Report: Kansas State forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin arrested for fight in Manhattan bar district

Sunday morning brought some troubling news for the Kansas State basketball program as we’re just weeks away from opening tip-off.

According to Kellis Robinett of the Kansas City Star, senior Wildcat big man Nae’Qwan Tomlin was arrested in Manhattan, KS early Sunday morning on charges of “disorderly conduct” and “brawling or fighting.”

Here was that report:

“Nae’Qwan Tomlin, a senior who averaged 10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds for the Wildcats last season, was arrested at 1:52 a.m. on Sunday at the 1100 block of Moro Street on charges of “disorderly conduct” and ‘brawling or fighting’ at Tubby’s Sports Bar by Riley County police. Tubby’s Sports Bar is located in the heart of Manhattan’s entertainment district known as Aggieville.”

Robinett added that Tomlin paid his bond and was not further held by police.

“Tomlin was not confined after paying a bond of $750, according to a copy of the Riley County Police Department daily arrest report.”

He also says that Kansas State did not provide a statement of any kind on the matter yet: “A spokesperson for the K-State basketball team did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.”

Tomlin in line to star on 2023-24 team

With the current knowledge of the incident, it’d be pretty surprising if Tomlin misses a significant amount of time on the court. Surely, a suspension of some kind will be in order, but given that he met his bond and was released without further issue, it likely won’t be more than a few games, if even more than one.

As a player, Tomlin is a a unique journeyman at the college level who has found his perfect fit at Kansas State under new coach Jerome Tang. He initially started out playing college ball at the junior college level, spending a year at Monroe College in New York before transferring to play at Chipola College in Florida the next two seasons. After that, Tang was hired at K-State and he plucked Tomlin out of the JuCo waters to be the starting center for his first team.

In Tang’s first and extremely successful season, Tomlin was a full-time starter and the glue guy of the team. His length and defensive instincts made him a real weapon on that end of the floor, while he excelled as a multi-skilled forward on the other end. He was a perfect pick-and-roll partner for the ultimate pick-and-roll point guard in Markquis Nowell and was a nice passer himself for a big man.

Heading into this season, Tomlin is in line to take on more of a starring role. After averaging double figures last year, with two All-Americans leaving the program, he is a likely candidate to be one of the team’s leading scorers alongside North Texas transfer Tylor Perry, who should be a perfect pick-and-roll partner after Nowell.

If there’s more to this story or Tomlin is forced to miss an extended period of time, there is no overstating what a massive loss that would be to the Wildcats.