MANHATTAN, Kan. (K-State Athletics) – Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang continued to build his 2023-24 roster with the signing of 2022 BIG EAST All-Freshman and All-Tournament Team member Arthur Kaluma (Glendale, Ariz./Dream City Christian/Creighton) to a Financial Aid Agreement on Wednesday (June 21).
A 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward, Kaluma arrives at K-State after an impressive 2-year stint (2021-23) at Creighton, where he helped the Bluejays to 47 wins, including 26 in BIG EAST play, a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances (2022, 2023) and the school’s first trip to the Elite Eight in 2022-23.
In addition to being selected to the BIG EAST All-Freshman and All-Tournament teams in 2021-22, Kaluma was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team and to the watch list for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award in 2022-23.
As a one-time transfer, Kaluma is immediately eligible and will have two years remaining starting in 2023-24. He had applied for early entry into the NBA Draft before withdrawing in late May.
Kaluma is the second impactful transfer signed by Tang, joining 2023 Conference USA Player of the Year and NIT Most Outstanding Player Tylor Perry (Fort Coffee, Okla./Spiro/Coffeyville CC/North Texas), who inked with the Wildcats on May 5. Both appear in the top-20 in several transfer rankings, including ESPN and CBS Sports.
Kaluma averaged double-figure scoring both seasons at Creighton, totaling 758 points (11.1 ppg.) on 43.3 percent shooting (270-of-624), including 29.1 percent (68-of-234) from 3-point range, and 71.4 percent (150-of-210) from the free throw line in 68 games with 67 starts. He scored in double figures in 40 of his 68 games played, including all 6 NCAA Tournament games highlighted by a 24-point, 12-rebound effort against eventual NCAA champion Kansas in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
In 6 career NCAA Tournament games, Kaluma is averaging 13.2 points on 43.6 percent (24-of-55) shooting to go with 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 35.2 minutes per game.
In addition to his 40 career double-digit scoring games, Kaluma has posted 4 games of 20 or more points, including a career-high 27 points against future Big 12 foe BYU on Dec. 10, 2022. He also totaled 3 double-doubles, including in back-to-back games against Seton Hall and reigning NCAA champion UCONN this past season.
For his Creighton career, Kaluma averaged 11.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.6 blocks in 28.2 minutes per game.
This past season, Kaluma started all 37 games for a Bluejay team that won 24 games and advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history, losing to eventual NCAA runner-up San Diego State, 57-56. He was one of 5 players to average double figures, averaging 11.8 points on 42.3 percent (146-of-345) shooting, including 31.1 percent (41-of-132) from 3-point range, to go with 6.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 29.4 minutes per game. He scored double figures in 26 games, including a pair of 20-point games, to go with 2 double-doubles. In addition to BYU, he collected 20 points to go with 9 rebounds in a home win over No. 13 Xavier on Jan. 28.
Kaluma ended his sophomore season playing his best basketball, averaging 10.8 points on 50 percent (13-of-26) shooting with 6.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in Creighton’s 4 NCAA Tournament games. He had a near double-double in the opening win over N.C. State on March 17 with 10 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists before an 11-point, 7-rebound effort in the win over No. 11 Baylor in round two. He had 10 points and 6 rebounds in the Sweet 16 win over Princeton on March 24 before posting 12 points and 5 rebounds vs. San Diego State on March 26.
As a freshman, Kaluma made an immediate impact for a Bluejay squad that won 23 games, reached the finals of the BIG EAST Tournament and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2021-22. He was one of five players to post double figures, averaging 10.4 points on 44.4 percent (124-of-279), including 26.5 percent (27-of-102) from 3-point range, to go with 5.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 26.8 minutes per game. He had 14 double-digit scoring games, including 2 20-point games, and a double-double. He was twice named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year (Feb. 14 and March 6) as well as to the league’s All-Freshman Team.
Kaluma once again played well at the right time, scoring BIG EAST All-Tournament honors after averaging 13.3 points and 6.3 rebounds in the Bluejays’ 3-game run to the tournament championship game. He had 17 points in the win over No. 11 Providence in the semifinals before a 9-point, 12-rebound effort against No. 8 Villanova in the title game. He averaged 18 points and 9 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament, including the 24-point, 12-rebound performance against Kansas in the second round.
In addition to Creighton, Kaluma has international experience having played for Uganda in the 2021 AfroBasket and 2023 FIBA World Cup African Qualifiers. He averaged 13.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 blocks in helping Uganda to its first quarterfinal appearance at the 2021 AfroBasket, while he averaged 22.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in a pair of first-round games with Cape Verde and Nigeria in July 2022.
Kaluma prepped at Dream City Christian in Glendale, Ariz., where he was a consensus top-50 prospect in 2021. He averaged a near double-double with team-highs in both scoring (24.7 ppg.) and rebounding (9.7 rpg.) in 2020-21, while connecting on 52.5 percent shooting and 72.1 percent from the free throw line. He scored 20 or more points in 13 games, including a season-high 40-point effort against Tennessee Prep. He selected Creighton over offers from Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Syracuse, UNLV and USC among others.
His older brother, Adam Seiko, just finished his career at San Diego State, where he led the Aztecs to a program-record 120 wins during his 6-year stint (2017-23) capped by trip the NCAA Championship game in 2022-23.
Kaluma is the fifth addition to the team for the 2023-24 season, joining Perry and a highly touted 3-man freshman class of Darrin “Dai Dai” Ames (Chicago, Ill.), Robert “R.J.” Jones (Denton, Texas) and Macaleab Rich (East St. Louis, Ill.), who all signed in November 2022.
The newcomers join 6 returners for the Wildcats, which include a pair of 36-game starters in senior Nae’Qwan Tomlin (10.4 ppg., 5.9 rpg.) and junior Cam Carter (6.5 ppg., 3.0 rpg.) as well as senior David N’Guessan (6.4 ppg., 3.5 rpg.), who saw action in 29 games with 18 starts in 2022-23.
K-State posted a 26-10 overall record, including a tie for third place with an 11-7 mark in Big 12 play, and advanced to its 13th Elite Eight in 2022-23 under Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year Jerome Tang.