Kansas State fires coach Jerome Tang days after viral video rant

Kansas State fired fourth-year basketball coach Jerome Tang on Sunday, a source told CBS Sports.

Athletic director Gene Taylor later revealed Sunday night that he made the decision to fire Tang following K-State’s loss at Houston on Saturday. This decision comes less than four days after Tang’s. Post-match rant went viral following an embarrassing 91-62 home loss to Cincinnati on Thursday. A

“This is a decision that was made in the best interest of our university and our men’s basketball program,” Taylor said in a statement. “The recent public comments and conduct, in addition to the overall direction of the program, are not consistent with K-State’s standards for supporting student-athletes and representing the university. We wish Coach Tang and his family all the best in the future.”

The Wildcats are 10-15 and in the midst of their second-worst season in the last 20-plus years. Kansas State ranks 101st on KenPom.com and is 1-11 in the Big 12. The team is heading toward a second straight sub-.500 season despite being one of the biggest spenders in the transfer portal over the past two offseasons.

Kansas State will attempt to terminate Tang for cause. Tang has a buyout of more than $18 million, under the terms of his contract, but Taylor believes Tang’s public criticism of the players and the response the news conference sparked in national media violated the terms of his contract.

Tang issued a statement disputing the State of Kansas’ evaluation of the program.

“I am deeply disappointed in 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. “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 confident that we have always acted in the best interest of the university and our student-athletes.”

Assistant head coach Matthew Driscoll was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

LISTEN: Matt Norlander breaks down 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, including a 29-39 mark in the Big 12. He was hired in 2022 and had immediate success: He guided the Wildcats to the Elite Eight with a No. 3 seed and finished 26-10 thanks to the dynamic duo of point guard Markquis Nowell and forward Keyontae Johnson. Nowell’s 19 assists in Sweet 16 win over 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 is coming off a 78-64 loss to No. 3 Houston on Saturday. Tang had 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.

“It was embarrassing,” Tang said Wednesday evening during his press conference. “These guys don’t deserve to wear this uniform. There will be very few of them next year. I’m embarrassed for the university, I’m embarrassed for our fans, our student section. It’s just ridiculous.”

This is the quote that will keep Tang’s legal team and the State of Kansas’ attorneys fighting in the weeks to come. If K-State wins, it won’t pay Tang another cent. If he loses, Tang will have more than $18.5 million. There is also a realistic possibility that parties will end up settling somewhere in the gap between these two figures.

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