Jerome Tang is first Black men's head basketball coach at Kansas State University.

- March 24, 2022

POSTED BY: Albert-Lee Young

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Jerome Tang added another historic milestone to his illustrious coaching career in the US. On Thursday (March 24), Kansas State (KS) formally announced Tang as the men's head basketball coach at a press conference held in the Bramlage Coliseum.

Tang, who is KS 25th men's basketball head coach, agreed to a 6-year contract, which was approved by the K-State Athletics, Inc., Board of Directors and President Richard Linton.

He is the first Black men's head basketball coach in school history and just the fifth minority men's head coach in school history, following former baseball coach Dave Baker (1978-83), former football coach Ron Prince (2006-08), former men's basketball coach Frank Martin (2007-12) and current women's tennis coach Jordan Smith (2018-present).
Also in attendance were his wife Careylyen (aka Rae), son Seven, daughter Aylyn, parents and in-laws. KS fans greeted and welcomed the Tang family during their arrival at the Kansas Jet Center located at 1705 South Airport Road.

Tang is the first Trinidad &Tobago-born NCAA D1 Head Coach. In an interview with D. Scott Fritchen of KS Sports Extra, Tang reported, 'I'm the son of immigrants. I was born in Trinidad and my parents came over, and they were wonderful, hard-working people. I learned my work ethic from both of my parents. We moved to Texas. I didn't know a lot about basketball but fell in love with it quickly. My faith was really important to me, and I learned how to mesh my faith and basketball together to have an impact on peoples' lives. I was youth pastor in church and coached the basketball team at Heritage Christian Academy (1993-2003), and we had a lot of success with four state championships, and the last three years we went independent and were ranked top 25 in the country.'

Eventually, he transitioned to Baylor teaming up with head coach Scott Drew who took a chance on him. Tang said, 'It was God who led him first to Baylor and now to Kansas State.'

At Baylor, Tang helped build Baylor into a national powerhouse from 2003-22 as an assistant and associate head coach (2017). Drew credits Tang with being an integral part of helping to build Baylor into a national powerhouse via its culture of JOY (Jesus, Others, Yourself). Tang calls himself a 'Lover of Jesus' in his Twitter bio. Together, they moved the Bears program from one rocked by scandal and NCAA probation into a national prominence highlighted by the 2021 NCAA Championship, two Big 12 regular-season titles in 2021 and 2022 - co-shared with University of Kansas, five Sweet Sixteen and three Elite Eight appearances. This season, Baylor earned a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed before bowing out in the second round to 8-seed North Carolina.

"I am beyond excited to be the next head basketball coach at Kansas State," said Tang. "Having the opportunity to build on a program with a rich basketball history at a prestigious university is truly a blessing. We look forward to bringing an exciting style of basketball to K-State while helping our student-athletes succeed on the court and in life.'

Kansas State Director of Athletics Gene Taylor believes he found his man to take the men's basketball program to new heights, and he didn't even have to look outside of the Big 12 Conference. Both KS President Linton and Taylor were in full praises of Tang's strong character, high integrity and treating players the right way, more so beyond the point of basketball.

As reported by Arne Green in the Topeka Capital-Journal (22/3/2022), Scott Drew was fully aware of the many opportunities Tang had in the past and was in high praises for his ex-assistant and friend.

"When you see someone excited, you're excited," Drew said of his reaction to Tang's decision. "So, after the hug, then the tears came. Nineteen years is a long time, so (it's) a true blessing.

"It speaks to his character and loyalty, because in today's day and age it's so often taught, 'Keep progressing, make as much as you can, get the best title (and) be a head coach, whatnot.' He always told me his goal was to be the best assistant coach I've ever had, to be loyal and serve the program and that's why he's so successful and a big reason why our program is so successful."

Green also reported that renowned University of Kansas head coach Bill Self was complimentary when asked about the new leader of the Jayhawks' in-state rivals.

"He's going to do a great job. He's earned it," Self said. "He's earned (the opportunity) to be a head coach many years ago and has waited it out very patiently to get the position that he felt like was the best fit for him.

"And it was going to happen. It was inevitable and he's a great hire."

Self said that when he was starting out as a head coach at Oral Roberts, he recruited one of Tang's high school players from Heritage Christian.

"I'm happy for Jerome," Self said with a smile. "I left him a message today.

"His answer machine already said, 'What a great day to be a Wildcat,' and I said, 'I beg to differ, but I am very happy for you and look forward to us getting to spend some time together.' But it will be fun. It will be competitive, and they'll certainly be battles."

Praises also hailed from Tang's birth land. Former Trinidad and Tobago legendary national senior men basketball coach, Joseph Lenny Guy (4 Caribbean Championships) stated that Tang is an outstanding coach who he always felt will elevate his career with time and at the right moment. While, ex-national men's team manager, Albert Lee Young, was in high admiration for Tang's genuinely as a coach and friend who willingly offered advice and support whenever the need arises. Both believe that KS program will benefit eminency with Coach Tang at the helm.

Tang has already started the rebuilding process by hiring Ulric Maligi as his Associate Head Coach. Maligi has incredible experience and is considered as one of the best recruiters in the Lone Star State. He has spent his entire career coaching in the state at multiple levels, going from UT-Arlington all the way to Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Texas Longhorns (2021-22).

Jareem Dowling, an assistant at North Texas, who was born in St. Croix, US Virgin Island, is also expected join K-State's coaching staff as an assistant next season. Dowling was the head coach of the U.S. Virgin Islands 2008 U17 Junior National Team, which won the silver-medal at the Caribbean Basketball Championship in Antiqua and Barbuda. He has a wealth of experience with the Virgin Island in FIBA events in Puerto Rico, the United States, Antigua, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Singapore and Brazil.

This amazing journey continues for Head Coach Jerome Tang at K-State as his new program takes shape.