Jerome Tang shares Kansas State’s recruiting priorities for next basketball season
Jerome Tang is already looking ahead to next season.
A week has passed since his incredible first year with the Kansas State men’s basketball team came to an end in the Elite Eight. He has been named Naismith Coach of the Year and Markquis Nowell has won the Bob Cousy Award. It’s been a thrilling journey and there has been much to celebrate, but the Wildcats also have roster holes to fill if they want to build on all this recent success.
Tang has already made a wish list. He knows what he will be looking for on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal this spring.
“We want to be playing this weekend next year,” Tang said during a Field of 68 podcast in Houston. “That is going to be the approach we take every year. I don’t know that you can do that if you have five freshman out on the floor playing a bunch of minutes. We are going to hit the transfer portal very hard.”
He has three main priorities.
More than anything else, he wants to land a pair of veteran guards to go along with a versatile center.
“I want to find two guards that have played 90 games of college basketball that are passionate about getting better and want to win,” Tang said. “This year we had to sub offense for defense at the five spot and play some guys who could really be a four or a wing at the five spot. I want to change that next year and get somebody who can command the middle but is also versatile enough to grab a rebound and start a break and can stretch the floor and do some dribble hand offs and be a lob threat.”
As of now, K-State coaches have three available scholarships to recruit with.
The Wildcats are saying goodbye to departing seniors Keyontae Johnson, Abayomi Iyiola, Tykei Greene, Desi Sills and Nowell, in addition to outgoing transfer Ismael Massoud. This summer, Tang will welcome three incoming freshmen to campus.
He is high on four-star point guard Dai Dai Ames, four-star shooting guard RJ Jones and three-star wing Macaleab Rich. But surrounding them with experienced talent is a priority.
“We are excited about the future,” Tang said. “We have three great freshmen coming in. I just don’t want to put the weight of the world on their shoulders.”
K-State’s recruiting math could change. Its open scholarship count could grow to four if any of the team’s returning players elect to transfer or junior forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin decides to turn pro.
Tang said he expects Tomlin to test the pro waters this spring by declaring for the NBA Draft as an early entrant while maintaining his college eligibility. That would give him opportunities to work out in front of pro scouts, receive feedback and decide whether to remain in school or jump to the next level.
His return would also count as a recruiting victory for Tang.
“If he comes back,” Tang said of Tomlin, “I think he can have an All-American type of year for us.”
This story was originally published April 3, 2023 at 12:21 PM with the headline "Jerome Tang shares Kansas State’s recruiting priorities for next basketball season."