Kansas State fired fourth-year basketball coach Jerome Tang on Sunday, a source told CBS Sports.
Athletic director Gene Taylor then revealed late Sunday night that he made the decision to fire Tang after K-State’s loss Saturday in Houston. The move comes less than four days after Tang’s postgame rant went viral after an embarrassing 91-62 home loss to Cincinnati on Thursday. A
“This was a decision made in the best interests of our college and men’s basketball program,” Taylor said said in a statement. “Recent public comments and behavior, in addition to the overall direction of the program, are not aligned with K-State’s standards for supporting student-athletes and representing the university. We wish Coach Tang and his family all the best for the future.”
The Wildcats are 10-15 and in the midst of their second-worst season in the past two decades. Kansas State is ranked 101st KenPom.com and is 1-11 in the Big 12. The team is on pace for a second straight season under .500 despite being one of the biggest spenders in the transfer portal the past two seasons.
Kansas State will try to fire Tang for cause. Tang has a buyout of more than $18 million, per the terms of his contract, but Taylor believes Tang’s public criticism of the players and the reaction the press conference provoked in the national media violate the terms of his contract.
Tang released a statement disputing Kansas State’s assessment of the program.
“I am deeply disappointed with the university’s decision and strongly disagree with the characterization of my dismissal. I have always acted with integrity and faithfully fulfilled my responsibilities as head coach,” Tang said. “I am grateful to the players, staff and fans who make this program so special. I remain proud of what we have built together and am confident that I have always acted in the best interests of the university and our student-athletes.”
Associate head coach Matthew Driscoll has been named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
LISTEN: Matt Norlander discusses Tang’s final days at K-State in this emergency edition of the Eye on College Basketball podcast.
Tang went 71-57 in less than four seasons on the court, including a 29-39 mark in the Big 12. He was hired in 2022 and was an instant success, leading the Wildcats to the Elite Eight with a No. 3 seed and finishing 26-10 thanks to the dynamic duo of point guard Markquis Nowell and forward Keyontae Johnson. Nowell’s 19 assists in a Sweet 16 win vs. Michigan State at Madison Square Garden set both an NCAA Tournament record and an optimistic tone for the Tang era, but it’s been a litany of disappointments since.
K-State suffered a 78-64 loss at No. 3 Houston on Saturday. Tang had the players’ names removed from the backs of their jerseys for that game in a questionable move that followed his criticism of KSU players after the Wildcats’ loss to the Bearcats.
“This was shameful,” Tang said at his press conference on Wednesday evening. “These guys don’t deserve to wear this uniform. Next year there will be very few of them. I’m ashamed of the university, I’m ashamed of our fans, our student section. It’s just ridiculous.”
That’s the quote that Tang’s legal team and Kansas State’s attorneys will go to battle in the coming weeks. If K-State wins, it won’t pay Tang another cent. If it loses, Tang will have more than $18.5 million coming his way. There is also a realistic possibility that the parties will end up somewhere in the wide gap between these two numbers.
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