Cats Earn a Relaxing Break Following Productive Summer
Aug 05, 2022 | Men's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang pointed to freshman Taj Manning as the biggest surprise in workouts, said that he told Tomlin to "feel like he's the best player in America," and he added that multiple players have gained 10-plus pounds of muscle, as the Wildcats prepare for a two-week break.
"We had our last workout today and it was our best workout," Tang said on a Zoom news conference on Thursday. "I'm very excited about everybody getting to go home to get a little bit of rest and then come back and start building toward a great season."
The Wildcats apparently went out on a winning note, as Tang said that Manning "knocked down the game-winner in the last game" on Thursday, adding that "he knocked it down like a champ" ahead of vacation time for the Wildcats.
"Taj Manning has probably been the biggest surprise," he said. "He's an extremely hard worker and that's stood out. His competitiveness and toughness have stood out, and because he spends so much time in the gym, his shot-making ability is growing."
The 6-foot-8, 215-pound Manning, a native of Grandview, Missouri, who remained with the Wildcats after signing with the previous coaching staff, showed a spark during the Wildcats' first workout on June 9. Manning, who was regarded as one of the top 200 prospects nationally, appeared physical and made midrange jumpers with ease.
Meanwhile, Tang indicated that junior Nae'Qwan Tomlin appears to be on the shortlist of the most talented players on the squad. The 6-foot-8, 195-pound forward out of Harlem, New York, helped Chipola (Fla.) College to back-to-back appearances in the NJCAA National Tournament semifinals in his two seasons.
"Man, he's competitive," Tang said. "He doesn't know how good he can be, but he's super competitive and really talented, and man, I look forward to fanning his confidence. I want him to feel like he's the best player in America. He has that kind of talent."
Tang appeared pleased with the team overall as it pauses this stretch of workouts.
"We have some super-competitive guys who care about winning and they care about each other," he said. "I'm excited about what we have and what's going to happen moving forward."
Apparently, strength and conditioning coach Phil Baier has been putting in plenty of work as well, which will be crucial to the Wildcats' success this coming season.
"We have multiple guys who've gained 10-plus pounds of muscle, which is what we wanted to do as a focus, and the guys look good," Tang said. "They look good and they're stronger and they're doing all the things that we want them to do.
"I feel good about what we've done these eight weeks."
K-State started off the roster with just two returners in senior point guard Marquise Nowell and junior Ismael Massoud. Since then, the roster has steadily grown to include 11 total players. That includes the recent addition of graduate student Desi Sills, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound guard who played three seasons at Arkansas and one season at Arkansas State.
"Des was just sitting there," Tang said. "A lot of people didn't realize he could graduate (and still have one year of eligibility). We did our homework on him. We played against him in the Elite Eight game when I was at Baylor to go to the Final Four. He didn't shoot it well, but he had five assists that game and had the ability to get into the paint and make good plays. I knew he was a tough kid and he's a winner."
However, there's little doubt that Nowell will guide the squad and that Massoud will be a key contributor as well.
"(Nowell) is an extremely competitive kid and I love that about him, but there are two guys who can't have a bad day or lose their minds and that's the head coach or the point guard," Tang said. "He's learning how to lower (his emotions) without redlining and how to communicate with his teammates to get the most out of them. That's going to be really important for him.
"Ish thought he was a hard worker until I started laying out some things for him to do. He thanked me the other day. He said, 'Coach, I've never done any of those things.' He thought he was a good, hard worker, but he hadn't done some of those things, so he was thankful for the push, and for believing in him."
As for where this team could go as it inches toward official practices?
"I can't predict what we're capable of," Tang said, "but I do know that we're going to play extremely hard, play together, and be fun to watch."
K-State's newest addition is Rodney Perry, who was announced as an assistant coach last Wednesday. Perry was a finalist for the 2022 Jersey Mike's Naismith High School Boys Coach of the Year and arrived at K-State after spending the past season building Link (Mo.) Academy into a national powerhouse with a 34-2 record. Perry's hiring completed Tang's first full-time coaching staff at K-State.
"He's a winner," Tang said. "He's a winner and he's a really great human being. He's just a terrific man. He's the kind of guy I'd want my son to play for. I'm ecstatic and looking forward to what he brings to the table."
Tang said that he was a big fan of former Baylor head football coach Matt Rhule, and that Klieman is a good friend with Rhule. Tang said that he attended several of Rhule's football practices while at Baylor.
"I absolutely love Coach Klieman," Tang said. "Coach Klieman and Coach Rhule are good friends. I was a big fan of Matt Rhule and attended a lot of his practices. Coach Klieman invited me to come to practice any time I wanted to, and I'm a big college football fan, so I was able to get out there today and watch a few minutes. Anything I need, he's willing to help me with."
Klieman won't have to help Tang find the beach this week.
"I've never looked more forward to a vacation," Tang said. "We're going to go see a Bruno Mars concert in Vegas and see my two older boys that I adopted and their wives, and then we're going to go to Cabo and spend a few days just putting our feet in the water and put the phone down."
Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang pointed to freshman Taj Manning as the biggest surprise in workouts, said that he told Tomlin to "feel like he's the best player in America," and he added that multiple players have gained 10-plus pounds of muscle, as the Wildcats prepare for a two-week break.
"We had our last workout today and it was our best workout," Tang said on a Zoom news conference on Thursday. "I'm very excited about everybody getting to go home to get a little bit of rest and then come back and start building toward a great season."
The Wildcats apparently went out on a winning note, as Tang said that Manning "knocked down the game-winner in the last game" on Thursday, adding that "he knocked it down like a champ" ahead of vacation time for the Wildcats.
"Taj Manning has probably been the biggest surprise," he said. "He's an extremely hard worker and that's stood out. His competitiveness and toughness have stood out, and because he spends so much time in the gym, his shot-making ability is growing."
The 6-foot-8, 215-pound Manning, a native of Grandview, Missouri, who remained with the Wildcats after signing with the previous coaching staff, showed a spark during the Wildcats' first workout on June 9. Manning, who was regarded as one of the top 200 prospects nationally, appeared physical and made midrange jumpers with ease.
Meanwhile, Tang indicated that junior Nae'Qwan Tomlin appears to be on the shortlist of the most talented players on the squad. The 6-foot-8, 195-pound forward out of Harlem, New York, helped Chipola (Fla.) College to back-to-back appearances in the NJCAA National Tournament semifinals in his two seasons.
"Man, he's competitive," Tang said. "He doesn't know how good he can be, but he's super competitive and really talented, and man, I look forward to fanning his confidence. I want him to feel like he's the best player in America. He has that kind of talent."
Tang appeared pleased with the team overall as it pauses this stretch of workouts.
"We have some super-competitive guys who care about winning and they care about each other," he said. "I'm excited about what we have and what's going to happen moving forward."
Apparently, strength and conditioning coach Phil Baier has been putting in plenty of work as well, which will be crucial to the Wildcats' success this coming season.
"We have multiple guys who've gained 10-plus pounds of muscle, which is what we wanted to do as a focus, and the guys look good," Tang said. "They look good and they're stronger and they're doing all the things that we want them to do.
"I feel good about what we've done these eight weeks."
K-State started off the roster with just two returners in senior point guard Marquise Nowell and junior Ismael Massoud. Since then, the roster has steadily grown to include 11 total players. That includes the recent addition of graduate student Desi Sills, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound guard who played three seasons at Arkansas and one season at Arkansas State.
"Des was just sitting there," Tang said. "A lot of people didn't realize he could graduate (and still have one year of eligibility). We did our homework on him. We played against him in the Elite Eight game when I was at Baylor to go to the Final Four. He didn't shoot it well, but he had five assists that game and had the ability to get into the paint and make good plays. I knew he was a tough kid and he's a winner."
However, there's little doubt that Nowell will guide the squad and that Massoud will be a key contributor as well.
"(Nowell) is an extremely competitive kid and I love that about him, but there are two guys who can't have a bad day or lose their minds and that's the head coach or the point guard," Tang said. "He's learning how to lower (his emotions) without redlining and how to communicate with his teammates to get the most out of them. That's going to be really important for him.
"Ish thought he was a hard worker until I started laying out some things for him to do. He thanked me the other day. He said, 'Coach, I've never done any of those things.' He thought he was a good, hard worker, but he hadn't done some of those things, so he was thankful for the push, and for believing in him."
As for where this team could go as it inches toward official practices?
"I can't predict what we're capable of," Tang said, "but I do know that we're going to play extremely hard, play together, and be fun to watch."
K-State's newest addition is Rodney Perry, who was announced as an assistant coach last Wednesday. Perry was a finalist for the 2022 Jersey Mike's Naismith High School Boys Coach of the Year and arrived at K-State after spending the past season building Link (Mo.) Academy into a national powerhouse with a 34-2 record. Perry's hiring completed Tang's first full-time coaching staff at K-State.
"He's a winner," Tang said. "He's a winner and he's a really great human being. He's just a terrific man. He's the kind of guy I'd want my son to play for. I'm ecstatic and looking forward to what he brings to the table."
Before Tang left for vacation, he made a pit stop at K-State football's fall camp, as photo on Thursday appeared on the K-State football official Twitter account of Tang and K-State football head coach Chris Klieman standing together on the field.Caption this photo 🤔@coachjtang 🤝 @CoachKli pic.twitter.com/mv66RTSwcl
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) August 4, 2022
Tang said that he was a big fan of former Baylor head football coach Matt Rhule, and that Klieman is a good friend with Rhule. Tang said that he attended several of Rhule's football practices while at Baylor.
"I absolutely love Coach Klieman," Tang said. "Coach Klieman and Coach Rhule are good friends. I was a big fan of Matt Rhule and attended a lot of his practices. Coach Klieman invited me to come to practice any time I wanted to, and I'm a big college football fan, so I was able to get out there today and watch a few minutes. Anything I need, he's willing to help me with."
Klieman won't have to help Tang find the beach this week.
"I've never looked more forward to a vacation," Tang said. "We're going to go see a Bruno Mars concert in Vegas and see my two older boys that I adopted and their wives, and then we're going to go to Cabo and spend a few days just putting our feet in the water and put the phone down."
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