Amaad Wainright calls Kansas City, Mo., his home, and to end up in Manhattan at Kansas State is a logical landing point. His journey from Kansas City to Manhattan, however, covered much more territory than the two-hour drive.

Wainright attended high schools in Kansas City and Burbank, Calif., then spent time at junior colleges in Kansas City and Texas before arriving at K-State when he signed a letter of intent to play basketball for the Wildcats.

"The journey has been hard, but as hard as it was I never gave up and I never lost hope," Wainright said while working at a youth basketball camp last week in Topeka. "With me not losing hope, that’s how I’ve been able to get to this point."

Wainright, a 6-foot-4 guard, attended Hogan Prep in Kansas City his sophomore and junior years. His family moved to California where he spent his senior year at John Burroughs High School in Burbank.

He returned to his roots in Kansas City to begin his college career at Penn Valley Community College where he averaged 17.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists as a freshman.

"A lot of my credits didn’t transfer to so that’s why I had to go to junior college," Wainright said of changing high schools his senior year. "I wanted to go back home to Kansas City so that’s why I went to Penn Valley.

"It didn’t turn out like I hoped. My brother told me about Trinity Valley and that turned out to be a better fit for me."

His brother, Ishmail Wainright, was a senior on the Baylor basketball team last season and Amaad found his comfort zone at Trinity Valley. Forced to redshirt the 2015-16 season due to an injury, he returned to action this past season and averaged 14.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals.

"Sitting out that year, it helped me a lot," he said. "I was able to look at the game of basketball a lot different and helped me realize all the things I needed to work on."

His career took another detour when he signed with North Texas in the early recruiting period but was granted a release following a coaching change. K-State then entered the picture and landed the No. 26-rated player by JucoRecruiting.com.

"It’s been good so far," Wainright said of summer workouts with the Wildcats. "There’s a big difference from junior college to Division I basketball, especially in the Big 12, but I think I’ve learned a lot already and I’m looking forward to it.

"I’ve just tried to get a lot of reps and learn the system. The workouts have been hard but it’s all been good. You have to manage your time and stay focused."

Wainright will give K-State a veteran presence in the backcourt with the loss of NBA draft pick Wesley Iwundu.

"He’s a competitor and we need that," said K-State junior forward Dean Wade. "He’s going to compete on every possession. He’s athletic and strong and can guard people so he’s going to help us a lot."

Growing up in Kansas City, Wainright closely followed K-State basketball and upon signing called it his "dream school." After stops at two high schools and two junior colleges, he’s eager to establish a new home.

"I’ve moved around a lot and I’m just ready to settle down and focus on the season," Wainright said. "I think I will fit in well. We need to make each other better and develop a bond. As soon as we get that bond with each other, we’ll have a good team."

MAURICE HEADED TO JUCO — Isaiah Maurice, dismissed from the K-State basketball team by coach Bruce Weber for a violation of team rules, reportedly will transfer to South Plains (Texas) Community College.

The 6-10 Maurice redshirted one year at K-State and played this past season. He will be able to play immediately at South Plains then have two years of eligibility at another four-year school.

Contact Ken Corbitt at (785) 295-1123 or @KenCorbitt on Twitter.