But Lindsey was sick and didn't make the trip, so it was up to Borne and others to concoct a suitable reveal, which was posted on the team's social media account.

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"I see videos on Instagram all the time about walk-ons receiving scholarship and everything, and I thought it would be crazy if it was me, but I really didn't think too much about it if I'm being honest," said Lindsey, who was mobbed by cheering teammates when he got the news. "A couple of teammates brought it up to me, actually, a couple of weeks ago and I kind of put it off to the side. I made a couple of jokes and kind of put it off to the side because I didn't want them to think it was all about me or anything like that."

Lindsey, who followed his brother to Manhattan Christian College, spent four seasons there and helped the Thunder to back-to-back National Christian College Athletic Association Final Fours his last two years, including the championship game in 2023. But he was back home in Texas when he heard from former teammate Nate Awbrey, a 2022-23 K-State walk-on and now a graduate assistant.

"He was like, 'Man, we've got this opportunity for you to come to K-State and be a part of the family here," Lindsey recalled. "Again, I couldn't believe it. I was shocked. I took some time, I prayed on it, and talked to family and friends, and here I am."

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While Lindsey had only seen the court for 38 seconds of game action heading into K-State's game Saturday night at Brigham Young, he has been a valuable member of the scout team and more.

“He’s a very mature person, and he sees the big picture," Tang said. "He really embraces his role as a walk-on, understands that he’s here to bring it every day in practice but really be another voice, another coach's voice in the locker room, very much like Nate (Awbrey) was last year.

"And he can hoop, so the guys respect him, like they did Nate last year. So, it's just a blessing to have somebody that mature who understand their role and can speak very positive things to the team when we’re not around.”

Lindsey is still pinching himself.

"I honestly couldn't believe it," he said. "Once I read those words that I was on scholarship, my first reaction was how blessed I am to be here and be a part of this program.

"Even before, when I wasn't on scholarship, I was just fine."

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 basketball guard Taymont Lindsey is no longer a walk-on