How Scott Drew and Jerome Tang are adjusting to life as Big 12 coaching rivals
Now that Jerome Tang and Scott Drew are Big 12 coaching adversaries, it is fair to wonder how much their relationship has changed since they stopped working together last March.
On one hand, Tang owes much of his career success to Drew and Baylor basketball. It was Drew who gave him his big break when he hired Tang as an assistant in 2003 and then promoted him up the ranks to associate head coach while they worked together for 19 years and built the Bears into a national power.
On the other hand, Tang is now the head coach at conference rival Kansas State. Trying his absolute hardest to defeat Baylor is part of his new job description. That means going head to head against Drew on the court at least twice each season and battling him off the court every time they chase the same recruit.
No one would blame them for morphing into “frenemies” and exchanging a few lighthearted jabs at each other, at least for this weekend when Tang returns to Baylor and coaches against the Bears for the first time at 5 p.m. on Saturday inside Ferrell Center.
But it seems like Tang is taking a different approach.
“No, we don’t trash talk,” Tang said. “Not at all. I love that dude and he loves me. Everything we say to each other is about helping each other and building each other up.”
The feeling is mutual in Waco, Texas.
“We’re going to cheer for him at Kansas State except for when he plays us,” Drew said. “Hopefully someday we are both in the national championship game together.”
K-State is surprisingly ready to give Baylor a difficult test in the first edition of Drew vs. Tang. The Wildcats (13-1, 2-0 Big 12) have a better record than the No. 19 Bears (10-4, 0-2) and they are coming off an eye-popping victory over Texas in which they dropped 116 points on the Longhorns ... in Austin.
Tang is the early front-runner for Big 12 Coach of the Year.
That comes as no surprise to Drew. When Tang informed him that he was leaving to become the head coach at K-State they shared hugs, tears and then a bottle of wine that they had been saving for a special occasion.
Drew has endless stories to share about Tang. He credits Tang for convincing recruits to give Baylor a shot when the Bears were first trying to recover from the Dave Bliss scandal. He also says Tang used to energize Baylor players before practice by banging on trash cans as if they were drums. His positive attitude was contagious.
Drew likes to say he has known Tang longer than his children. He compared Tang’s departure to sending a player to the NBA.
“Nineteen years is a long time,” Drew said. “It was a true blessing. It speaks to his character and loyalty. Today’s day and age, you are taught to keep progressing, to make as much as you can, to earn the best coaching title you can. He always told me his goal was to be the best assistant coach I ever had and to be loyal and serve the program. That is why he is so successful and a big reason why our program is so successful.”
Tang has fully embraced his new gig at K-State. He has upgraded talent on the roster and breathed excitement into the fan base by leading the Wildcats to their best start in more than a decade and by schmoozing with seemingly every basketball fan in Manhattan since he moved to town a few months ago.
But he still holds a special place in his heart for Baylor and Drew. He roots for the Bears when they are playing nonconference games. He doesn’t refer to them as “that school down the road” like he does with Kansas.
It will be fascinating to see how Tang handles his first experience on the visiting bench in Waco.
Only one thing seems certain: He will be ready to hug Drew when they meet at midcourt before and after the game.
This story was originally published January 5, 2023 at 2:27 PM with the headline "How Scott Drew and Jerome Tang are adjusting to life as Big 12 coaching rivals."