Three takeaways from Kansas State’s summer basketball game against Israel Select

The Kansas State men’s basketball team took the court for its first game of its foreign trip to the Middle East on Tuesday.

The Wildcats defeated Israel Select 94-87 in a back-and-forth game at Hadar Yosef Arena in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Here are three takeaways from the game before Jerome Tang and his players return to action for their second game of their summer trip later this week:

Arthur Kaluma is going to be an impact transfer

It’s foolish to jump to any grand conclusions about K-State basketball based on the results of a single exhibition game played against foreign competition halfway across the world.

That being said, it was hard not to be impressed by Arthur Kaluma.

The Creighton transfer wasted no time making an impact for the Wildcats on the wing, as he scored the first eight points of the day for his team. He opened up the scoring by draining a 3 from the top of the key. Then he knocked down another 3 and converted a layup to give K-State an 8-7 lead.

He was far from done. Kaluma went on make plays on the perimeter and in the paint on his way to a team-high 23 points.

One of his best moments came on a fadeaway jumper in the lane that gave the Wildcats a 66-59 lead late in the third quarter. He didn’t settle for anything.

There were some questions about how long it would take him to fit into Tang’s offense as a newcomer, but it seems like he is making an easy transition to his surroundings. Kaluma should provide a scoring spark on the wing and help K-State replace Keyonte Johnson this season.

It’s also worth mentioning that Tylor Perry hit some important shots in his first game action with the Wildcats. He scored 17 points. The North Texas transfer wasn’t quite as impressive as Kaluma, but his ability to make shots on the perimeter helped K-State in this one.

Cam Carter appears ready for a bigger role

K-State relied so heavily on its top three scorers last season that Cam Carter occasionally got lost in the shadows of Markquis Nowell, Nae’Qwan Tomlin and Johnson. But there will be nowhere for him to hide next season. It seems like he is good with that.

Carter looked like a more aggressive player in this game on his way to 17 points.

He fired away when he was open from 3-point range, broke free for a transition dunk and was involved on defense. He also had a nifty full-court assist in the fourth quarter.

Was it a perfect game for the junior? No, far from it. But it’s clear he is ready, and capable, of being more than just a solid role player for the Wildcats from now on.

R.J. Jones was also a key contributor in the backcourt, as he finished with 13 points.

Wildcats show resilience in exhibition game

For a while, it looked like K-State might cruise to an easy victory over Israel Select.

It didn’t work out that way.

Israel Select fought back from an early deficit and took a 44-43 lead early into the third quarter. It was a back-and-forth game from there, with Israel Select tying things up at 78-78 with 5:03 to play. It was anybody’s game.

Victory was far from a given on the road against a team of professional basketball players. But the Wildcats dug deep and found a way to pull away for the win.

K-State toughened up on defense and started to get a lot of stops. Kaluma and Perry both hit some big shots to give the Wildcats a lead. Carter got to the free-throw line. Tang was able to celebrate a win on foreign soil.

Winning isn’t always the most important thing on a trip like this. Sometimes it’s more important to spread minutes around and let everyone on the team gain valuable on-court experiences before the season arrives. Tang even said beforehand that he wasn’t concerned about wins or losses in this summer. But K-State found a way to win all the same.