Kansas State is moving on from head coach Jerome Tang after just under four full seasons at the helm, a decision that comes on the heels of a turbulent stretch both on and off the court.
The move, finalized Sunday, follows a week that saw emotions boil over in Manhattan. After a 91-62 blowout loss at home to Cincinnati-a game that wasn’t just lopsided, but flat-out demoralizing-Tang didn’t hold back in his postgame press conference. His frustration was raw and unfiltered.
“This was embarrassing,” Tang said Wednesday night. “These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform.
There will be very few of them in it next year. I'm embarrassed for the university, I'm embarrassed for our fans, our student section.
It is just ridiculous.”
That moment, which quickly went viral, seemed to mark a breaking point. Just days later, Kansas State suffered another double-digit loss-this time a 78-64 defeat at No.
3 Houston. Tang, in a symbolic move, had the players’ names removed from the backs of their jerseys for that game.
The message was clear: something had to change.
Now, it has.
The Wildcats currently sit at 10-15 overall and 1-11 in Big 12 play, spiraling through what is shaping up to be their second-worst season in over two decades. Despite aggressive investments in the transfer portal over the last two offseasons, the results just haven’t followed. They rank 101st in KenPom’s efficiency metrics, a steep fall for a program that had tasted the highs of March Madness not long ago.
Kansas State plans to pursue a dismissal “for cause,” according to a source, which would potentially avoid paying Tang’s buyout-currently valued at over $18 million based on his contract terms.
Tang’s tenure began with promise. Hired in 2022, he made an immediate splash by leading the Wildcats to a 26-10 season and an Elite Eight appearance.
That team, powered by the electric backcourt-forward duo of Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson, captured imaginations with their fearless play. Nowell’s 19-assist masterpiece in the Sweet 16 against Michigan State at Madison Square Garden wasn’t just a tournament highlight-it was a defining moment that seemed to signal a new era in Manhattan.
But since that magical run, Kansas State has struggled to recapture the momentum. Tang finishes with a 71-57 overall record and a 29-39 mark in Big 12 play. While the early success raised expectations, the program has since been mired in inconsistency, underperformance, and now, upheaval.
For Kansas State, the search begins again. For Tang, it’s an abrupt and dramatic end to a tenure that once looked like it might reshape the program.