How Abayomi Iyiola affects winning for Kansas State

A player can affect winning in many ways. Some guys are the stars and pour in 20 points every night, some average double-doubles, some shoot high percentages from the field, some close out games from the free throw line or some apply themselves on the defensive end of the floor. Kansas State has plenty of contributors.

One is Abayomi Iyiola. He was added in the offseason when Jerome Tang and K-State were still in search of a big. At the time of his addition, they had already secured Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Jerrell Colbert and David N’Guessan as well and Ish Massoud had chosen to remain at Kansas State.

Returning to a higher level of basketball was important to him. His first stop was at Stetson but he transferred to Arkansas for that chance before injuries sidetracked his trajectory and development in Fayetteville.

He was forced back to the mid-major level to re-start his basketball path. After some time at Hofstra, the new staff in Manhattan afforded him the opportunity to reach his goals of playing and contributing to an NCAA Tournament roster.

“It meant everything to me,” Iyiola said. “I’ve always wanted to play at a high level. To come here was big. The first time I transferred, I was hurt and had to go back. Being here has been a dream come true.”

You heard the man 🍦#KStateMBB x EMAW pic.twitter.com/icekVnXtAF

— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) February 25, 2023

He was actually the 10th scholarship player for the Wildcats. Desi Sills arrived in Manhattan later but had already committed. Those who had yet to pick K-State were Keyontae Johnson, Anthony Thomas and Tykei Greene.

While Iyiola’s role, his minutes and his rotations have not been consistent, his impact and meaningfulness to the Kansas State roster has been for his coaches and teammates.

“On the court or off the court, when you see Baybe, you’re good,” Markquis Nowell noted. “He’s going to have your back through thick and thin.”

That unwavering support doesn’t wither away whether he is playing well and starring for the Wildcats en route to a 14-point, 8-rebound performance in an overtime win at home versus West Virginia or if he’s logging just a few minutes and mostly watching the action.

A powerful observation that KSO has made this year is that the photographer’s shot of the bench often have Iyiola joined by guys like Dorian Finister and Colbert flexing and regularly supporting their teammates. It would have been easy for him to become frustrated with minutes or a constant role.

He began the year as a starter with N’Guessan coming off the bench before the two swapped those titles. An injury to N’Guessan kept him off the floor for a month and thrusted Iyiola into much more action and that was flipped again when the starter returned to the lineup.

Tang touched on that following the victory over the Mountaineers on New Year’s Eve.

“In this league you just can’t play with six or seven and we’re going to get to eight, you know, maybe nine at times when I see the foul trouble.”

Instead, Iyiola has powered his way through and not caused a stir. And he actually set the example for the rest of the K-State locker room not to pout, how to confront adversity, stay tough and find other ways to affect winning.

“I just want to win,” he explained. “My one goal was to come here and win. To win the Big 12, but most importantly, I want to go to the NCAA Tournament and compete.”

It may not be how he absolutely pictured it, and it probably doesn’t always look the way that he envisioned it, but he should know that his teammates and coaches alike know that he has as much to do with the success of Kansas State as anyone.

His presence alone is irreplaceable.

“That’s my brother,” Nowell shared. “He gives love every day. He gives his all on a day-to-day basis, whether he’s feeling it or not. He gives leadership. He gives maturity that a great team has to have. He’s a brother.”

“He’s a big part of us,” Tykei Greene answered. “He provides the toughness for us. He does everything for the team. Even on our bad nights, he’s getting into us and making sure we’re still doing everything we need to do. In practice, he’s the one always talking and providing us energy for our next games.”

March Madness is just weeks away. There isn’t a ton of tournament experience on the roster, but Iyiola is one of the few that does have some. It was his goal to be back on the floor but to be healthy for it. It’s at the tip of his fingers.

“The first time I had a torn ACL,” he revealed. “I got a chance to experience it, but I never got a chance to see the floor. To come here, I wanted the power to see the floor. I just want to do everything in my power to win in the first place.”