Brandon Rechsteiner didn’t exactly come to Kansas State from an ordinary basketball background. He arrived in Manhattan with wrestling in his blood, a famous father in the sport and a family tree that runs deep into the ring. That history helped shape the first impression he made on K-State coach Casey Alexander years ago, when Alexander was recruiting him out of high school.
Alexander knew winning over the Rechsteiners would take more than the usual recruiting pitch. Rechsteiner’s father is the pro wrestler known as “Big Poppa Pump,” a name that has carried weight with fans of WWF, WCW and WWE for decades. Alexander joked this week about how far he had to go to stand out.
“I came off the top rope,” Alexander joked this week.
The relationship stuck. Rechsteiner chose Virginia Tech in 2023 instead of Belmont, where Alexander was then coaching, but the two reconnected this offseason after Alexander was hired at Kansas State and Rechsteiner entered the transfer portal. That reunion has now brought them together in Manhattan.
And Alexander isn’t shy about what he expects from the 6-foot-1, 190-pound guard. When K-State players suggested there were several guards who could claim the title of best shooter on the roster, Alexander pushed back immediately.
“There is not a consensus?” Alexander said. “Rechsteiner is the best shooter on the team.”
The numbers back up why K-State is counting on him. Rechsteiner spent his first two college seasons at Virginia Tech, where he knocked down 49 shots from 3-point range. He then moved to Colorado State and hit 40% of his 3-pointers while leading the Rams with 12 points per game.
That kind of production gave him reason to believe he could step back into the power-conference level as a senior. He had plenty of choices, but K-State fit best, especially with Alexander’s system. The Wildcats’ run-and-gun style should create the kind of open perimeter looks Rechsteiner can cash in on, and his earlier connection with Alexander made the move easier.
“Just having that prior relationship was nice,” Rechsteiner said. “I visited Belmont and my dad met Casey.
He was somebody who my dad liked. That was big for me.
So it was easy.”
Basketball may be his job for now, but the wrestling influence never left. Rechsteiner said he goes to WrestleMania every year and knows several current wrestlers by name.
He also said John Cena told him he wanted to see him in the ring one day. Rechsteiner has wrestled his father before, his cousin is a pro wrestler, and his brother Brock could eventually follow that path if his NFL shot with the New Orleans Saints doesn’t work out as a rookie wide receiver.
“I’m focused on basketball,” Rechsteiner said. “But it’s wherever life takes me. I will take WWE over a regular job.”
His path to hoops started because wrestling was something he was told to hold off on. Rechsteiner said his father advised him to wait until he was older before taking wrestling seriously, so he needed something else to pour himself into.
“I went to go play basketball with some of my friends,” Rechsteiner said, “and I just started falling in love.”
That love turned him into a solid college guard, but Alexander says the wrestling roots still show up in the way he plays. Toughness.
Competitiveness. A belief that he can handle whatever comes his way.
“What I admire the most in players is just a general level of toughness and competitiveness,” Alexander said. “He excels at that.
It’s definitely his greatest strength. Brandon thinks he can do anything.
That’s why he’s a good player. He’s pretty elite as far as belief in himself.”
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