The Kansas State Wildcats' decision to fire basketball head coach Jerome Tang is garnering serious criticism from the likes of Seth Greenberg.
Kansas State made the decision to fire Tang after four seasons, having hired him in 2022. The athletics department stated they 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.
Greenberg made a Feb. 17 appearance on ESPN's SportsCenter. He called out the Wildcats' reasoning for letting go of Tang, citing it was the lack of wins that led to the firing, not for his actual conduct and behavior.
“The university said his behavior was embarrassing. To me, the university's behavior is embarrassing. The athletic director's behavior is embarrassing,” Greenberg said.
“Jerome Tang, he made mistakes. He made mistakes in his roster construction. He made mistakes in terms of how maybe he handled this team. But one thing he didn't do, he didn't deserve to be fired with cause; he's getting fired because he did not win enough games.”
Seth Greenberg on Kansas State firing Jerome Tang for cause: “The university said his behavior was embarrassing. To me, the university's behavior is embarrassing. The athletic director's behavior is embarrassing… He didn't deserve to be fired with cause…” pic.twitter.com/6FQvP3UVfI
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 16, 2026
What's next for Kansas State amid Jerome Tang's firing
Seth Greenberg is right to question Kansas State's approach to its decision. Regardless, Jerome Tang will be looking for a new team next season.
Making the Elite Eight of the 2023 NCAA Tournament and the NIT the following year, Tang suffered back-to-back losing campaigns since. 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.
