Dowling Brings Vibrant Personality to K-State

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Jareem Dowling says that he wants to purchase a house in Manhattan. That's because the 40-year-old has been dreaming of this opportunity to coach alongside Jerome Tang for many, many years. Dowling, who Tang hired as an assistant coach last week, would like nothing more than to serve under Tang for as many years as Tang served under Baylor head coach Scott Drew.

Tang and Drew were together for 19 years.

They turned Baylor into a national power.

That's the goal for Tang and Dowling at K-State.

"I'm trying to buy a house tomorrow," Dowling says. "My wife will be here tomorrow. I plan to be here as long as possible. Here at K-State, I'm trying to be what Jerome Tang was for Scott Drew. I'm not looking at anything else."

Dowling, who says that he's known Tang for more than 15 years, is a native of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, is an assistant coach with 16 years of experience as well as 12 years of international head coaching experience.

Most recently, he helped take North Texas from an 8-22 record to a 114-58 mark over a five-year span, including a 25-7 record this past season. Prior to that, he helped Arkansas State go from a 10-20 record to a 20-12 mark the in 2016-17. He aided in both turnarounds while serving under head coach Grant McCasland.

K-State Sports Extra's D. Scott Fritchen spoke with Dowling about his relationship with Tang, his contagious energy and humor, and the process of elevating the K-State men's basketball program:

D. SCOTT FRITCHEN: When did you first meet Jerome Tang?

JAREEM DOWLING: The first time I met Coach Tang was either 2006 or 2007. We met in the Virgin Islands, where he came to assist in coaching the junior national team. We just connected and stayed in touch. What I love most about Coach Tang is his honesty. I was a young kid out of college in my first year of coaching at Cecil Community College and we won a national championship my first year. I thought I was the second coming of Phil Jackson. As a young coach, you always are trying to get to the next step – at least that's what I thought it was – and Coach Tang offered some constructive criticism, basically telling me after my first year I wasn't ready, and if he had a head job that he wouldn't hire me. I didn't take offense to it, I respected it, because he was transparent and to the point. As our relationship grew, and it had nothing to do with him hiring me or anything like that, the conversations as we went along over the years changed to, "When we work together, this is what it's going to be like." It took 10 years before he started talking like that. I love his honesty. That's why I've been attached to his hip since I first met him.

FRITCHEN: Now you're here with Coach Tang and it's a dream come true. What does this opportunity mean to you?

DOWLING: It's a blessing, it's humbling and it's surreal. I'm trying to get my sleep back in order, but it's really, really hard to sleep with K-State across the chest, it really is — the excitement and color purple. I'm from St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, and my first car was a purple 1996 Honda Accord, and my dad's house is purple, my ex-step mom's house is purple, my daughter's favorite color is purple. It's just a sign. I'm just excited to have the purple on.

FRITCHEN: Coach Tang married you and your wife in your living room. How did that come about?

DOWLING: Absolutely. Everything I do in my life that's a major decision, I'm either calling Bill Lewit, who I played for in junior college, or Jerome Tang. I call them for anything that's important, life changing, and I told Coach Tang when I met my wife how I felt about her. I said, "Coach, I've been with my girl for just three months, but I think I want to marry her." I'd been in long-lasting relationships, but there was just something there. Coach Tang told me to pray on it and that if I wanted to do it, he'd support it. He OK'd it. Next thing, Coach said, "If you want, I'll marry you guys." My wife was cool with it. I said, "How about if we get married in the living room?" She said, "Yeah." Her family drove up from New Orleans and Texas and my family from the Virgin Islands were on FaceTime, and Coach Tang did our ceremony. It was a perfect day for us. We pretty much did our own vows. We prayed and just spoke on how we felt about each other without writing it down.

FRITCHEN: Obviously, on social media you have some star power.

DOWLING: Don't say that too loud because it's to the point where my wife from time to time unfollows me because she says I post too much. If my wife is my toughest critic, I'm OK with it. But I've been like this from the time I started coaching, just wanting to capture every moment, because being a part of a team and a university is special. It's a hard thing to be a part of, very few can experience this feeling of excitement, joy, sorrow, pride, sweat and tears, and I don't take it for granted. I tell my wife all the time, "My social media is my photo album." When I'm long gone, people can look back and say, "Wow, this is how this guy lived his life." I never have to worry about losing my photos or losing them to water damage.

FRITCHEN: Who are some of the favorite A-list celebrities you've met over the years?

DOWLING: Tim Duncan, of course, he's the GOAT. I have a picture of him, me and Coach Tang when we practiced in the San Antonio practice facility when we were a part of the FIBA America with the Virgin Islands team for the first time. Wale, the rapper Wale, he's big time. I played college basketball with his cousin, and rest assured, he will be rocking the K-State brand sooner than later. I met Shaq in passing the other day. I've been quite a few people, man. Ashanti, the singer. I can't think of everyone, but if you scroll through my Instagram, you'll see them, because I post them. I met Drew Brees at his celebrity all-star game where one of my former players from my first year of coaching, Joel Green, was playing in it. Joel is an ambassador for Nike as well as Wheaties and Cheez-It. He invited me and gave me access to everyone there. It was unbelievable. I definitely want them talking about the K-State brand.

FRITCHEN: You're such an energetic and funny guy. Where do you get your humor?

DOWLING: People take life really, really serious, and there's so much to be serious about that if you don't have any humor in what you do, it becomes a job, and the day it becomes a job for me I'm no longer good at it. I want to credit Doc Sadler, Grant McCasland, Bill Lewit, Kevin Reynolds, Ross Hodge, Adam Howard — I want to credit them for never telling me to calm down, and for allowing me to be me, and for them enjoying me and not being annoyed by me. I love people. It's either I love you or we're not affiliated with each other. I don't know how to like somebody because you can eat a plate of food and the first bite is good and then the second is full of sugar or salt and don't like it. I either love it or I'm not doing it.

FRITCHEN: Coach Tang said something particularly simple, yet profound during his introductory news conference when he said, "I didn't come to rebuild. I came to elevate." What excites you about that message?

DOWLING: I believe him. I've known what he's about. I know his faith and his belief in the people that he's hiring is going to allow him to live up to what he said in "elevate." He's a big under-promise, over-deliver guy. It gave me chills when he said that during the news conference — "elevate." The brand is there. We just have to get the right products in there to drive the car in the direction we want to do, but the brand is there. Make no ifs about it, K-State is like Louis Vuitton, K-State is like Gucci and Prada. It's a real brand.

FRITCHEN: At Arkansas State, you took a team that finished with a 10-20 record and went 20-12 in 2016-17. What were the circumstances you met when you arrived at Arkansas State and what were some major factors that played a part in that turnaround?

DOWLING: Just the leadership of Coach Grant McCasland and his belief in the people that he had that stayed in the program and his belief in the new people that he brought into the program and the cohesiveness of the staff. These guys have gone on to have great success. It was easy to jump into the situation. The guys were easy to work with and the players were hungry and there was the belief that Coach McCasland had in his program — believe, serve and compete. We did that every day for six years working with him. It was a joy to be a part of and it was unbelievable.

FRITCHEN: At North Texas, you took a team that finished 8-22 and went 114-58 over a five-year span, including a 25-7 mark this past year. How did you do that?

DOWLING: Character, character, character. We'll take the less-talented player that has a greater character than somebody with more talent. Talent is going to win you games, but talent can also reveal some stuff when the going gets tough that talent can't always win. Grabbing the loose ball, rebounding with two hands, diving on the floor — those are character traits. That's who you are and what you're about on a daily basis. Talent can get you a pretty shot and something fancy like, "Wow, that's on ESPN," but your character and grit is going to help you get championships. That's always Grant McCasland's belief. He believed in everybody we recruited, and he found a way to get the best out of them, whether it was one-on-one meetings or with the staff collectively. We always touched people.

We're going to do the same thing at K-State. We're going to be very, very hands on. Everything in these players' lives matter if you want basketball to matter for them. It can't just be about the Xs and Os. You have to be about daily life. You need to know how their parents are doing and if everything is OK at home. That's one thing I learned from Grant McCasland and Jerome Tang when I received advice from him on different situations when we weren't working together. We'd run different issues by each other and those are the things that are most important to success.

FRITCHEN: Coach Tang talks about "out the mud" and wearing multiple hats throughout his life. You've worn multiple hats as well. Describe why that's such an asset?

DOWLING: My only criticism for Coach Tang about that news conference – and I'm going to get on him about it – but he should've said, "out the sand" instead of "out the mud" because we're from the islands. He should've said that. Definitely, though, "out the mud" is getting it with no handouts and without any complaints and making the best of any situation you have, and not looking at what other people have and thinking you need to have that in order to be successful. I know Coach Tang's mindset, and all our mindsets on this staff, is being appreciative for what we have here. We've all come from other situations that might've had some limitations, and we all have different things that weren't as accessible as they are at K-State.

.@CoachJTang announced the first member of his coaching staff today with the addition of @Coachreem4ever as an assistant coach.

Welcome Coach Dowling to the K-State Family!

🔗https://t.co/p2yJKwjRRI #KStateMBB x EMAW pic.twitter.com/ePfewVqVwM
— K-State Men's Basketball (@KStateMBB) March 29, 2022

FRITCHEN: You've been praised for your high level of recruiting, and you mention the K-State brand being like Gucci. How do you get that into the minds of recruits?

DOWLING: That's easy to me. We go to people we have relationships with. It's us trying to paint a picture. It's easy when you know somebody who knows somebody, because it cuts the time in half, and you can get to the nitty gritty and it allows people to know who you are. It's not going to be hard to sell K-State because it sells itself. The fanbase sells itself. We just want to get the right people. I tell the K-State faithful to be patient. Our leader, Coach Tang, knows what he's doing. We believe in him. We're not trying to win the social media war, we're trying to actually win games that make our fans happy. I can't wait to jump into the Octagon crowd. That's something that's going to be different for me. I'm excited about it. I know kids will be excited when we show them what that fanbase looks like. They're so passionate. Everywhere you go they think purple and K-State. It's the best I've ever seen, and we're still 200 days from basketball season.

FRITCHEN: What do you hope to accomplish in the next 200 days?

DOWLING: Getting great character people here who are going to represent this K-State brand the right way, and getting fun players who are going to be engaging and welcoming to fans, and who are approachable, because our fans deserve that. I'm excited to see Coach Tang in this element because it's been a long time coming. Kudos to this administration for pulling the trigger on Coach Tang and for giving him this opportunity. It's an opportunity no one on our staff is going to take for granted. I'm trying to buy a house tomorrow. My wife will be here tomorrow. I plan to be here as long as possible. Here at K-State, I'm trying to be what Jerome Tang was for Scott Drew. I'm not looking at anything else. I'm just looking at how to make this a successful, fun, loving environment like it has been for years, and we're looking forward to getting the right players here to bring that vision that Coach Tang has to life.

Kansas State University Athletics

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