Former Kansas State forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin is headed to Memphis.
Tomlin, who was dismissed from the Wildcats' program last week after his October arrest, committed to play at Memphis on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Jeff Borzello. Tomlin, who took a visit to Memphis on Monday, is expected to graduate from Kansas State later this week. He then should be eligible to play for Memphis right away after he's admitted to the school.
Tomlin was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, brawling or fighting, after an incident in late October at a Manhattan, Kansas, bar. It's unclear specifically what sparked the incident, and Tomlin later posted bond and was released.
Kansas State coach Jerome Tang announced the next day that he had suspended Tomlin indefinitely. He was then dismissed from the team last week, which is when he officially entered the transfer portal. The decision to release Tomlin, university president Richard Linton, was not “made solely due to an incident” at the bar.
Tomlin averaged 10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds with the Wildcats last season, his first with the program after he spent three seasons at the junior college level. He did not play basketball in high school, but helped lead Chipola College in Florida to two NJCAA National Tournament semifinals appearances and helped the Wildcats reach the Elite Eight last season. Tomlin did not play at all this season for Kansas State.
It’s unclear when Tomlin will make his debut with the team, though he’s likely to make a big impact right away. Memphis is off to a 7-2 start this season, and is fresh off a win over No. 21 Texas A&M on Sunday. The Tigers will host No. 13 Clemson next on Saturday before hosting No. 22 Virginia next week. Memphis went 26-9 last season, the fifth under head coach Penny Hardaway, and made the NCAA tournament for a second straight year, but was knocked out in the first round.