Jerome Tang is thinking about the future of Kansas State basketball with young lineup
There hasn’t been much rhyme or reason behind Kansas State’s basketball lineups in recent games, but coach Jerome Tang may have finally settled on a consistent rotation.
K-State relied heavily on freshman point guard David Castillo and junior-college transfer Mobi Ikegwuruka during a narrow loss against Texas Tech earlier this week. Tang sent a message in the process: He is ready to build for the future with young players who display maximum effort when they are on the court.
Tang played Castillo for 21 minutes even though he only scored two points on seven shots. Tang played Ikegwuruka for 15 minutes even though he only scored two points and grabbed one rebound.
One could argue that he put too much faith in his young players, as the Wildcats failed to score over the final 5 minutes, 50 seconds of the game and lost 61-57 while more experienced guards Dug McDaniel and CJ Jones watched from the bench.
But Tang was willing to live with the result.
“If you go mess up,” Tang said, “I want to you to mess up fast and hard and trying. I think they have big care factors. So that’s why I went there.”
It has been a disappointing season for the Wildcats. They are off to a 7-9 start and they have lost four straight games. The odds of them rallying to reach the NCAA Tournament are almost zero. So it makes sense that Tang is beginning to focus a bit on the future.
Tang sees potential in Castillo, in particular.
“If we’re going to have David Castillo be an experienced sophomore and junior, he’s got to go through the tough times as a freshman,” Tang said. “Sometimes we don’t want to experience that, because we would like a different result, but it’s what allows you to get to that other side.”
A rivalry game against Kansas is next up on the schedule. Expect more of both Castillo and Ikegwuruka.
“Those guys are going to play,” Tang said. “I don’t know if you should expect to see more. That environment is a little different. You really want these dudes to get some experience in it for the program moving forward. But sometimes if you throw them in that deep water there it might be a little too much, so we’ll see.”
Using Castillo, Ikegwuruka and Jones off the bench would bring some much-needed consistency to the Wildcats.
Tang’s rotation has changed from game to game without any warning this season. One night, he inserts McDaniel into the starting lineup because of divine intervention. The next, he plays Ugonna Onyenso so K-State can try a zone defense. Then he leans heavily on David Castillo and Mobi Ikegwuruka because they play hard. Macaleab Rich hasn’t seen the court in two games.
It has all been impossible to predict.
But Tang seems ready to emphasize something with his roster.
“We’re going to play whoever gives us the best chance to win and whoever is bringing energy,” the coach said. “That’s the thing that we’ve just been talking about. You have got to bring energy and be willing to be gritty and tough. That’s the only thing gives us a chance to win.”
This story was originally published January 17, 2025 at 12:05 PM with the headline "Jerome Tang is thinking about the future of Kansas State basketball with young lineup."