Baylor coach Scott Drew was an ‘emotional wreck’ after K-State fired Jerome Tang
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Scott Drew described emotional turmoil after K‑State fired longtime friend Jerome Tang.
- Tang’s firing came after decline, viral remarks and three 24+ point home losses.
- Interim Matthew Driscoll led K‑State to its best result in two months.
Scott Drew felt like he was in an episode of “The Twilight Zone.”
That’s how the Baylor basketball coach described his emotions after Kansas State thumped the Bears 90-74 in a strange game Tuesday at Bramlage Coliseum.
The matchup felt surreal for Drew because his old friend Jerome Tang wasn’t on the opposing sideline. He had recently been fired midway through a disastrous season for the Wildcats, which meant another old pal, Matthew Driscoll, was thrust into the interim head coach job.
As if losing wasn’t bad enough, he had to deal with the extra emotions that came from coaching against “family.”
“This whole year has been really strange,” Drew said. “And I think this ‘Twilight Zone’ capped it off for me. I’m glad we get a day off tomorrow. I need it, because I’ve been an emotional wreck.”
Drew has been down in the dumps ever since K-State dismissed Tang “for cause” on Sunday.
K-State athletic director Gene Taylor made a coaching change after the Wildcats continued to decline this season, and Tang made viral comments at a press conference that were deemed to have brought embarrassment to the university.
Before he arrived in Manhattan, Tang spent nearly two decades working alongside Drew as an assistant coach at Baylor. He helped the Bears become a national power. Interestingly, both Baylor and K-State have steadily regressed over the past three years.
Drew was not happy when he heard about Tang’s dismissal.
“We spent 19 years together,” Drew said. “In the world, you have 50% of people who get divorced, and I bet their average time together isn’t 19 years. He’s family. We won championships together. It’s been emotional for me and our staff, program, because I think everyone can relate.
“If you have a brother, a friend, and they go through any hardship, you feel it. I know how much he cares about his coaches, and they have got some great guys on that staff. I know they love Kansas State. Today showed just what they’re capable of.”
Drew said one positive to playing K-State at this moment in time was the opportunity to meet with Tang in Manhattan and show him support.
He said he wanted to be there for him as a friend and give him a hug.
“Coach Tang never stays down long,” Drew said, “because he’s such a positive and optimistic person. I think he had opportunities to leave (K-State) and he stayed because he really loves the people here. He loves the school. I know when I lose, the worst thing I do is let people down. That’s hard on me, and it’s hard on him.
“He wanted to win for the people, and he wanted to win for the students and everybody.”
It didn’t happen. Not consistently, anyway.
Tang guided K-State to a fabulous Year 1 in Manhattan, as the Wildcats won 26 games and reached the Elite Eight. But the team hasn’t experienced another 20-win season or returned to the NCAA Tournament since. He lost the fan base over the past month by losing three straight home games by at least 24 points and making several bizarre comments after those losses.
Driscoll, who also once worked alongside Drew at Baylor, said he was reluctant to lead the team even on an interim basis because of his loyalty to Tang. But he reluctantly accepted the role and then guided K-State to its best result in two months.
The Wildcats scored 90 points and won a game by more than three points for the first time since nonconference play came to an end on Dec. 28. K-State (11-15, 2-11 Big 12) was also able to climb out of the conference cellar.
Some may argue that the wrong coach has been in charge most of the season.
“He’s just real positive,” Drew said of Driscoll. “He’s real optimistic. He’s someone that is reliable.”
Drew is having his own problems at Baylor this season. The Bears (13-13, 3-10 Big 12) are most likely going to miss the NCAA Tournament. This is a rare down year for him.
Watching Tang lose his job made things feel even worse, almost like he was living out his own episode of a science-fiction show on TV.
This story was originally published February 18, 2026 at 12:48 AM with the headline "Baylor coach Scott Drew was an ‘emotional wreck’ after K-State fired Jerome Tang."