Kansas State coach Jerome Tang has an infectious personality. Even without meeting him, you can feel it ooze through the screen during interviews and in behind the scenes footage of his team’s incredible March Madness run.
The Wildcats continued that run Thursday with an impressive overtime win over Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans, demonstrating just how good they truly are. If it wasn’t evident after a 26-9 regular season and top-15 AP finish, it certainly is now.
Markquis Nowell is an absolute star and Keyontae Johnson might hear his name called on NBA draft night. But not to be overlooked in Kansas State’s success is the first-year head coach.
The more Tang and the gang hang around, the more we’ll get moments from him like this.
Jerome Tang is good for Kansas State, good for the sport of basketball and good for the game of life in mentoring young people. pic.twitter.com/RopK6fErLq
— PJ Green (@PJGreenTV) March 24, 2023
“We had to celebrate a little bit. Hope y’all didn’t mind.”
Thursday’s game was the biggest in the careers of many of his players, and you wouldn’t have been able to tell by their demeanor on the court. They were loose, even in the most tense moments of a game that was tight throughout, and it’s hard to think that’s not a reflection of their coach.
Tang is even the main hype man during a pregame Lil Baby listening session K-State apparently has been doing since before the tournament.
Mood: we get to do this again on Friday! @lilbaby4PF vibes before every game! #LetsDance #MarchMadness #EMAW pic.twitter.com/JOXsTZyJW4
— Jareem Dowling (@Coachreem4ever) March 13, 2023
Coach Tang got them K-State boys listening to Lil Baby like they’re in church 😂😂😭😭😭 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/GZVeEJNvtA
— Jamarcus Fitzpatrick (@JFitzTV) March 24, 2023
That’s a 56-year-old man getting more hype off a Lil Baby song than his 20-year-old players who I can assure you are the intended audience. Sure, they might be a little embarrassed in the way a kid might be embarrassed by a parent doing too much at the sleepover, and Tang’s dance moves leave a little to be desired, but they love him anyway.
And it’s not hard to see why. He’s good for that program, and he’s good for college basketball.
Prior to this season, Kansas State hadn’t qualified for the NCAA tournament since the 2018-19 season. Not only did they make it back in Tang’s first year, they shattered all expectations.
In a Big 12 preseason poll, the Wildcats were picked to finish last in the conference. Instead, they were third. And now they’re the first and maybe only conference team to reach the Elite 8 (Texas plays Friday).
Kansas State was picked to finish last in the Big 12 Preseason Poll…
They're now one win away from the Final Four 😳 pic.twitter.com/LiEf2ube57
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) March 24, 2023
Whether or not Kansas State advances any further, the season is a success, and Tang has officially put himself on the map as not only a fun head coach, but a legitimately good head coach.
The more the Wildcats win, the more he’ll get to show both.
