Kansas State’s Season Spirals, and Jerome Tang Isn’t Hiding His Frustration
Kansas State's season is teetering, and the frustration is starting to show - not just on the court, but in the words of head coach Jerome Tang. After a 1-7 start in Big 12 play, the Wildcats find themselves in a tailspin, and Tang isn’t sugarcoating the situation. His team is underperforming, the NCAA Tournament is slipping out of reach, and now, he's voicing his concerns about the larger forces at play - namely, the ever-shifting NCAA rules that have impacted his roster.
“As the head coach and CEO of this program, [it's on me] to put together a team and build a program that will be on that [competitive] level year in and year out,” Tang said following the loss to West Virginia. “I haven’t figured that out yet because they keep changing the rules on me.”
That comment wasn’t made in a vacuum. Tang is likely referencing the NCAA’s decision to deny forward Tyreek Smith’s eligibility waiver - a ruling that left Kansas State without a key veteran presence in the frontcourt. Add in other unavailable players, including injuries, and the Wildcats are navigating a season with a roster that looks far different than what was originally planned.
“There are three guys who should be on my roster right now but aren’t,” Tang continued. “And that’s not even the guys who were injured.”
Tang’s frustration is less about excuses and more about clarity. He’s asking for consistency - a level playing field when it comes to roster management and eligibility decisions. With the transfer portal, NIL, and waiver processes constantly evolving, building a stable program has become a moving target.
“If they would give me consistent rules, then I know how to move forward and operate,” he said. “I will figure it out because I have a staff that’s relentless.
If we can bring in G-League players, I wanna do it. Whatever they’re gonna allow us to do, I want to do - or stop everybody from doing it, and let’s all proceed the same way.”
That’s a coach speaking not just out of frustration, but also from a place of competitive fire. Tang isn’t throwing in the towel - far from it. But he’s also not ignoring the reality: Kansas State’s season has gone off the rails, and the problems go beyond just who is or isn’t eligible.
Even with the summer additions that had fans buzzing about a potential NCAA Tournament run, the Wildcats haven’t lived up to the billing. And the issues aren’t subtle. The team has struggled to rebound, the three-point shooting has been inconsistent at best, and the high-end talent that was supposed to carry them through Big 12 play has yet to assert itself in a meaningful way.
Now, with the Wildcats slipping below .500 for the first time this season, the focus shifts from March dreams to simply salvaging what’s left. The road doesn’t get any easier - and in the Big 12, it rarely does.
Still, Tang isn’t backing down from the challenge.
“Brutal and whatever a better word for ‘exciting’ is,” he said, describing the grind of Big 12 competition. “You get fired up.
We went to Arizona and played the No. 1 team in the country, and we still have to play Houston, Iowa State, Texas Tech, you know? You get those kinds of challenges, and you just gotta love it as a competitor.”
That’s the duality of this Kansas State season. On one hand, it’s been a disappointment - a team with promise now fighting just to stay afloat.
On the other, it’s still a battle worth fighting. Tang knows the road won’t get easier.
But he also knows his job is to figure it out - rules, injuries, and all.
And if there’s one thing he made clear, it’s that he’s not done fighting.