How Kansas State forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin has already improved so much in year one

Landing players from the junior college level and expecting them to have an immediate impact can be difficult. As Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang stated several times, they often don’t begin to emerge until much later in the season and after the semester change.

That was not the case for Nae’Qwan Tomlin. That even caught the K-State head coach by surprise, who felt like that instant success likely allowed him to become a little complacent and he had to learn from that before making more tremendous growth.

But Tomlin credits his fast ascent and growth to the great players he was surrounded with during his first years of organized basketball.

“I didn’t dominate as soon as I got to the junior colleges,” Tomlin said. “It was a grind to it. I was able enough with my abilities and athleticism to where I wasn’t too far behind, though. I just kept getting better and better each game.”

“I played junior college ball in the toughest junior college basketball conference,” he continued. “There were a lot of tough players that went on to play at high-major schools. I played against and with some really good players. Coming to Kansas State, the transition was better because of that.”

Tomlin did play against El Ellis (starting for Louisville, Deshawndre Washington (New Mexico State) and Chase Adams (Jackson State). A few of his teammates also happened to be Jaeden Zackery (starts at Boston College) and Naheem McLeod (Florida State).

When asked about this year, he instantly mentioned his own K-State teammates Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson before identifying standouts Tyrese Hunter and Marcus Carr for Texas.

What may be most impressive about the 6-foot-10 junior is his mental toughness. He may be new to high-major basketball, but he doesn’t play like it. Mistakes don’t faze him. Having that short memory has been a key to his success.

“We’re not letting one mistake lead to two,” Tang noted. “I’m seeing that more and more from him.”

Tomlin has taken cues from his head coach on how to do that.

“You just have to try not to think about it,” Tomlin answered. “I’ve built that confidence. Coach Tang always says good players make the next right thing or make the next right play. I try not to focus on the play before.”

That makes him a good player, because Tomlin is doing just that. Although I feel like that is his most impressive trait, he feels like there is a better contribution that he is making for Kansas State this season.

“My toughness,” he replied. “And my versatility. I consider myself a guard or a forward. I play the ‘5’, but I have an advantage over the other bigs that guard me because of my athleticism.”

It’s a great response, and it shows his maturity, basketball IQ, unselfishness and awareness. Because he’s right. Tomlin has come a long way in that department. At no point did I think he was going to be able to bang around in the paint with some of the bigger bodies in the league.

But he’s doing it. Tomlin has been one of the best players in the Big 12 through four games at finishing through contact. And that’s why we can expect him to shake off what happened versus Oklahoma State, the best interior defense in the league.

However, as another sign of how much he is growing up and improving at a rapid pace, he’s priding himself more and more on the defensive end. Specifically, he enjoys being labeled as a shot-blocker.

“My first year was at Monroe Community College and I was starting at the ‘5’,” Tomlin shared. “I was leading all of junior college in blocks at that point in time. I was averaging like five blocks a game. The last two games, I had been in foul trouble a lot. So, the last game I was just trying not to get too much in foul trouble. But the coaches have told me to keep playing aggressive, just smarter.”

“But I love blocking shots,” he added. “I hate getting my shot blocked, though. It’s happened maybe once this season. I don’t like that at all.”

The fouls are a perfect embodiment of taking to coaching. While he needs to remain aggressive, the unnecessary fouls needed to be addressed after K-State wins over Texas and Baylor. Tang identified it as an area for improvement.

“We have to stop fouling so much,” he pointed out. “We have too many ticky-tack fouls.”  

And then he responded the very next game. Tomlin’s first foul didn’t occur until near the end of the contest versus the Cowboys.

“I’m just trying to play smarter so I can keep myself in the game and help my teammates win.”

Tomlin is no longer just a player on the floor that will slam home a dunk. He’s becoming a complete player under the Kansas State coaching staff. He’s defending the ball, protecting the rim, running the fast break, knocking down shots and finishing through contact.