Why Jerome Tang danced at midcourt following Kansas State’s victory over Nebraska
Jerome Tang wanted to savor Kansas State’s 71-56 victory against Nebraska before he walked off the court at T-Mobile Center on Saturday night and began preparing for the next game on the schedule.
So he skipped his way to midcourt and started dancing on top of the giant purple Wildcats logo that was located at the center of the arena.
He swayed back and forth as the K-State pep band played celebratory tunes. He boogied from side to side as cameras documented his every move and telecast them on the video board. He clapped along with the student section and yelled at the top of his lungs.
You don’t see many head coaches react that way after a regular-season victory. Then again, you also don’t see many head coaches guide their team to a 10-1 start the way Tang has during his first year with the Wildcats.
This was a special moment for him, and he wanted to bask in it.
“Just look at the students,” Tang said. “They’re on Christmas break and that student section was incredible. I mean, how do you not dance for that and our fans? The energy in that building, man, this is so much fun. I know at some point in time this thing is going to level off. That’s what they say. But right now it’s pretty darn good.”
So far, Tang has exceeded every expectation that even the most optimistic K-State fan could have had for him since he was hired to replace Bruce Weber.
The Wildcats are off to their best start since 2011 and are suddenly dreaming of the NCAA Tournament after piling up nonconference victories over Nevada, LSU, Wichita State and Nebraska.
With Big 12 play waiting around the corner, it’s too early to say for sure if K-State will make keep its winning ways going and return to the Big Dance for the first time since 2019. But there are no complaints, for now.
Tang has enjoyed every second of his time in Manhattan. He wasn’t sure how quickly he would be able to make the adjustment from Baylor’s top assistant to K-State’s head coach.
Turns out, he was ready to hit the ground running. Games like Saturday’s win over Nebraska, in which Keyontae Johnson led the Wildcats with 23 points and 11 rebounds, have kept him energized.
“I was blown away by our fan support,” Tang said. “The guys, the staff, came back in after the first warmup period and (assistant coach) Jareem (Dowling) said, ‘Coach, the energy out there is different. It’s like a NCAA Tournament game. It’s buzzing.’”
Tang had a similar reaction when he walked onto the court for the first time.
He spun 360 degrees to look at all the fans before tip off and had to stop himself from staring at the upper deck for too long. He was amazed that 13,184 fans came out to support K-State on Saturday.
Baylor rarely draws that kind of crowd.
“It was really cool,” Tang said. “I have played in T-Mobile Center before, but we’ve never had a home-court advantage. So it’s pretty awesome to play in there and have a home-court advantage.”
K-State took advantage of the crowd and convincingly beat the Huskers. Then Tang celebrated by putting on a dance show.
His players weren’t surprised. They’ve seen that kind of energy from their coach all season.
It’s one of the reasons why K-State is off to such a hot start.
“Almost every coach on the coaching staff has dance moves,” K-State forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin said. “It’s funny. He is always dancing, always keeping it fun.”
This story was originally published December 17, 2022 at 9:59 PM with the headline "Why Jerome Tang danced at midcourt following Kansas State’s victory over Nebraska."