Kansas State is parting ways with coach Jerome Tang days after he harshly criticized his players following a blowout loss, saying they did not “deserve to wear this uniform.” The firing was done for cause, athletic director Gene Taylor told reporters Sunday night.
“There’s language in his contract that addresses certain things that can potentially bring embarrassment,” Taylor responded when asked to specify the reasons for Tang being fired for cause. “Basically, his comments about the student-athletes and the negative reaction to those comments from a lot of sources, both nationally and locally, is where I thought we needed to make the decision.”
The university announced the separation Sunday night and was working with attorneys to finalize the move. Associate head coach Matthew Driscoll was named interim coach.
Tang was in the middle of his fourth season, which had been his worst. The Wildcats are 10-15 overall and tied for last place in the Big 12 at 1-11. The team’s 14th loss of the season — a 91-62 defeat vs. Cincinnati on Wednesday — prompted the comments from Tang that came under scrutiny.
“These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform. There will be very few of them in it next year,” Tang said after the game. “I’m embarrassed for the university, and I’m embarrassed for our fans, our student section. It is just ridiculous. We’ve got practice at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning, and we will get this thing right. I have no answer and no words. … Right now, I’m like pissed.”
The Athletic reported on Thursday that Taylor had told Tang he would get another year as head coach. In Tang’s favor was an $18.7 million buyout that he’d be owed if fired without cause before April 30.
“I am deeply disappointed with the university’s decision and strongly disagree with the characterization of my termination. I have always acted with integrity and faithfully fulfilled my responsibilities as head coach,” Tang said in a statement released to media members.
“I would like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for the opportunity to serve as Head Coach at Kansas State. It has been one of the great honors of my life. I am grateful to the players, staff, and fans who make this program so special. I remain proud of what we built together and confident that I have always acted in the best interests of the university and our student-athletes.”
Tang’s tenure got off to a promising start when he went 26-10 and made the Elite Eight in his first year. Tang had quickly built through the portal and won with two outside-the-box additions in his first year: Keyontae Johnson, who had missed most of the previous two seasons with a heart condition, and junior college transfer Nae’Qwan Tomlin. Tang was also smart to retain point guard Markquis Nowell, who turned into a star in his final season in Manhattan.
Optimism was high the next season, but the Wildcats suffered a big preseason loss. Tomlin, who is now with the Cleveland Cavaliers, was involved in a bar fight in the preseason and was dismissed from the team after a disorderly conduct arrest. Tomlin transferred to Memphis and played the second semester for the Tigers, while K-State failed to make the NCAA Tournament and went to the NIT.
The last two years, however, with a healthy NIL budget, Tang has made some questionable moves in the transfer portal. The 2024-25 team was heavily invested in three players — Coleman Hawkins, Achor Achor and Ugonna Onyenso — who played center for their previous teams. The latter two were not part of the rotation, and K-State went 15-16 and 9-11 in the Big 12.
Tang had two starters transfer, graduated his other three starters and had to rebuild again this year. He hired former North Florida coach Matthew Driscoll, who worked with him at Baylor, to run the offense. Driscoll’s teams at North Florida played fast and shot a lot of 3s. So K-State targeted shooters and perimeter scorers, most notably P.J. Haggerty, who was a second-team All-American last year at Memphis.
Haggerty is averaging 23.3 points, and K-State has shot the 3 well (36.4 percent), but the defense and rebounding have not been good. Tang’s first three teams all ranked in the top 40 in adjusted defense; this team ranks 137th.
The Wildcats had one of their better performances Saturday at Houston, considering the opponent. Without their names on the back of their jerseys, the Cats jumped out to a 15-6 lead early, but went on to lose 78-64.
Now the Cats will finish their season without their head coach, and K-State’s search for its next coach begins.
