Johnson Foresees ‘Intense’ Competition at Guard
Jun 03, 2026 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Three months to the day that Kerron Johnson sat on a cushy black couch and marveled at the spacious limestone inside the Shamrock Zone at Bramlage Coliseum, the 35-year-old first-year assistant coach who came to Kansas State with Casey Alexander from Belmont, is eager to get things rolling with a finalized roster that features new guards with much to prove in the 2026-27 season.
That includes senior Jaden Schutt (Virginia Tech), sophomore Montana Wheeler (2026 Missouri Valley's All-Bench Team at Bradley), and true freshmen Jaylen Alexander (2026 Alabama High School Player of the Year) and Devin Hutcherson (2026 Class 3A-1A Private Player of the Year in Atlanta).
"That room is going to be intense," Johnson says. "They're competitors. Those guys are going to push each other in the right direction. The way they're dispersed age wise, we talk about older guys being a great influence on the younger guys. It's what's always made our teams in the past so great — older guys bleeding into the younger guys, younger guys wanting to be competitive and pushing the older guys to compete every single day."
Johnson knows ball. He ranks among the Belmont career leaders with 1,388 points, 515 assists, 206 steals and 511 made free throws. He starred on the 2011 Belmont team that went 30-5, winning conference games by an average of nearly 21 points per game. He led Belmont to four consecutive conference championships. He worked closely with two-time all-conference guard Ben Sheppard, who was selected No. 26 by the Indiana Pacers in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Schutt could be one to watch. The 6-foot-5 sharpshooting guard began his collegiate career at Duke, suffered injuries over his two years, then spent two seasons at Virginia Tech before signing with K-State, where he will finish out his eligibility after earning a medical redshirt in 2023-24. Schutt shot 37.0% (129-of-349) from 3-point range in 78 games.
Most notably, Schutt led Virginia Tech in 3-pointers both seasons, averaging nearly two 3-pointer per game, including career bests in 3-point shooting percentage (38.5%) and made 3-pointers (65) as a redshirt junior in 2025-26. He had a career-high six 3-pointers against George Mason in 2025 and scored in double figures in 25 games, including a career-high 20 points against Syracuse in March.
"We expect a lot from him," Johnson says. "Obviously, our offense is built for guys like him. Casey thinks this will be the best year he's had as far as style, fit and system, so we expect a lot from him. We'll work to get him shots, and he'll have to be in great shape, but he's eager.
"When he came on his visit, one of the things that stood out was his maturity and how much research he'd done on us and how we'd use him. He expects a lot from himself, and he's going to work really hard to be a mature leader on the floor and have a really, really good season."
Wheeler is a 5-foot-10, 170-pound sophomore guard from Bradley was named to the Missouri Valley's All-Bench Team after finishing second on the team with 8.5 points and 96 total assists and third with 35 3-pointers while not starting a game last season.
Wheeler played against Johnson, Alexander and Belmont twice last season, scoring six points in 22 minutes in a 95-84 overtime win over Belmont on February 9, and then scoring a season-high 22 points with 7-of-9 shooting on 3-pointers in an 88-78 loss at Belmont on March 1.
"Just from scouting him, we knew how competitive he was, how tough he is, how great defensively he is, and how fast he is with the ball," Johnson says. "We were definitely worried about those things when we went against him. You play him and see his aggressiveness and how fearless he is. He made countless big shots for Bradley last year and played in all the big moments.
"As a freshman, for him to have that type of confidence in that league and to be in those moments says a lot about that kid and the confidence he has in himself to perform."
K-State signed two high school talents in 6-foot-2, 185-pound point guard Jaylen Alexander, the No. 1 point guard in the state of Alabama, who was named 2026 Alabama High School Player of the Year, and then Devin Hutcherson, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound forward who averaged 19.6 points and 8.2 rebounds his senior season at Episcopal School in Atlanta and was named 2026 Class 3A-1A Private Player of the Year.
Johnson maintains contact with each of his guards as the Wildcats prepare to report to K-State in a few weeks.
"It's continuing to get everybody up to speed," Johnson says. "We're still learning about K-State ourselves and how everything works operational wise, and we formulate relationships with the players, keeping in contact with them, maybe sending them a few things to watch to sharpen that mental curve of what we expect and continuing to build those relationships so when we get there, we can hit the ground running."
Johnson and the K-State coaches are undaunted by the task of blending the skills and personalities of this new team together.
It'll likely begin under the leadership of players who have already been in the fire at the Power 4 level.
That includes sophomore guard Andrej Kostic, the 6-foot-6, 210-pound native of Belgrade, Serbia, who averaged 5.2 points on 37.7% (40-of-106) shooting, including 37.5% (30-of-80) on 3-pointers, in his first season with the Wildcats. Regarded as a standout on the international basketball circuit, Kostic has displayed talent across the globe.
Isaiah Abraham is a 6-foot-7, 205-pound junior forward who averaged 4.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 19.9 minutes per game last season at Georgetown.
Dezdrick Lindsay is a 6-foot-6, 215-pound senior forward who averaged 5.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists last season at Oregon.
Pape N'Diaye is a 7-foot, 230-pound junior forward who averaged 2.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks last season at Xavier.
Matt Gilhool, a 6-foot-11, 213-pound forward, arrives after redshirting his freshman season at LSU.
Timotej Malovec is a 6-foot-8, 214-pound sophomore forward who averaged 4.2 points, 1.3 rebounds in 14.9 minutes per game last season at Miami.
"It's huge," Johnson says. "We have a bunch of guys who've been at this level. They're hoping for bigger roles, and we have high expectations for those guys but none of this will surprise them. You want guys where none of this will be new to them. Those guys have been in big arenas and big situations in big conferences. Having a bunch of those guys on the team is what we wanted. Those guys have been around.
"That part was really important as a coaching staff to have those guys in the locker room and to know what it's all about."
From seasoned seniors to true freshman, from head coach to assistant coach, the Wildcats prepare to enter an important phase of the team's development.
"A lot of those guys either committed because of Kansas State's history, Coach Alexander's history, or because when they came on the visit they were sold," Johnson says. "They got out here and saw everybody wearing K-State stuff, then they saw the facilities, and watched the football team practice, and it was just a family atmosphere. People want to play for Casey. They want to play in his offense and be a part of a winning program and a winning culture.
"It's definitely slowed down since signing the roster. At one point, you felt like you were trying to catch a runaway train with everything moving so fast, and with family, and with trying to put a roster together and trying to get to know the players. It was definitely a fast transition. We've found our footing and we're eager to keep moving forward."
Three months to the day that Kerron Johnson sat on a cushy black couch and marveled at the spacious limestone inside the Shamrock Zone at Bramlage Coliseum, the 35-year-old first-year assistant coach who came to Kansas State with Casey Alexander from Belmont, is eager to get things rolling with a finalized roster that features new guards with much to prove in the 2026-27 season.
That includes senior Jaden Schutt (Virginia Tech), sophomore Montana Wheeler (2026 Missouri Valley's All-Bench Team at Bradley), and true freshmen Jaylen Alexander (2026 Alabama High School Player of the Year) and Devin Hutcherson (2026 Class 3A-1A Private Player of the Year in Atlanta).
"That room is going to be intense," Johnson says. "They're competitors. Those guys are going to push each other in the right direction. The way they're dispersed age wise, we talk about older guys being a great influence on the younger guys. It's what's always made our teams in the past so great — older guys bleeding into the younger guys, younger guys wanting to be competitive and pushing the older guys to compete every single day."
Johnson knows ball. He ranks among the Belmont career leaders with 1,388 points, 515 assists, 206 steals and 511 made free throws. He starred on the 2011 Belmont team that went 30-5, winning conference games by an average of nearly 21 points per game. He led Belmont to four consecutive conference championships. He worked closely with two-time all-conference guard Ben Sheppard, who was selected No. 26 by the Indiana Pacers in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Schutt could be one to watch. The 6-foot-5 sharpshooting guard began his collegiate career at Duke, suffered injuries over his two years, then spent two seasons at Virginia Tech before signing with K-State, where he will finish out his eligibility after earning a medical redshirt in 2023-24. Schutt shot 37.0% (129-of-349) from 3-point range in 78 games.
Most notably, Schutt led Virginia Tech in 3-pointers both seasons, averaging nearly two 3-pointer per game, including career bests in 3-point shooting percentage (38.5%) and made 3-pointers (65) as a redshirt junior in 2025-26. He had a career-high six 3-pointers against George Mason in 2025 and scored in double figures in 25 games, including a career-high 20 points against Syracuse in March.
"We expect a lot from him," Johnson says. "Obviously, our offense is built for guys like him. Casey thinks this will be the best year he's had as far as style, fit and system, so we expect a lot from him. We'll work to get him shots, and he'll have to be in great shape, but he's eager.
"When he came on his visit, one of the things that stood out was his maturity and how much research he'd done on us and how we'd use him. He expects a lot from himself, and he's going to work really hard to be a mature leader on the floor and have a really, really good season."
Wheeler is a 5-foot-10, 170-pound sophomore guard from Bradley was named to the Missouri Valley's All-Bench Team after finishing second on the team with 8.5 points and 96 total assists and third with 35 3-pointers while not starting a game last season.
Wheeler played against Johnson, Alexander and Belmont twice last season, scoring six points in 22 minutes in a 95-84 overtime win over Belmont on February 9, and then scoring a season-high 22 points with 7-of-9 shooting on 3-pointers in an 88-78 loss at Belmont on March 1.
"Just from scouting him, we knew how competitive he was, how tough he is, how great defensively he is, and how fast he is with the ball," Johnson says. "We were definitely worried about those things when we went against him. You play him and see his aggressiveness and how fearless he is. He made countless big shots for Bradley last year and played in all the big moments.
"As a freshman, for him to have that type of confidence in that league and to be in those moments says a lot about that kid and the confidence he has in himself to perform."
K-State signed two high school talents in 6-foot-2, 185-pound point guard Jaylen Alexander, the No. 1 point guard in the state of Alabama, who was named 2026 Alabama High School Player of the Year, and then Devin Hutcherson, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound forward who averaged 19.6 points and 8.2 rebounds his senior season at Episcopal School in Atlanta and was named 2026 Class 3A-1A Private Player of the Year.
Johnson maintains contact with each of his guards as the Wildcats prepare to report to K-State in a few weeks.
"It's continuing to get everybody up to speed," Johnson says. "We're still learning about K-State ourselves and how everything works operational wise, and we formulate relationships with the players, keeping in contact with them, maybe sending them a few things to watch to sharpen that mental curve of what we expect and continuing to build those relationships so when we get there, we can hit the ground running."
Johnson and the K-State coaches are undaunted by the task of blending the skills and personalities of this new team together.
It'll likely begin under the leadership of players who have already been in the fire at the Power 4 level.
That includes sophomore guard Andrej Kostic, the 6-foot-6, 210-pound native of Belgrade, Serbia, who averaged 5.2 points on 37.7% (40-of-106) shooting, including 37.5% (30-of-80) on 3-pointers, in his first season with the Wildcats. Regarded as a standout on the international basketball circuit, Kostic has displayed talent across the globe.
Isaiah Abraham is a 6-foot-7, 205-pound junior forward who averaged 4.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 19.9 minutes per game last season at Georgetown.
Dezdrick Lindsay is a 6-foot-6, 215-pound senior forward who averaged 5.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists last season at Oregon.
Pape N'Diaye is a 7-foot, 230-pound junior forward who averaged 2.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks last season at Xavier.
Matt Gilhool, a 6-foot-11, 213-pound forward, arrives after redshirting his freshman season at LSU.
Timotej Malovec is a 6-foot-8, 214-pound sophomore forward who averaged 4.2 points, 1.3 rebounds in 14.9 minutes per game last season at Miami.
"It's huge," Johnson says. "We have a bunch of guys who've been at this level. They're hoping for bigger roles, and we have high expectations for those guys but none of this will surprise them. You want guys where none of this will be new to them. Those guys have been in big arenas and big situations in big conferences. Having a bunch of those guys on the team is what we wanted. Those guys have been around.
"That part was really important as a coaching staff to have those guys in the locker room and to know what it's all about."
From seasoned seniors to true freshman, from head coach to assistant coach, the Wildcats prepare to enter an important phase of the team's development.
"A lot of those guys either committed because of Kansas State's history, Coach Alexander's history, or because when they came on the visit they were sold," Johnson says. "They got out here and saw everybody wearing K-State stuff, then they saw the facilities, and watched the football team practice, and it was just a family atmosphere. People want to play for Casey. They want to play in his offense and be a part of a winning program and a winning culture.
"It's definitely slowed down since signing the roster. At one point, you felt like you were trying to catch a runaway train with everything moving so fast, and with family, and with trying to put a roster together and trying to get to know the players. It was definitely a fast transition. We've found our footing and we're eager to keep moving forward."
Players Mentioned
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