Kansas State University Athletics
‘I Came to Elevate’
Mar 25, 2022 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
It was an oak wood podium with a single microphone, two purple cloth chairs, seven historic Kansas State logos near the ceiling, dozens of purple balloons near the ground, and over 300 purple-clad gatherers inside the Shamrock Zone at Bramlage Coliseum at noon on Thursday.
It was the Kansas State pep band spilling over the second-floor concourse to the east, a sea of fans to the west, and the man of the hour in the middle of the sprawling hardwood, limestone palace adorned with mountainous flat-screen TVs.
It was the perfect moment, as Jerome Tang hugged K-State athletic director Gene Taylor upon the stage, and the perfect moment when Taylor presented Tang with a purple No. 25 basketball jersey, symbolizing the fruits of this journey. Tang on Monday officially became the 25th head coach in the history of K-State men's basketball. Then he wowed the crowd at his introductory news conference.
"There's this wonderful book that I like to read that says, 'The steps of the righteous man are ordered by the Lord,'" Tang said. "There were opportunities that I wanted to take, and they were blocked on purpose because there was something greater that was planned for my life. When people tell you no, it can impact your ego, make you feel badly about yourself, and you can say, 'God has something bigger for me.'
"I'm here. Bigger. Better."
Tang's family, K-State dignitaries, university friends, and current K-State players occupied the first two rows, reporters filled the third and fourth rows, and fans squeezed shoulder to shoulder in the remaining rows of seats and at tables spread throughout the Shamrock Zone. Fans heartily applauded Tang early and often, as the longtime former Baylor assistant coach took the stage for the first time. The 55-year-old Tang wore a dark suit, a lavender and white-striped tie, purple-lavender-white checkered socks, and a purple Powercat lapel pin. He only stood behind the podium briefly, instead preferring to stand off to the side, excitedly motioning with both arms as he spoke.
"It's a great day to be a Wildcat!" he shouted.
The crowd applauded.
"It's a great day to be a Wildcat!" he shouted louder.
The crowd emphatically cheered.
Tang spent the first seven minutes offering heartfelt thanks to everybody who helped him along the way. Then he looked across the room and finally gazed at seated current K-State players.
"Let's not get this twisted," he said. "This isn't about me. This is about you all. The success of this program will depend upon you and the players we bring in. It's about players, and so we have to get players, and the way that we get players and get them here is that you have great fans. Kids want to play in front of great fans and great communities and that's what attracted me to this place."
The Tangs had $10.81 when Baylor head coach Scott Drew invited himself to dinner at their home. They scrounged together some ribs. Drew had 100 questions for Tang in their formal interview. They got to question number three and discussed their favorite movies for two hours.
Drew hired Tang to his initial coaching staff. They inherited a Baylor program that was virtually dead in 2003-04. They won 21 total games over the first three seasons of the rebuild. They reached the NCAA Tournament year five. They won 30 games in year nine. They won the 2021 National Championship and have finished ranked in the top 5 of the Associated Press Poll each of the past three seasons.
"He's been like a brother to me for 19 years," Drew said earlier this week. "I'm so grateful for the energy and effort he put into helping us build Baylor basketball into what it is today, and I know he's ready for this next step."
Tang's life effectively changed when he and wife Careylyen, son Seven and daughter Aylyn boarded a plane at Waco, Texas on Wednesday afternoon.
From there, it was a 3:37 p.m. landing at Manhattan Regional Airport and a gathering of K-State fans and the marching band blaring Wabash Cannonball on Wednesday. It was an initial team meeting at 5 p.m. followed by dinner with K-State athletic department dignitaries at Wine Dive. On Thursday, it was a 7:30 a.m. meeting with K-State coaches from all sports, and an 8:30 a.m. address to the entire K-State athletic department at Vanier Family Football Complex, while Cathy Taylor and Rhonda Klieman took the Tang family on a tour of Manhattan. It was a 10 a.m. photo shoot on the floor at Bramlage Coliseum followed by an hour break for lunch and finally, the official introductory news conference at the Shamrock Zone at Bramlage.
"Jerome is everything we could hope for in the next great leader of our men's basketball program," K-State President Richard Linton said. "He's a relationship builder, a motivator, a tenacious recruiter, and a defensive genius. Most importantly, he's a man of character who puts family and community first. That fits perfectly with the K-State way."
Linton had a Zoom meeting with Tang on Sunday.
"Afterward (Linton) called me and said, 'Gene, you absolutely have the right guy,'" Taylor recalled. "We went to his home this past Sunday. You think you'll be there for an hour. Three hours later we basically had to leave so they could have dinner as a family. He was just a fit. We felt a strong connection we had to him and him to us and most importantly to our program. That's what makes this hire so special because of who he is as a person.
"We found our guy that's going to be able to lead us to sustained success at a high level."
Tang is a dreamer. Most great coaches typically are. Tang admitted that he was overwhelmed when addressing the K-State team for the first time Wednesday evening because he'd dreamed about it for so long. He said he was overwhelmed by the massive reception at the airport and how everyone instantly embraced him. He said he was overwhelmed that the community already cared about him although they didn't yet know him. He has a national championship ring from Baylor. He hopes to earn a national championship ring at K-State. He's a man who says that he isn't afraid to cry — because he's passionate.
For nearly two decades, he poured himself into Baylor basketball. He was one of the chief architects in helping build Baylor into a national powerhouse, first as an assistant coach and then as the associate head coach. During his time, he helped Baylor to post a 397-222 (.641) overall record, including a 168-155 (.520) mark in Big 12 Conference play, to go along with 13 postseason appearances (10 NCAA Tournaments, three NITs) and a national title. He helped construct nine consensus top-25 recruiting classes. He coached 11 All-Americans, including consensus selections Johnathan Motley and Jared Butler. He helped send 13 players to the NBA.
Baylor's 55-9 record over the past two seasons is the nation's best mark among power conference teams.
"I trust my work," Tang said. "It's not about a day when you're making shots or not making your shots, you've got to trust your work. When you put in the work, you can go out there and play confidently. The only reason I'm here is because I work hard. My parents are immigrants, I'm an immigrant, and nobody handed us anything. We just outworked people."
K-State advanced to the Final Four in 1948, 1951, 1958 and 1964. K-State has 21 conference titles in four leagues, including the 2013 and 2019 Big 12 Championships. K-State has made 31 NCAA Tournament appearances. K-State has 23 All-Americans since 1917. K-State is one of 18 schools to produce more than one No. 1 NBA Draft pick.
K-State will embark upon its 120th season by ushering in a new era.
"I researched 'Wildcats,'" Tang said. "There are two species of Wildcats. There are the European Wildcats and African Wildcats, and they have a couple things in common. They're intelligent and active. So, that fits great, because on the court, we're going to be smart and aggressive."
"I was a fan even before I knew anything about him," Nowell said. "God is the center stone of everything, and when he talked about the Lord and things working in your favor, and people coming into your life, it's just God's direction. When he was talking about winning and his passion for things like getting better, it was a no-brainer. That's somebody I want to be around each and every day. That's somebody that I want to play for and that I'll go in and — I'll basically die for him, as the case may be.
"His hunger and passion for winning is through the roof. So is mine."
It seems to be a perfect marriage already.
K-State comes off a few up and down seasons.
Tang believes that could soon change.
"This is just the start of some really, really big things," he said. "It's going to happen. With everyone's help, with all the K-State Family, the Wildcat Nation, we'll accomplish great things together, and it's not going to take long. It's not going to take long. I didn't come to rebuild.
"I came to elevate."
It was perfect. All of it.
It was an oak wood podium with a single microphone, two purple cloth chairs, seven historic Kansas State logos near the ceiling, dozens of purple balloons near the ground, and over 300 purple-clad gatherers inside the Shamrock Zone at Bramlage Coliseum at noon on Thursday.
It was the Kansas State pep band spilling over the second-floor concourse to the east, a sea of fans to the west, and the man of the hour in the middle of the sprawling hardwood, limestone palace adorned with mountainous flat-screen TVs.
It was the perfect moment, as Jerome Tang hugged K-State athletic director Gene Taylor upon the stage, and the perfect moment when Taylor presented Tang with a purple No. 25 basketball jersey, symbolizing the fruits of this journey. Tang on Monday officially became the 25th head coach in the history of K-State men's basketball. Then he wowed the crowd at his introductory news conference.
Tang is the perfect fit. And he believes that he arrived at the perfect time.Now it's official. @CoachJTang #KStateMBB x EMAW pic.twitter.com/4MJldTlp7Z
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) March 24, 2022
"There's this wonderful book that I like to read that says, 'The steps of the righteous man are ordered by the Lord,'" Tang said. "There were opportunities that I wanted to take, and they were blocked on purpose because there was something greater that was planned for my life. When people tell you no, it can impact your ego, make you feel badly about yourself, and you can say, 'God has something bigger for me.'
"I'm here. Bigger. Better."
Tang's family, K-State dignitaries, university friends, and current K-State players occupied the first two rows, reporters filled the third and fourth rows, and fans squeezed shoulder to shoulder in the remaining rows of seats and at tables spread throughout the Shamrock Zone. Fans heartily applauded Tang early and often, as the longtime former Baylor assistant coach took the stage for the first time. The 55-year-old Tang wore a dark suit, a lavender and white-striped tie, purple-lavender-white checkered socks, and a purple Powercat lapel pin. He only stood behind the podium briefly, instead preferring to stand off to the side, excitedly motioning with both arms as he spoke.
"It's a great day to be a Wildcat!" he shouted.
The crowd applauded.
"It's a great day to be a Wildcat!" he shouted louder.
The crowd emphatically cheered.
Tang spent the first seven minutes offering heartfelt thanks to everybody who helped him along the way. Then he looked across the room and finally gazed at seated current K-State players.
"Let's not get this twisted," he said. "This isn't about me. This is about you all. The success of this program will depend upon you and the players we bring in. It's about players, and so we have to get players, and the way that we get players and get them here is that you have great fans. Kids want to play in front of great fans and great communities and that's what attracted me to this place."
Tang must have one of the more riveting stories among all NCAA basketball coaches. Born in San Fernando, Trinidad on October 7, 1966, Tang migrated with his parents to St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands until age 10 when his family moved to Texas. Soon after, Tang fell in love with basketball. Years later, he served as athletic director at Heritage Christian, a birth-through-high school private school that had 145 total students, including 30 high school students. Tang, who also served as youth pastor at First Assembly of God, led little Heritage Christian to four state championships and became known for producing Division I athletes.Accomplish it together @CoachJTang #KStateMBB x EMAW pic.twitter.com/uoehrIA3BS
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) March 24, 2022
The Tangs had $10.81 when Baylor head coach Scott Drew invited himself to dinner at their home. They scrounged together some ribs. Drew had 100 questions for Tang in their formal interview. They got to question number three and discussed their favorite movies for two hours.
Drew hired Tang to his initial coaching staff. They inherited a Baylor program that was virtually dead in 2003-04. They won 21 total games over the first three seasons of the rebuild. They reached the NCAA Tournament year five. They won 30 games in year nine. They won the 2021 National Championship and have finished ranked in the top 5 of the Associated Press Poll each of the past three seasons.
"He's been like a brother to me for 19 years," Drew said earlier this week. "I'm so grateful for the energy and effort he put into helping us build Baylor basketball into what it is today, and I know he's ready for this next step."
Tang's life effectively changed when he and wife Careylyen, son Seven and daughter Aylyn boarded a plane at Waco, Texas on Wednesday afternoon.
From there, it was a 3:37 p.m. landing at Manhattan Regional Airport and a gathering of K-State fans and the marching band blaring Wabash Cannonball on Wednesday. It was an initial team meeting at 5 p.m. followed by dinner with K-State athletic department dignitaries at Wine Dive. On Thursday, it was a 7:30 a.m. meeting with K-State coaches from all sports, and an 8:30 a.m. address to the entire K-State athletic department at Vanier Family Football Complex, while Cathy Taylor and Rhonda Klieman took the Tang family on a tour of Manhattan. It was a 10 a.m. photo shoot on the floor at Bramlage Coliseum followed by an hour break for lunch and finally, the official introductory news conference at the Shamrock Zone at Bramlage.
"Jerome is everything we could hope for in the next great leader of our men's basketball program," K-State President Richard Linton said. "He's a relationship builder, a motivator, a tenacious recruiter, and a defensive genius. Most importantly, he's a man of character who puts family and community first. That fits perfectly with the K-State way."
Linton had a Zoom meeting with Tang on Sunday.
"Afterward (Linton) called me and said, 'Gene, you absolutely have the right guy,'" Taylor recalled. "We went to his home this past Sunday. You think you'll be there for an hour. Three hours later we basically had to leave so they could have dinner as a family. He was just a fit. We felt a strong connection we had to him and him to us and most importantly to our program. That's what makes this hire so special because of who he is as a person.
"We found our guy that's going to be able to lead us to sustained success at a high level."
Tang is a dreamer. Most great coaches typically are. Tang admitted that he was overwhelmed when addressing the K-State team for the first time Wednesday evening because he'd dreamed about it for so long. He said he was overwhelmed by the massive reception at the airport and how everyone instantly embraced him. He said he was overwhelmed that the community already cared about him although they didn't yet know him. He has a national championship ring from Baylor. He hopes to earn a national championship ring at K-State. He's a man who says that he isn't afraid to cry — because he's passionate.
"I care deeply," he said. "I have no problem crying, I have no problem laughing, I have no problem cheering. That's my heart. When I really, really care about something, I'm all in. I am who I am."Everything earned @CoachJTang#KStateMBB x EMAW pic.twitter.com/AtE6OLrhdS
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) March 24, 2022
For nearly two decades, he poured himself into Baylor basketball. He was one of the chief architects in helping build Baylor into a national powerhouse, first as an assistant coach and then as the associate head coach. During his time, he helped Baylor to post a 397-222 (.641) overall record, including a 168-155 (.520) mark in Big 12 Conference play, to go along with 13 postseason appearances (10 NCAA Tournaments, three NITs) and a national title. He helped construct nine consensus top-25 recruiting classes. He coached 11 All-Americans, including consensus selections Johnathan Motley and Jared Butler. He helped send 13 players to the NBA.
Baylor's 55-9 record over the past two seasons is the nation's best mark among power conference teams.
"I trust my work," Tang said. "It's not about a day when you're making shots or not making your shots, you've got to trust your work. When you put in the work, you can go out there and play confidently. The only reason I'm here is because I work hard. My parents are immigrants, I'm an immigrant, and nobody handed us anything. We just outworked people."
K-State advanced to the Final Four in 1948, 1951, 1958 and 1964. K-State has 21 conference titles in four leagues, including the 2013 and 2019 Big 12 Championships. K-State has made 31 NCAA Tournament appearances. K-State has 23 All-Americans since 1917. K-State is one of 18 schools to produce more than one No. 1 NBA Draft pick.
K-State will embark upon its 120th season by ushering in a new era.
"I researched 'Wildcats,'" Tang said. "There are two species of Wildcats. There are the European Wildcats and African Wildcats, and they have a couple things in common. They're intelligent and active. So, that fits great, because on the court, we're going to be smart and aggressive."
Count K-State senior point guard Markquis Nowell among the returning players ready to battle for their new coach.We see you Wildcats#KStateMBB x EMAW pic.twitter.com/QkCGlBHBjK
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) March 25, 2022
"I was a fan even before I knew anything about him," Nowell said. "God is the center stone of everything, and when he talked about the Lord and things working in your favor, and people coming into your life, it's just God's direction. When he was talking about winning and his passion for things like getting better, it was a no-brainer. That's somebody I want to be around each and every day. That's somebody that I want to play for and that I'll go in and — I'll basically die for him, as the case may be.
"His hunger and passion for winning is through the roof. So is mine."
It seems to be a perfect marriage already.
K-State comes off a few up and down seasons.
Tang believes that could soon change.
"This is just the start of some really, really big things," he said. "It's going to happen. With everyone's help, with all the K-State Family, the Wildcat Nation, we'll accomplish great things together, and it's not going to take long. It's not going to take long. I didn't come to rebuild.
"I came to elevate."
It was perfect. All of it.
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