Jerome Tang has same frustrations as K-State basketball fans amid disappointing start
Kansas State men’s basketball coach Jerome Tang has heard from many disappointed fans this season.
That is not a surprise when you consider that the Wildcats are off to a frustrating 6-3 start that has featured ugly losses to LSU, Liberty and St. John’s. If things don’t improve quickly, K-State may struggle to finish with a winning record, let alone push for an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament.
Tang understands this better than anyone. So he doesn’t take it personally when fans share their feelings with him. In fact, he often agrees with them.
“They are right,” Tang said Wednesday on the Every Pod a Wildcat podcast. “I am disappointed in the games we lost and how we lost them. I want to win those games. ... Nobody’s expectations are higher than ours.”
Those comments were made before news broke that senior forward Achor Achor was no longer part of the K-State basketball roster. Fan criticism has amplified since then. Many are beginning to fear this is already a lost season.
Still, K-State has a unique opportunity to improve over the next few weeks. The Wildcats don’t play their next game until Dec. 17 when they take on Drake at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. With 10 days in between games, Tang and his coaching staff will have ample time to make adjustments and improve as a team.
Tang is optimistic.
“We know we are continuing to improve daily,” Tang said. “I love that we are figuring out some things. It may not be as fast as people on the outside want it to be figured out, but it’s within our timing and what we need. So I am excited about that.”
Why are things taking longer than some expected for K-State to play at a higher level?
Tang and assistant coach Jareem Dowling shed some light on that topic as K-State works to boost its NET ranking of 102, a number that ranks last in the Big 12.
Not surprisingly, NIL money has been an issue for a team that returned only three players from last year’s roster and brought in high-priced replacements like Coleman Hawkins, who is earning $2 million this season.
“It’s a challenge to make them as connected as you want them to be when they have access to so much more, especially when you have money,” Dowling said. “You’re not going to lean on an individual as much if you can go buy a video game if you want to or buy a nice car, if you want to fly your family in to see you. There are just so many things they can kind of get distracted by (in) having access to NIL.”
Tang said he knew K-State players would have to deal with “the perception” of NIL but he has been surprised by how much it has also affected him.
In the last few days, Tang said he has pushed himself to stop focusing on negatives with players and to start building off positive things that have happened this season.
Consistency is one of the main things he will stress moving forward.
In the meantime, he is urging K-State fans to remain patient as he works to help this team improve.
“I love the passion of our fans and I appreciate that,” Tang said. “We are going to have a parade in Manhattan one year. That is the goal and that is what we are going to work for every single day. If we are patient with each other and continue to support each other, it is going to happen.”
This story was originally published December 11, 2024 at 2:38 PM with the headline "Jerome Tang has same frustrations as K-State basketball fans amid disappointing start."