The Kansas State Wildcats are taking a new direction for their basketball program, moving on from head coach Jerome Tang.
Kansas State made the decision to fire Tang after four seasons, having hired him in 2022. He coached them to a strong campaign his first year with a 26-10 record, getting them to the Elite Eight of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
However, the progress fell off a cliff as Tang never got the Wildcats back to that level. He got less wins with each passing campaign as this year marked his worst to date with the program. And Kansas State had cause to fire the head coach midseason, per ESPN's college sports insider Pete Thamel.
“Kansas State is firing Jerome Tang for cause. They’ve informed him of this formally tonight. The basis for the for cause firing is language in his contract that references any activity that brings “public disrepute, embarrassment, ridicule” to Kansas State,” Thamel wrote.
What's next for Kansas State after firing Jerome Tang
It's an unfortunate ending for Jerome Tang's stint as Kansas State's head coach. After a strong start to his head coaching career, the decline has been significant as he was unable to build on that Elite Eight momentum.
Making the NIT the following year, Tang suffered back-to-back losing campaigns. Throughout his four years with the Wildcats, he finished with a 71-57 overall record. This includes a 29-39 display throughout the team's matchups in conference play.
Kansas State has a 10-15 overall record on the season, going 1-11 in its Big 12 matchups so far. They are close to the bottom of the Big 12 standings, having a tiebreaker advantage over the Utah Utes while trailing the Baylor Bears and the Colorado Buffaloes.
Going through six consecutive losses, the Wildcats will hope to return to the win column in their next matchup. They host the Bears as tip-off will take place on Feb. 17 at 9 p.m. ET.
