Kansas State basketball roster reaches double digits with Hofstra center Abayomi Iyiola

Jerome Tang said he wanted to have at least 10 players in place by summer, and he finally got his wish.

Kansas State's basketball roster reached double digits Friday with the signing of former Hofstra big man Abayomi "Baybe" Iyiola, a sixth-year graduate transfer with one year of eligibility remaining.

K-State will be the fourth collegiate stop for Iyiola, a 6-foot-10, 215-pound native of Ibadan, Nigeria, who spent his first two years at Stetson, two more at Arkansas, and was a starter last season for Hofstra.

"Baybe is another great addition to our team and exactly the type of playing we are looking to attract to K-State," Tang said. "We needed experience and more depth in the low post, and he gives us both.

"He has seen significant action in college, including playing major minutes in his first two seasons at Stetson. He really rebounded from injury (at Arkansas) to have a solid year at Hofstra. He is a talented player with 16 double-doubles to his credit."

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The addition of Iyiola means Tang will have enough players available during summer conditioning to not only build a foundation for his head coaching debut in November but also to hold a full five-on-five scrimmage.

Guard Markquis Nowell and forward Ismael Massoud are the only players back from last year's 14-17 Wildcat team. But Tang has added five players — Iyiola, Arkansas State guard Desi Sills, LSU center Jerrell Colbert, Mississippi State guard Cam Carter and Virginia Tech forward David N'Guessan — via the transfer portal, along with junior college forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin, plus guard Dorian Finister and forward Taj Manning from the high school ranks.

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Iyiola had a solid senior season at Hofstra in 2021-22, averaging 7.1 points and 7.1 rebounds in 28 games while shooting 63.2% from the field. That included an 18-point, 14-rebound performance last December in an 89-81 victory at Arkansas.

Hofstra got more production from Iyiola in that one game against Arkansas than the Razorbacks did the two previous years. After sitting out in 2019-20 under NCAA transfer rules, he tore his ACL during the summer and played in just one game, logging two minutes and grabbing two rebounds in a March 2 game at South Carolina.

Iyiola started his career at Stetson, where he averaged 10.1 points and 6.2 rebounds as a freshman in 2017-18, then led the team with 10.8 points and 7.6 rebounds his sophomore year. He left after two years and was reunited with Hatters head coach Corey Williams, who was hired as an assistant at Arkansas in 2019.

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"Baybe continues our emphasis on guys who are winners," Tang said. "He won two state championships in high school, was part of a special team at Arkansas along with Desi (Sills) and won 21 games a year ago at Hofstra.

"He knows what it takes to be successful."

Iyiola played high school basketball at Greenforest-McCalep Christian Academy in Georgia. He is a May graduate of Hofstra and was granted a sixth year of eligibility as a result of the 2020-21 COVID-19 pandemic.