‘This is a blast’: Why Kansas State’s turnaround has extra meaning for Jerome Tang
Jerome Tang looked like the happiest person inside Bramlage Coliseum after the Kansas State men’s basketball team extended its winning streak to six with an impressive 73-70 victory over No. 13 Arizona on Tuesday.
The third-year basketball coach danced in the student section after the final buzzer sounded. Then he exchanged high-fives with everyone he passed on his way into the locker room, all while pumping his fists and loudly singing the words to the K-State fight song.
That moment may not go viral or turn into a meme the same way his postgame antics did after the Wildcats pulled off an improbable victory at Iowa State two weeks ago. But it was entertaining, nonetheless.
It also illustrated something about him and his team that wasn’t happening at this time last month, back when K-State appeared hapless and owned a dismal record. Tang and the Wildcats are having fun. So much so that they are no longer sweating their slow start or any talk about why their midseason turnaround took so long to happen.
“Man, this is a blast,” Tang said. “I know everybody wants to say, ‘Well, if they had done this earlier, can you imagine.’ The reason it’s so much fun right now is because of what we went through earlier, the struggles. We’re not hugging each other because of the wins. We’re hugging each other because of all the tears we cried and all the sweat and the rough times that we went through together.
“But we stuck together. Now, we’re even happier for each other. I love the fact that we went through that struggle. I hope I don’t have to go through it again, but we know we have got a group that can go through it together, and it’s a lot of fun right now.”
Indeed, with their recent play, the Wildcats are starting to win over even the most pessimistic of doubters.
K-State (13-11, 7-6 Big 12) has reeled off consecutive wins against West Virginia, Oklahoma State, No. 10 Iowa State, Arizona State, No. 20 Kansas and No. 13 Arizona. Few, if any, saw that coming when this same team was losing to Houston by 30 and Wichita State by 19.
Many left them for dead when they began the season 7-11. Now, they have a legitimate hope of reaching the NCAA Tournament.
College basketball statistician Bart Torvik paints a clear picture on K-State’s unexpected turnaround. His numbers had K-State rated as the nation’s No. 95 team after 18 games. But he rates K-State No. 1 over its past six.
In other words, the Wildcats have been the best team in all of college basketball during their winning streak, according to one expert model.
“We never gave up,” K-State point guard Dug McDaniel said. “Even though we were losing, you could still tell from the body language and demeanor of the guys that they care. They don’t accept losing. We all had to look at ourselves in the mirror to realize we all have to step up individually if we want this team thing to work.
“I think every guy went back and reflected and put their pride to the side, their egos to the side, and did their all for the team. That’s been working so far.”
McDaniel has made a big difference. The Michigan transfer looked like a bust when he played five scoreless minutes against Wichita State and was benched entirely in a game against Mississippi Valley State. But he has become a scoring machine for the Wildcats in conference games.
He had 24 points, five steals and four rebounds against Arizona. Before that, he beat Kansas with 15 points, 11 assists and six rebounds.
Opposing teams can’t seem to handle his speed or his craftiness around the basket. Lately, it seems like there is no defender tall enough to prevent him from banking home a driving layup.
His recent play is reminiscent of what Markquis Nowell accomplished during his senior year.
But he’s getting lots of help. David N’Guessan leads the team in scoring at 13.1 points per game, Coleman Hawkins is doing a little bit of everything, Brendan Hausen has learned how to do more than just make 3-pointers and Max Jones never has a bad game.
K-State even got big contributions from bench players CJ Jones and Mobi Ikegwuruka against Arizona.
Tang wisely simplified his offense about a month ago, and that change has made a world of difference. He also challenged his players to do more on defense, and they have responded.
“We needed time,” Tang said.
“This thing isn’t about coaching or X’s and O’s,” he added. “It’s about players who have just decided that they wanted to win more than anything else. Whatever was asked of them, whatever was needed, they were willing to put forth.”
The Wildcats struggled early this season as they welcomed 10 newcomers to their roster. But now they look like a different team, one that has played together for a long time.
They are on a roll, and Tang is enjoying every victory along the way.
This story was originally published February 12, 2025 at 9:41 AM with the headline "‘This is a blast’: Why Kansas State’s turnaround has extra meaning for Jerome Tang."