Jerome Tang and the new era of Kansas State Basketball

In just one season, Jerome Tang has proven to the Wildcats and the Kansas State community just how much of an asset he is. Tang joined the Wildcats in March of 2022 and started his first season that fall. Now, Tang is coaching the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 and had a recent win over No. 6 seed the University of Kentucky.

So who is Jerome Tang and what is he going to do for the Kansas State Wildcats? Tang has been coaching collegiate basketball for over 30 years now. He began his career as the head coach at Heritage Christian Academy in 1993 before moving to the assistant coach at Baylor then later becoming the assistant head coach in 2017. After 19 years, Tang had the opportunity of a lifetime given to him - head coach at a Big 12 university. Gene Taylor, athletic director at KSU, took a chance when hiring Tang as most assistant coaches move up within their program or return to their alma mater. Taylor was sure there was no better match to take over for Bruce Weber who was leaving the Wildcats after 10 seasons.

The start of the 2022-2023 season was not an easy one for Tang. In July of 2022, KSU had only five players on the roster. Tang told Taylor that players were coming and they were going to be the right ones. Soon after KSU gained the players, mostly transfers, that have made the team almost unstoppable this year. The Wildcats ended their regular season 25-9 compared to their previous season of 14-17 under Bruce Weber.

At the beginning of the season, Kansas State hadn’t been to the postseason since their first round bounce-out in 2019 and picked last to finish in the league. By the end, K-State was seeded third in the Big 12 tournament and featured two first-team-all-conference players, Keyontate Johnson and Markquis Nowell. After the 2022-2023 season, Taylor wants to consider a contract extension for Tang, although they have to wait till after the season ends to address any change to the original six year deal that pays $2.1 annually with bonuses and annual increases.

As the Cats continue their journey into March Madness, fans can only hope that Tang can continue to prove his coaching abilities and take the Cats all the way. He may have to take more tactics from Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, but Tang is determined to help win the championship. Here’s to seeing the new era of Kansas State Basketball take place, EMAW!