Amid increasing losses, Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang maintains an optimistic perspective.
MANHATTAN — Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang isn’t shy about taking on the role of the disciplinarian.
He’s been known to call out his Wildcats when they fall short of his standards.
So, despite the Wildcats facing a slump as the season winds down and their chances of securing anCTournament bid start to diminish, why does Tang remain so optimistic as they head into the crucial stretch?
According to Tang, it’s straightforward, as he shared on Thursday while gearing up for Saturday’s 1 p.m. home game against Brigham Young (19-7, 7-6 Big 12) at Bramlage Coliseum. While the current win-loss record might suggest otherwise — K-State stands at 15-11 overall and 5-8 in the conference — Tang believes brighter days lie ahead.
“When your players put in the effort to give you a fighting chance in the game, there are usually just minor adjustments that need to be made. It’s not like you need to overhaul everything,” Tang explained. “As a coaching staff, our aim is to find ways to keep progressing forward.
“And it’s about making small tweaks. If you’re constantly negative, it drains the energy out of the room like a vampire. I don’t want to be that person, and I certainly don’t want my team to embody that kind of mentality.”
Tang does have a valid point. Despite the Wildcats dropping seven of their last games and enduring a three-game losing streak, their recent performances have shown a more consistent effort, if not always the desired outcome.
While losses by double digits on the road against Iowa State and Houston were somewhat expected, a 20-point defeat at home against Oklahoma and a narrow three-point loss to last-placed Oklahoma State were particularly disappointing. However, a standout moment came with a thrilling 75-72 overtime victory over Kansas at Bramlage, which Tang views as a turning point.
Subsequent losses — 72-66 at BYU, 75-72 at home against TCU, and 62-56 at Texas last Saturday — have seen the Wildcats stay competitive until the end.
“I firmly believe that we’re just one or two plays away from turning the tide,” Tang remarked. “Out of the six games that have been decided by a single possession, we have to reflect on what adjustments we can make to potentially alter the outcome in a couple of those games.”
“This book I’m reading, ‘Do the New You’ by Steven Furtick, talks about how you’re not truly stuck unless you choose to stop trying. We’re not giving up; we’ll keep working to figure things out because we’re on the cusp of a breakthrough.”
This slump marks Tang’s first prolonged rough patch in his two seasons as head coach. Last year, his team faced a similar struggle in the middle of the Big 12 schedule but managed to finish strongly and made a splash in the NCAA Tournament.
After starting 4-1 in the Big 12 this season, the Wildcats have slipped off the NCAA bubble and are now out of contention for the postseason.
Tang emphasizes treating each game as a separate entity and “boxing it up” afterward, regardless of the result. However, he made it clear on Thursday that he hasn’t overlooked the bigger picture in team discussions.
