Wake Forest transfer Ismael Massoud commits to Kansas State men's basketball

Ryan Black, The Manhattan Mercury, Kan.
·2 min read

Apr. 14—Kansas State men's basketball dipped into the transfer portal for the third time this offseason Wednesday, landing a commitment from Ismael Massoud.

A 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward, Massoud spent the past two seasons at Wake Forest.

"All praise to the most high!! Ready to work!," Massoud wrote in a tweet announcing his commitment to the Wildcats.

He joins two other transfers the Wildcats have added to their roster since the 2020-21 campaign ended: Mark Smith (formerly of Missouri and Illinois) and Markquis Nowell (previously of Arkansas-Little Rock).

Massoud averaged 8.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game last season for the Demon Deacons. His best performance came against Pittsburgh, scoring a career-high 31 points on 10-of-14 shooting, including eight 3-pointers.

As a freshman during the 2019-20 season, he appeared in all 31 games off the bench, pitching in 4.8 points and 2 rebounds a contest.

He scored 10-plus points four times that season, while his 33 3-pointers ranked third on the team.

Massoud combined to knock down 69 triples during his two-season stay in Winston-Salem, N.C.

He will have three years of eligibility remaining once he enrolls at K-State.

A native of Harlem, N.Y., Massoud had a standout high school career. During his senior season at MacDuffie School in Granby, Mass., he was a first-team all-state selection by USA Today. He also was the MVP of the 2019 Empire Classic.

Both 247Sports and Rivals ranked Massoud among the country's best in the 2019 cycle. Massoud was a three-star prospect according to the 247Sports Composite, coming in as the No. 148 player nationally — and No. 2 in New York.

Rivals was even higher on Massoud. The site tabbed him the No. 129 overall prospect — and the No. 26 power forward — in his class.

He will be the Wildcats' fifth signee in their 2021 recruiting class, along with the aforementioned Smith and Nowell as well as high school prospects Logan Landers and Maximus Edwards.

Also a New York native, Edwards officially signed with K-State Wednesday afternoon.

A 6-foot-5, 210-pound small forward, Edwards spent the past two seasons at Our Saviour Lutheran School in the Bronx. During his time with the Falcons, the team won 50 games. He averaged a team-best 19.9 points per game last season.

"We're excited to sign Max and welcome him and his family to K-State," head coach Bruce Weber said in a release. "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."