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Kansas State forward Amaad Wainright will transfer

Loyola v Kansas State

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 24: Amaad Wainright #23 of the Kansas State Wildcats comes off the court in his teams defeat to the Loyola Ramblers in the second half during the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament South Regional at Philips Arena on March 24, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Loyola Ramblers defeated the Kansas State Wildcats 78-62. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

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Kansas State forward Amaad Wainright announced that he’s leaving the Wildcats on Friday.

The junior reserve was a key rotation player for Kansas State’s Elite Eight team this past season as he averaged 13.1 minutes per game in 36 contests. But Wainright was suspended indefinitely from the program last week after being arrested for his involvement in an alleged road rage incident from January.

Wainright was arrested in Johnson County, Kansas on felony charges of fleeing and eluding, and obstruction last week. The alleged incident took place on Jan. 17 in which Wainright was driving while a person on his passenger side allegedly fired one shot at the back of the victim’s car. No one was injured in the alleged incident. Wainright was benched by Kansas State head coach Bruce Weber for one game after the incident, but he later returned to the team.

Wainwright’s status on Kansas State appeared to be in jeopardy after the suspension. That became even clearer when the Wildcats took a commitment from junior college forward Austin Trice this week without a scholarship open for next season. The departure of Wainwright now makes room for Trice on the roster.

“We appreciate Amaad’s contributions to our basketball program and wish him the best of luck as he pursues his playing career elsewhere,” Weber said in a statement on Friday.

Kansas State has a chance to be really good next season as nearly the entire roster returns after that surprising Elite Eight run. While Wainright was a vital part of the team’s bench this season, he wasn’t a main contributor. Wainright’s production should be easily replaceable.

The younger brother of former Baylor forward Ishmail Wainright, Amaad spent one season at Kansas State after transferring in from Trinity Valley Community College. If Wainwright wants to continue at the Division I level, he’ll likely have to sit out a transfer season before completing his career.