From The Couch – Something Has To Change With K-State Basketball

From The Couch – Something Has To Change With K-State Basketball

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Iowa State beat the K-State men’s basketball team 73-57 on senior night in Manhattan yesterday. The game was never competitive, as the Cyclones jumped out to a 22-11 lead at the start and never looked back. The game finalized another disappointing season for Jerome Tang’s Wildcats, who finished the regular season 15-16 overall and 9-11 in the Big 12 Conference. Since Tang took over as K-State’s head basketball coach, the program has trended downward:

2022-23: Overall record : 26-10. Big 12 record: 11-7. Elite 8.
2023-24: Overall record: 19-15. Big 12 record: 8-10. NIT first round.
2024-25: Overall record: 15-15. Big 12 record: 9-11. No likely post-season.

Can Tang get this basketball program turned around? He could if he recruited elite talent, but that is not happening right now. He could if he hired a great assistant coach who could help him with the Xs and Os of the game, but I don’t see that happening, either. Tang will get another season to prove himself, but K-State fans will likely see much of the same. That is frustrating. K-State can’t afford to buy him out of his contract without coming up with 18 million dollars. I surmise the best the fans can hope for is that a few key pieces of the roster stick around and the K-State coaching staff can find some gems in the transfer portal. Unfortunately, K-State basketball fans are running short on patience.

Here is what Jerome Tang had to say to the media after the game.

JM: “It just sucks” could explain a lot of things regarding the K-State basketball program.

“They turned us over 17 times, and that resulted in 22 points. We were (also) 2-21 from three. I don’t think we took too many bad ones. The one (three) that B (Brenden Hausen) shot in the first half, the airball from about 35 feet, I told him to shoot that.”…Jerome Tang, post-game

JM: It is not often that you see a college basketball team shoot .095% from three-point range in a game. Especially when they are getting good shots, as Tang indicated. I have seen junior high school teams shoot a better percentage.

“But other than that, they (Iowa State) just had more energy than we did.”…Jerome Tang, post-game

JM: How and why did the Cyclones have more energy? It was senior day!!! This is the day when your team is supposed to play with more fire than normal to try and send the seniors out on a high note. Completely unacceptable.

“So, we’ll look at the film, figure something out, and (we’re) excited about the opportunity to play in the Big 12 Tournament.”…Jerome Tang, post-game

JM: They are going to “figure something out?” I won’t hold my breath.

JM: There is no doubt that Jerome Tang felt pressure to win instantly and that his focus on the transfer portal negatively impacted this basketball program the last two seasons. When your roster completely turns over as it has, it is very difficult to put a winning product on the court. Perhaps a few key players will be back next season, but two of his best players, David N’Guessan and Coleman Hawkins, are out of eligibility and won’t return. Who is going to step up to fill their shoes? I don’t see any NBA-caliber talent on the court. Instead, I see a bunch of role players that need development. Will K-State basketball fans have the patience to allow Tang to get the ship righted? They probably don’t have a choice.

JM: N’Guessan has been a bright spot for the Wildcats this season. On senior night, he scored 19 points and had seven rebounds. He led K-State in scoring and rebounds for the season. Replacing him will be difficult.

“He’s been an incredible human being from the moment we met him. He has a big heart and is a very kind spirit. He has a beautiful family that loves him, brothers that support him, and parents that are just incredible. His Mom sends me messages of encouragement all the time, and you see why he’s the way he is because of the family that he has around him and the support system. He chose to stay with us for three years in a day and age where people are moving around a lot. There were probably some better NIL opportunities out there for him, but he wanted to be here with this coaching staff and in this community, so I’m extremely thankful for that.”…Jerome Tang, post-game

JM: It is sad that they couldn’t get a win for N’Guessan on senior night. He sure tried his best. Maybe they can get one for him next week at the Big 12 tournament.

K-State is the 10 seed and plays Arizona State at 6:00 PM on Tuesday. K-State won the regular season match-up between the two teams on February 4th, 71-70.

This basketball season has had its ups and downs, but it has mostly made me sad. Two years in a row outside of the NCAA tournament is disappointing, but there was something more to this season. Most of my friends who used to watch all of the basketball games just quit watching. There was no more texting or calling them during games or setting up watch parties. Apathy has set in.

Something has to change with K-State basketball to get those fans back and excited about the program. I don’t have all the answers. I can only hope dramatic change happens this off-season in order to get this program going in a positive direction.

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