Tang Discusses Kansas City Game at Media Availability
Nov 16, 2022 | Men's Basketball
The Wildcats take on Kansas City on Thursday night at 5:30 pm
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang met with members of the media via Zoom on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the Wildcats' upcoming home game with Kansas City as well as the announcement of his recent 3-man signing class from Nov. 11.
K-State (2-0) returns to action on Thursday when the Wildcats play host to Kansas City (1-3) in the first game of a men's and women's doubleheader starting at 5:30 p.m., CT. The game will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
On his thoughts about the Cal win after reviewing the film…
"I thought defensively we were very good the first 20 minutes except for maybe the last possession of the first half. I thought we started the second half with some focus defensively and then we got caught up playing the scoreboard. Offensively, we got a ways to go. Just understanding how to get shots. I thought there was a stretch there where we didn't do a very good job coaching and Keyontae went too long without touching the ball. And so, we were able to rectify that one, one little stretch. But the great thing about the other day is that we scheduled the game so that we could go out there and play a tough close game. And because it's our first time (on the road) and it doesn't matter the opponent when you play somebody on their home court, Washington State goes to Prairie View, Arizona State goes to Texas Southern, Colorado went to Grambling and all lost. I mean, when you play somebody on their home court, this stuff that comes up. Now, I didn't want to go through giving up a 20-point lead. But doing that allowed us to see if we had the poise to handle that run at us and then be able to respond. And so, there was a lot of good things that came out of the game."
On the next steps for the team…
"We just want to play a little bit longer with more focus. I thought we put like 24-25 minutes together against Cal. And if we can get to 26-27 (minutes), where we're really locked in and playing the right way. That'd be a good step forward."
On the signing class…
"Our staff did an unbelievable job of identifying young men that fit what we're about, and also fit the need that we have. And whenever you can sign three kids of that caliber in this short period of time, like we did, the hats off to our staff. And a big assist to our fans because every kid mentioned the love, support and attention and passion that they felt from our fans. And is a big part of why they chose to come to K State. And so, you know, obviously Dai Dai (Ames) and RJ (Jones) are dynamic scores at the guard position. They can dribble past you, they're Big 12 athletes. I mean, they were very sought after and we are blessed that we were able to develop early relationships with them even before we got here that allowed their families, their dads, both of their dads are seniors, you know, Robert and Darrin, and their dads to trust us to help continue to develop the young men that that they started with. And then Macaleab (Rich), I watched Macaleab while I was at Baylor when he was like a freshman or sophomore, and I remember seeing them play but he was a little bit shorter and, you know, a little chubbier and but he had, he had a really good feel and could play and then I lost track of him. We were actually in Atlanta and somebody was watching a JUCO event and someone said, 'Man, you need to see this kid to place for the (SW Illinois) Jets. And you know, we had two hours before our flight, so we drove an hour across town to enter a gym then watch one game and it was Macaleab and he was he was good. He can do so many things. He's he can dribble, he can pass, he can shoot, he plays above the rim. He has a good feel for the game. And when he grabs a rebound, nobody's getting it from him. We just love his competitiveness, and his best basketball is ahead of him. And so, I'm really excited (about the class). They fit the needs of what we're going to be lacking next year and those guys are going to be able to step in and help us right away."
On the diverse skill set of the signing class…
"The game of basketball is getting to the point where it's position-less and so you gotta have dudes that can do multiple things. There was a time when people wanted three and D guys, and, you know, the whole, you know, trend was that there was a time when people wanted a big center, now you got to have multiple guys on the floor that can make plays for themselves and make plays for the people and, and having guys who are weapons, right, I think from day one, those are the guys who can step on the floor. And on any given night, you know, they could get you 20, because of their ability to score the basketball. And so, I'm excited for the growth that they're going to have while they are here."
On the signing class being his first and setting the culture…
"I think we started a pretty good class this summer with having to fill 11 scholarships, and the thing about the guys that we signed this summer, they're competitive kids who are winners. And you know, they love the game of basketball, and guys that you don't mind being with away from the basketball court. And I think these three guys fit that same mold. So that's what we're going to have at Kansas State, we have great citizens who are super competitive winners. And you know, just just going to love being a part of this community in this family."
On Tykei Greene's role…
"I didn't really have a vision for each kid. The goal was to get multiple guys who could be weapons and then figure out how they could best help us win games, and we can best help them reach their goals and dreams. And so, you know, I'm very happy with how he's embraced where his role is right now. I just don't want him to be satisfied. I like the competitiveness of these guys, and that they're gonna keep trying to get a little bit more. And because of that they can make each other better. Tykei was a big time scorer at Stony Brook. And so, I expect as he continues to get comfortable that he's going to provide us even more scoring."
On Tykei Greene's defense…
"He has really good instincts, especially off the ball. I'd like him to be a little bit more aggressive on the ball, play with his chest more and really impact the basketball more, but off the ball. I feel like he's always in a stance and he's in the right position, and he covers up mistakes."
On R.J. Jones and his shot-making ability…
"I think with both guards (Ames and Jones), their shotmaking was the number one attraction because in this league, we have such great coaches and great players that they they're going to take away your actions, they're going to know what you're running and, it's gonna come down to 10 seconds on the shot clock, and you're gonna need a player to go make a play. And that's the good thing about those guys. You got to guard them everywhere on the floor."
On what the team has done best over the first 2 games…
"I like how we have competed and started fast. They've looked excited to be on the basketball court. They're not taking the opportunity for granted and I really, I really enjoy that about that with this team."
On the tempo to start the season…
"I like that we are playing fast but playing fast doesn't necessarily mean shooting fast. It's just your movement, like can we wear people down by cutting harder and just being more aggressive on everything. I thought Cal did a really good job in the second half of blowing up our cuts and pushing us off with screens, which bogs down the offense. So, I'd like to see us just like run through contact and be just more aggressive in that area."
On what he is looking for next in the recruiting class…
"That's a good question. I think for the Class of 2023, we will wait and sign some guys from the portal, some older guys to go with these young talented guys. In the Class of 2024, we want to sign some more guys who are immediate impact guys. We always are trying to get a point guard in every class, it's kind of like getting a quarterback in every class in football, you want to get a good guy at point guard and, just continue to bring weapons, where you have to guard all five guys on the floor, then you're gonna be a pretty good basketball team. So just continuing to bring more weapons, and higher level talent."
On Keyontae Johnson and having a minute count…
"No, he doesn't have a minute count. Just over the years, we found that guys are more efficient when they play 32 or less minutes. Players tend to not play well above 32 minutes from what we have discovered with our analytics. And so, I try to try not to get them above 32 minutes. Now there are going to be sometimes when that happens. But that would be the goal that they can be around 32 minutes."
On Desi Sills…
"He's a competitive winner, two state championships in high school, went undefeated his junior year and then repeated his senior year, then goes to Arkansas and plays in an Elite Eight, so he's a winner. And he's just really competitive. And everyone that we talked to about him, said that he just lives in the gym. And that's been my experience with him here."
Aside from winning what are other kind of measurements you look for with your team…
"It's not week-to-week is day-to-day, every day, we're trying to get 1 percent better, and we evaluate, 'Did we get better?' And it's like every segment of the day. So, did we have a 1-0 lift? Did we have a 1-0 practice? Did we have a 1-0 film session? And did take care of their business in the classroom with (academic counselor) Maryclare (Wheeler)? We want to know in every aspect of what we're doing. And if we do that, then we're going to get the 1 percent better that we want to get each day. And we'll stack days that way."
On his philosophy on in-season tournaments…
"The hardest game to win is the first one. You gotta get the first one then after that is just about how quickly can you recover and how much can you learn about the next team and, just move on. For the most part, we will try and play in a Thanksgiving tournament, and so the guys can go home for Christmas. That's going to be my philosophy. I'd like to be playing in the islands. So, you're gonna notice we go play in a bunch of islands. I like, like warm weather. And so, I think our fans will enjoy that, too."
On what has impressed him about the defense…
"This is my weakness right here, talking about what we're doing well. Obviously, I feel like we're locked into the scouting report, our staff has done a great job of laying out what the other team is going to do. And our guys have done a great job of paying attention to the scouting report. And so there have been very few scouting report errors in that. And then, you know, our guys have done a good job of flying around and just, I think our length, our athleticism, we've impacted the ball and cause teams to not be able to run their stuff and their players have to make plays."
On Markquis Nowell…
"I'm very pleased with Markquis. He's really buying in to what it's going to take to help us to win. And he's constantly trying to try figure it out. And everybody's greatest strength is also their greatest weakness. And because he's fearless, because it's fearlessness, produces great plays, but sometimes they get him in trouble. And he's learning how to temper it on the other end. And he's a sponge. He's really trying to soak things up and, figure out how to continue to get better. And so yeah, he's been he's been awesome."
On the Bill Snyder Team Award…
"I watched the Miracle in Manhattan. And I'd never seen it, but somebody sent it to me and so I watched it. And I was blown away by Coach Snyder's selflessness. The story about him going to give his paycheck and says, 'Man, start digging in the ground, and not complaining. Sometimes people promise you things. And then when they don't deliver, some people just use it as an excuse to not be successful. And Coach Snyder didn't use that as an excuse to not be successful, he was going to be successful. And his selflessness as a leader attracted other great people around him. I mean that staff that was here, and some of the guys when you start looking at some of the coaches that worked with him, he just attracted great people around him and, so we want to give an award to the person that exemplifies his selflessness. I bet, if it was up to Coach Snyder, like he could be in a crowd and nobody recognized him and he would be very, very happy. I heard he always wore the same pair of shoes, the white with the black swoosh. And he always wore a windbreaker unless he had to wear a suit. Just those characteristics of a leader that wants everybody else to get the attention, just goes about doing his thing on a daily basis. You know, we want to give an award to someone who other people may not have recognized it. They didn't show up in the stat sheet or whatever, but they contributed to us winning and moving forward and keeping guys you know, just caring about other people. It's really a selflessness award. And so, you know, I just I was just so impressed by him. And I want our guys to understand the history of Kansas State, not just the basketball program, but of Kansas State. And you know, when a guy has his name on a stadium and he coaches games in the stadium with his name and his statue in front of it, and yet he doesn't want to be recognized. He wants to give everybody else to credit. I mean, there's so much you can learn from that person. And so, I'm just thankful to be able to interact with him. He wrote me some nice notes, he's been very kind to me, I just want to make sure that, that our guys understand what a special person is."
On your thoughts on the Cayman Islands Classic…
"My focus is all on Kansas City. They are a talented team. (Head coach) Marvin Menzies is a terrific coach. He's going to have a game plan to give his guys a chance, the best chance to win the game. And, and I mean, other than the fact that I know that we got to drive to Kansas City to fly out because of customs, that's the only thing I've thought about the Cayman Islands Classic. We will focus on that after the game on Thursday."
How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on K-State men's basketball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
K-State (2-0) returns to action on Thursday when the Wildcats play host to Kansas City (1-3) in the first game of a men's and women's doubleheader starting at 5:30 p.m., CT. The game will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
On his thoughts about the Cal win after reviewing the film…
"I thought defensively we were very good the first 20 minutes except for maybe the last possession of the first half. I thought we started the second half with some focus defensively and then we got caught up playing the scoreboard. Offensively, we got a ways to go. Just understanding how to get shots. I thought there was a stretch there where we didn't do a very good job coaching and Keyontae went too long without touching the ball. And so, we were able to rectify that one, one little stretch. But the great thing about the other day is that we scheduled the game so that we could go out there and play a tough close game. And because it's our first time (on the road) and it doesn't matter the opponent when you play somebody on their home court, Washington State goes to Prairie View, Arizona State goes to Texas Southern, Colorado went to Grambling and all lost. I mean, when you play somebody on their home court, this stuff that comes up. Now, I didn't want to go through giving up a 20-point lead. But doing that allowed us to see if we had the poise to handle that run at us and then be able to respond. And so, there was a lot of good things that came out of the game."
On the next steps for the team…
"We just want to play a little bit longer with more focus. I thought we put like 24-25 minutes together against Cal. And if we can get to 26-27 (minutes), where we're really locked in and playing the right way. That'd be a good step forward."
On the signing class…
"Our staff did an unbelievable job of identifying young men that fit what we're about, and also fit the need that we have. And whenever you can sign three kids of that caliber in this short period of time, like we did, the hats off to our staff. And a big assist to our fans because every kid mentioned the love, support and attention and passion that they felt from our fans. And is a big part of why they chose to come to K State. And so, you know, obviously Dai Dai (Ames) and RJ (Jones) are dynamic scores at the guard position. They can dribble past you, they're Big 12 athletes. I mean, they were very sought after and we are blessed that we were able to develop early relationships with them even before we got here that allowed their families, their dads, both of their dads are seniors, you know, Robert and Darrin, and their dads to trust us to help continue to develop the young men that that they started with. And then Macaleab (Rich), I watched Macaleab while I was at Baylor when he was like a freshman or sophomore, and I remember seeing them play but he was a little bit shorter and, you know, a little chubbier and but he had, he had a really good feel and could play and then I lost track of him. We were actually in Atlanta and somebody was watching a JUCO event and someone said, 'Man, you need to see this kid to place for the (SW Illinois) Jets. And you know, we had two hours before our flight, so we drove an hour across town to enter a gym then watch one game and it was Macaleab and he was he was good. He can do so many things. He's he can dribble, he can pass, he can shoot, he plays above the rim. He has a good feel for the game. And when he grabs a rebound, nobody's getting it from him. We just love his competitiveness, and his best basketball is ahead of him. And so, I'm really excited (about the class). They fit the needs of what we're going to be lacking next year and those guys are going to be able to step in and help us right away."
On the diverse skill set of the signing class…
"The game of basketball is getting to the point where it's position-less and so you gotta have dudes that can do multiple things. There was a time when people wanted three and D guys, and, you know, the whole, you know, trend was that there was a time when people wanted a big center, now you got to have multiple guys on the floor that can make plays for themselves and make plays for the people and, and having guys who are weapons, right, I think from day one, those are the guys who can step on the floor. And on any given night, you know, they could get you 20, because of their ability to score the basketball. And so, I'm excited for the growth that they're going to have while they are here."
On the signing class being his first and setting the culture…
"I think we started a pretty good class this summer with having to fill 11 scholarships, and the thing about the guys that we signed this summer, they're competitive kids who are winners. And you know, they love the game of basketball, and guys that you don't mind being with away from the basketball court. And I think these three guys fit that same mold. So that's what we're going to have at Kansas State, we have great citizens who are super competitive winners. And you know, just just going to love being a part of this community in this family."
On Tykei Greene's role…
"I didn't really have a vision for each kid. The goal was to get multiple guys who could be weapons and then figure out how they could best help us win games, and we can best help them reach their goals and dreams. And so, you know, I'm very happy with how he's embraced where his role is right now. I just don't want him to be satisfied. I like the competitiveness of these guys, and that they're gonna keep trying to get a little bit more. And because of that they can make each other better. Tykei was a big time scorer at Stony Brook. And so, I expect as he continues to get comfortable that he's going to provide us even more scoring."
On Tykei Greene's defense…
"He has really good instincts, especially off the ball. I'd like him to be a little bit more aggressive on the ball, play with his chest more and really impact the basketball more, but off the ball. I feel like he's always in a stance and he's in the right position, and he covers up mistakes."
On R.J. Jones and his shot-making ability…
"I think with both guards (Ames and Jones), their shotmaking was the number one attraction because in this league, we have such great coaches and great players that they they're going to take away your actions, they're going to know what you're running and, it's gonna come down to 10 seconds on the shot clock, and you're gonna need a player to go make a play. And that's the good thing about those guys. You got to guard them everywhere on the floor."
On what the team has done best over the first 2 games…
"I like how we have competed and started fast. They've looked excited to be on the basketball court. They're not taking the opportunity for granted and I really, I really enjoy that about that with this team."
On the tempo to start the season…
"I like that we are playing fast but playing fast doesn't necessarily mean shooting fast. It's just your movement, like can we wear people down by cutting harder and just being more aggressive on everything. I thought Cal did a really good job in the second half of blowing up our cuts and pushing us off with screens, which bogs down the offense. So, I'd like to see us just like run through contact and be just more aggressive in that area."
On what he is looking for next in the recruiting class…
"That's a good question. I think for the Class of 2023, we will wait and sign some guys from the portal, some older guys to go with these young talented guys. In the Class of 2024, we want to sign some more guys who are immediate impact guys. We always are trying to get a point guard in every class, it's kind of like getting a quarterback in every class in football, you want to get a good guy at point guard and, just continue to bring weapons, where you have to guard all five guys on the floor, then you're gonna be a pretty good basketball team. So just continuing to bring more weapons, and higher level talent."
On Keyontae Johnson and having a minute count…
"No, he doesn't have a minute count. Just over the years, we found that guys are more efficient when they play 32 or less minutes. Players tend to not play well above 32 minutes from what we have discovered with our analytics. And so, I try to try not to get them above 32 minutes. Now there are going to be sometimes when that happens. But that would be the goal that they can be around 32 minutes."
On Desi Sills…
"He's a competitive winner, two state championships in high school, went undefeated his junior year and then repeated his senior year, then goes to Arkansas and plays in an Elite Eight, so he's a winner. And he's just really competitive. And everyone that we talked to about him, said that he just lives in the gym. And that's been my experience with him here."
Aside from winning what are other kind of measurements you look for with your team…
"It's not week-to-week is day-to-day, every day, we're trying to get 1 percent better, and we evaluate, 'Did we get better?' And it's like every segment of the day. So, did we have a 1-0 lift? Did we have a 1-0 practice? Did we have a 1-0 film session? And did take care of their business in the classroom with (academic counselor) Maryclare (Wheeler)? We want to know in every aspect of what we're doing. And if we do that, then we're going to get the 1 percent better that we want to get each day. And we'll stack days that way."
On his philosophy on in-season tournaments…
"The hardest game to win is the first one. You gotta get the first one then after that is just about how quickly can you recover and how much can you learn about the next team and, just move on. For the most part, we will try and play in a Thanksgiving tournament, and so the guys can go home for Christmas. That's going to be my philosophy. I'd like to be playing in the islands. So, you're gonna notice we go play in a bunch of islands. I like, like warm weather. And so, I think our fans will enjoy that, too."
On what has impressed him about the defense…
"This is my weakness right here, talking about what we're doing well. Obviously, I feel like we're locked into the scouting report, our staff has done a great job of laying out what the other team is going to do. And our guys have done a great job of paying attention to the scouting report. And so there have been very few scouting report errors in that. And then, you know, our guys have done a good job of flying around and just, I think our length, our athleticism, we've impacted the ball and cause teams to not be able to run their stuff and their players have to make plays."
On Markquis Nowell…
"I'm very pleased with Markquis. He's really buying in to what it's going to take to help us to win. And he's constantly trying to try figure it out. And everybody's greatest strength is also their greatest weakness. And because he's fearless, because it's fearlessness, produces great plays, but sometimes they get him in trouble. And he's learning how to temper it on the other end. And he's a sponge. He's really trying to soak things up and, figure out how to continue to get better. And so yeah, he's been he's been awesome."
On the Bill Snyder Team Award…
"I watched the Miracle in Manhattan. And I'd never seen it, but somebody sent it to me and so I watched it. And I was blown away by Coach Snyder's selflessness. The story about him going to give his paycheck and says, 'Man, start digging in the ground, and not complaining. Sometimes people promise you things. And then when they don't deliver, some people just use it as an excuse to not be successful. And Coach Snyder didn't use that as an excuse to not be successful, he was going to be successful. And his selflessness as a leader attracted other great people around him. I mean that staff that was here, and some of the guys when you start looking at some of the coaches that worked with him, he just attracted great people around him and, so we want to give an award to the person that exemplifies his selflessness. I bet, if it was up to Coach Snyder, like he could be in a crowd and nobody recognized him and he would be very, very happy. I heard he always wore the same pair of shoes, the white with the black swoosh. And he always wore a windbreaker unless he had to wear a suit. Just those characteristics of a leader that wants everybody else to get the attention, just goes about doing his thing on a daily basis. You know, we want to give an award to someone who other people may not have recognized it. They didn't show up in the stat sheet or whatever, but they contributed to us winning and moving forward and keeping guys you know, just caring about other people. It's really a selflessness award. And so, you know, I just I was just so impressed by him. And I want our guys to understand the history of Kansas State, not just the basketball program, but of Kansas State. And you know, when a guy has his name on a stadium and he coaches games in the stadium with his name and his statue in front of it, and yet he doesn't want to be recognized. He wants to give everybody else to credit. I mean, there's so much you can learn from that person. And so, I'm just thankful to be able to interact with him. He wrote me some nice notes, he's been very kind to me, I just want to make sure that, that our guys understand what a special person is."
On your thoughts on the Cayman Islands Classic…
"My focus is all on Kansas City. They are a talented team. (Head coach) Marvin Menzies is a terrific coach. He's going to have a game plan to give his guys a chance, the best chance to win the game. And, and I mean, other than the fact that I know that we got to drive to Kansas City to fly out because of customs, that's the only thing I've thought about the Cayman Islands Classic. We will focus on that after the game on Thursday."
How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on K-State men's basketball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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