Tang Discusses Baylor Game at Media Availability
Jan 06, 2023 | Men's Basketball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang, along with sophomore guard Cam Carter, met with members of the media via Zoom on Friday afternoon to discuss the Wildcats' upcoming game at No. 19/17 Baylor.
K-State (13-1, 2-0 Big 12) is off to its best start since the 2009-10 season, while the Wildcats are 2-0 in Big 12 play for the first time since 2013-14.
The Wildcats and Bears (10-4, 0-2 Big 12) will meet at 5 p.m., CT on Saturday at the Ferrell Center on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
On his emotions on playing Baylor after spending 19 seasons as an assistant/associate head coach there…
"I really don't know. I mean, obviously, there's going to be emotion. You know, it sucked the other night when they lost. I was rooting for him. It felt like we lost. So, I mean, there's obviously a very strong connection there and I'm going to say my prayers that I can figure out how to separate the emotion so that I can be the best version of myself for our team because that's what's the most important thing is the game and our players. That's where really what I'm trying to focus on. But you know, you can't ignore the elephant in the room."
On the things he took from Coach Drew…
"Oh, man, it's been so much. I texted and called Coach Drew several times, just to tell him what a great job he does as a head coach. When we were in the middle of it, I don't think I told him enough what a great job he was doing. Because we were always just trying to figure out how we could get a little bit better. You know, and in the midst of that, I don't think I did a good job of just letting him know, man, he was doing a heck of a job. And, and the proof of that, the success that (ORU head coach) Paul (Mills), (North Texas head coach) Grant (McCasland) and (North Florida head coach) Matt (Driscoll) and other people who have been under him, and now in my situation, because he's he prepared us, he gave us, he taught us how to set a great example of what servant leadership is, and how to empower people to be the best version of themselves. And so, just there's just so much that I've taken from him."
On Cam Carter's play against Texas…
"Cam is one of those guys that he doesn't feel the moment. Like no moment is too big for him. And so, he just plays. And I think that's what happened against Texas. He just played. Against West Virginia – first Big 12 game – he maybe he overthought it instead of just being who he is, which is a hooper. On Tuesday, I thought he just relaxed and played. And, you know, that helps him."
On Carter going from playing 10 minutes a game at MSU to playing 25 at K-State…
"That has a lot to do with it. So, I mean, maturity. If Cam was consistently giving us 17 points a night, we'd be talking about him going into the (NBA) draft. But, he's been consistent because of experience and the more experience he gets, the more consistent he'll become. And, you know, that's just the part of the process."
On how the team has improved since that loss to Butler…
"Well, I think as a staff, the Butler game taught us a lot what we would like to do and not to do on road trips. So that was a huge improvement and a great learning lesson for us. As a team, I think the thing we've tried to improve on the most is cutting down turnovers. And I feel like we've done a better job of that, and our conditioning level is at the point in our focus where we're giving a consistent level of play. Early on, we only played about 20 minutes the way we needed to. We're playing about 30 to 35 now. We just have to be able to sustain that."
On giving up 103 points to Texas and do you have to emphasize defense despite scoring 116 points…
"Well, we're always going to emphasize defense. But there are some nights man where, you know, these dudes, they spent all summer they spent their whole life being in the gym shooting, they didn't go into gym and do defensive slides. Texas was scoring, and we had to keep scoring. It was one of those games where both teams were playing at a high level offensively. What's crazy to me is when the games are, you know, 55 to 50, or 60 to 55 you get the questions like what's wrong with the offense? How can you improve on your offense? Well, now we score 116 (points). And it's like, man, your defense sucks. Well, no, the other team is good, too. It's not like we're gonna win 116 to 40, Texas at Texas. It was one of those games where both teams were scoring, playing at a high level offensively, and you just have to roll with it. Now, are there some areas we can look back and say, we could have gotten stop there or there. And, yeah, we're gonna tweak those things. I've told y'all several times, I have a friend named Tim Maloney. And after every staff meeting, we would have at Baylor when he was there, talking about our defensive coverage and everything we're going to do, he would stand up and say, I hope we make shots. And you know what, on Saturday night against the Bears, I hope we make shots."
On Markquis Nowell's basketball IQ…
"I'm not good with scales, I just tell you this, he's played for three different coaches in the last three years, I believe, and had to learn three different ways of playing the game and have to try and see the game through three different guys' eyes, and he's been able to do that. And, I'm thankful that he loves the game of basketball. He just devours it. Like he's constantly trying to learn. And that's what's allowing him to be able to play at a really high level and just embracing the way we want him to play. And I think a lot of the credit, also, all the credit goes to Markquis, but some of the credit has to go to (assistant) coach (Rodney) Perry and our offensive schemes because we're putting Markquis in spaces where he doesn't have to guess where to throw the pass. He just has to make the right read, and Markquis is embracing that."
On how you stop Baylor's Keyonte George…
"The guards are very good for Baylor, as good as a collection of guards as they are in the country. You don't stop a kid like Keyonte George, you just hope to make the shots difficult. And if you don't, then the percentages will play out. But it's never just one guy. Like we've got to guard five against one and then be ready to rotate and guard five against one again."
On how to do you reset after scoring 116 points…
"We didn't even talk about it. We celebrated that night. The next day was about rehabbing and doing what we need to do to get ready for Baylor. The pace of the game and the style of the game determines what happens. We didn't go in thinking we were gonna score 100 points, definitely not thinking about that this next game we just want to have one more point than the other team."
SOPHOMORE CAM CARTER
On Coach Tang's coaching style…
"First off, Coach Tang is very passionate about winning. And we as a group of guys is also passionate about winning. So, we're gonna win and we connect very well. And our chemistry on and off the court is great, so I mean, it's unbeatable."
On his performance against Texas…
"It all has to do with my work in the gym. Putting in exercise, extra hours, things like that. And my teammates, I can't create shots for myself, so a lot of credit goes to my teammates."
On adjusting to his role…
"I mean, it hasn't been really hard. I just want to do everything that Coach Tang asks me to do. Because I know everything, he tells me to do is going lead to winning."
On watching what Keyontae (Johnson) and Markquis (Nowell) are doing on the court and how it inspires…
"Yeah, it does. It does make me want to be better. I was just telling someone yesterday, you know, I want to get to where Keyontae is, because, you know, he's our leading scorer and he's very efficient. The same for Markquis. He's very efficient. We shoot a lot after practice. So he's like a big brother to me. When things go wrong for me, he's like a big brother, someone I can lean on like how do I do this? How do I get better."
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 (13-1, 2-0 Big 12) is off to its best start since the 2009-10 season, while the Wildcats are 2-0 in Big 12 play for the first time since 2013-14.
The Wildcats and Bears (10-4, 0-2 Big 12) will meet at 5 p.m., CT on Saturday at the Ferrell Center on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
On his emotions on playing Baylor after spending 19 seasons as an assistant/associate head coach there…
"I really don't know. I mean, obviously, there's going to be emotion. You know, it sucked the other night when they lost. I was rooting for him. It felt like we lost. So, I mean, there's obviously a very strong connection there and I'm going to say my prayers that I can figure out how to separate the emotion so that I can be the best version of myself for our team because that's what's the most important thing is the game and our players. That's where really what I'm trying to focus on. But you know, you can't ignore the elephant in the room."
On the things he took from Coach Drew…
"Oh, man, it's been so much. I texted and called Coach Drew several times, just to tell him what a great job he does as a head coach. When we were in the middle of it, I don't think I told him enough what a great job he was doing. Because we were always just trying to figure out how we could get a little bit better. You know, and in the midst of that, I don't think I did a good job of just letting him know, man, he was doing a heck of a job. And, and the proof of that, the success that (ORU head coach) Paul (Mills), (North Texas head coach) Grant (McCasland) and (North Florida head coach) Matt (Driscoll) and other people who have been under him, and now in my situation, because he's he prepared us, he gave us, he taught us how to set a great example of what servant leadership is, and how to empower people to be the best version of themselves. And so, just there's just so much that I've taken from him."
On Cam Carter's play against Texas…
"Cam is one of those guys that he doesn't feel the moment. Like no moment is too big for him. And so, he just plays. And I think that's what happened against Texas. He just played. Against West Virginia – first Big 12 game – he maybe he overthought it instead of just being who he is, which is a hooper. On Tuesday, I thought he just relaxed and played. And, you know, that helps him."
On Carter going from playing 10 minutes a game at MSU to playing 25 at K-State…
"That has a lot to do with it. So, I mean, maturity. If Cam was consistently giving us 17 points a night, we'd be talking about him going into the (NBA) draft. But, he's been consistent because of experience and the more experience he gets, the more consistent he'll become. And, you know, that's just the part of the process."
On how the team has improved since that loss to Butler…
"Well, I think as a staff, the Butler game taught us a lot what we would like to do and not to do on road trips. So that was a huge improvement and a great learning lesson for us. As a team, I think the thing we've tried to improve on the most is cutting down turnovers. And I feel like we've done a better job of that, and our conditioning level is at the point in our focus where we're giving a consistent level of play. Early on, we only played about 20 minutes the way we needed to. We're playing about 30 to 35 now. We just have to be able to sustain that."
On giving up 103 points to Texas and do you have to emphasize defense despite scoring 116 points…
"Well, we're always going to emphasize defense. But there are some nights man where, you know, these dudes, they spent all summer they spent their whole life being in the gym shooting, they didn't go into gym and do defensive slides. Texas was scoring, and we had to keep scoring. It was one of those games where both teams were playing at a high level offensively. What's crazy to me is when the games are, you know, 55 to 50, or 60 to 55 you get the questions like what's wrong with the offense? How can you improve on your offense? Well, now we score 116 (points). And it's like, man, your defense sucks. Well, no, the other team is good, too. It's not like we're gonna win 116 to 40, Texas at Texas. It was one of those games where both teams were scoring, playing at a high level offensively, and you just have to roll with it. Now, are there some areas we can look back and say, we could have gotten stop there or there. And, yeah, we're gonna tweak those things. I've told y'all several times, I have a friend named Tim Maloney. And after every staff meeting, we would have at Baylor when he was there, talking about our defensive coverage and everything we're going to do, he would stand up and say, I hope we make shots. And you know what, on Saturday night against the Bears, I hope we make shots."
On Markquis Nowell's basketball IQ…
"I'm not good with scales, I just tell you this, he's played for three different coaches in the last three years, I believe, and had to learn three different ways of playing the game and have to try and see the game through three different guys' eyes, and he's been able to do that. And, I'm thankful that he loves the game of basketball. He just devours it. Like he's constantly trying to learn. And that's what's allowing him to be able to play at a really high level and just embracing the way we want him to play. And I think a lot of the credit, also, all the credit goes to Markquis, but some of the credit has to go to (assistant) coach (Rodney) Perry and our offensive schemes because we're putting Markquis in spaces where he doesn't have to guess where to throw the pass. He just has to make the right read, and Markquis is embracing that."
On how you stop Baylor's Keyonte George…
"The guards are very good for Baylor, as good as a collection of guards as they are in the country. You don't stop a kid like Keyonte George, you just hope to make the shots difficult. And if you don't, then the percentages will play out. But it's never just one guy. Like we've got to guard five against one and then be ready to rotate and guard five against one again."
On how to do you reset after scoring 116 points…
"We didn't even talk about it. We celebrated that night. The next day was about rehabbing and doing what we need to do to get ready for Baylor. The pace of the game and the style of the game determines what happens. We didn't go in thinking we were gonna score 100 points, definitely not thinking about that this next game we just want to have one more point than the other team."
SOPHOMORE CAM CARTER
On Coach Tang's coaching style…
"First off, Coach Tang is very passionate about winning. And we as a group of guys is also passionate about winning. So, we're gonna win and we connect very well. And our chemistry on and off the court is great, so I mean, it's unbeatable."
On his performance against Texas…
"It all has to do with my work in the gym. Putting in exercise, extra hours, things like that. And my teammates, I can't create shots for myself, so a lot of credit goes to my teammates."
On adjusting to his role…
"I mean, it hasn't been really hard. I just want to do everything that Coach Tang asks me to do. Because I know everything, he tells me to do is going lead to winning."
On watching what Keyontae (Johnson) and Markquis (Nowell) are doing on the court and how it inspires…
"Yeah, it does. It does make me want to be better. I was just telling someone yesterday, you know, I want to get to where Keyontae is, because, you know, he's our leading scorer and he's very efficient. The same for Markquis. He's very efficient. We shoot a lot after practice. So he's like a big brother to me. When things go wrong for me, he's like a big brother, someone I can lean on like how do I do this? How do I get better."
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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