Jerome Tang Previews the LSU Game
Nov 11, 2024 | Men's Basketball
The Wildcats play host to the Tigers on Thursday night at Bramlage Coliseum.
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head men's basketball coach Jerome Tang met with the media on Monday afternoon (Nov. 11) to preview the matchup with LSU on Thursday (Nov. 14) in the second game of men's and women's doubleheader at Bramlage Coliseum.
It will Purple Pride Night with the 10th-ranked Wildcat women's basketball team (2-0) taking on Creighton at 5:30 p.m., CT with the men following at 8 p.m., CT. Tickets are available by calling (800) 221.CATS or online at kstatesports.com/tickets.
Links to the audio and a transcript of Tang's availability are above.
K-State (2-0) will play LSU (2-0) for the third consecutive season on Thursday with the Wildcats winning a neutral-site contest in the championship game of the 2022 Cayman Islands Classic and the first game of the home-and-home series at the Maravich Center in Baton Rouge, La., last season. This will be the first visit by an SEC school since Florida in 2023.
The Wildcats are off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2022-23 with victories over New Orleans and Cleveland State. Junior Brendan Hausen is one of three Wildcats averaging double figures with a team-leading 19.5 points per game on 60 percent shooting, including 55.6 percent from 3-point range. Senior David N'Guessan is averaging a near double-double (16.5 ppg., 9.0 rpg.), while fellow senior Max Jones is averaging 15 points per game.
The game will be a homecoming of sorts for former Wildcat Cam Carter, who transferred to LSU in the offseason. The Donaldsonville, La., native played 2 seasons at K-State, averaging 10.4 points on 38.8 percent shooting with 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 30.7 minutes per game in starting all 70 games in his career. He is currently averaging a team-best 21.0 points per game for the Tigers on 52.2 percent shooting, including 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from 3-point range.
LSU has opened the season with victories over ULM and Alabama State at home.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
On what he has learned about the team after 2 games…
"Oh, man, what a heck of a question. You know, we got some guys who can make shots, and so even when you know we don't play as well as we want to, man, I tell you all the time for years, last couple of said, I got this friend, Tim Maloney, and we would be in staff meetings, and we'd have all these plans, how we need to guard this, how we need to do that, what we need doing. And he would be quiet the whole meeting. Then at the end of the meeting, he'd get up and go, I hope we make shots. That's all he'd say. I hope we make shots. And he would walk out of the meeting, you know. And that's, you know, what it boils down to is, man, you got to make shots. So, you have got to do some other things too. But if you make shots, it solves a lot of problems."
On the return of Cam Carter…
"You know, we haven't really said much about it. We love Cam Carter. Cam did a lot for our program. He believed in us as a staff when a lot of people didn't, and I felt like, and we believed in him. He was a really, really good player for us, and with the nature of college basketball, he got to capitalize on that and be able to go back, be close to home, to his family, too. So, you know, it was a double blessing for him. So, man, super thankful for Cam's time here. And, you know, absolutely love him, and just hope he doesn't play well."
On Achor Achor…
"He has had a few good days now, and mentally, he's in a good spot, and physically, he's in the back. So, yeah, I expect him to play."
On any surprises with Brendan Hausen and his impact…
"Nah, not at all. I expected him to play like this from his freshman year. I watched him in high school, his toughness, his competitiveness, his shot making ability, he's just a gamer, he's just a winner. Knowing the type of confidence that his high school coaches had in him, one of them being his dad, just know that if you breathe confidence into him, he can do it. And now I'm challenging him to be a defender and not be the guy that the other teams think they can pick on. I believe he's going to respond to that."
On the development of Baye Fall…
"Baye has been practicing well. He's been doing a lot of the extra things that he needed to do to put himself in a position to play. He's doing extra lifts. He's taking his nutrition seriously. I think he's up to 215 pounds now, and just making really good decisions off the floor, that's allowing him to be productive on the floor. Like this morning, he had a really good practice today, and he told me, he said I ate a real breakfast this morning. I didn't just eat fruit. And so, he's taking steps towards getting to where he needs to get to. It's a growth process for him. I'm very, very happy for him. Hard work pays off, and it comes at different times, but to see it, coming about, it's exciting for him."
On the growth of Dug McDaniel…
"Yeah, he's growing. And, you know, just playing the point guard (spot) for us is a little different than playing the point guard elsewhere, and there's a whole lot more responsibilities, and seeing the game the way I see it, and then him learning that. And then, once he embraces that in which he has, and he's really like starting to take some ownership of some things, and then I'll get to start seeing the game the way he sees it, and then we can see together. It's going to take some time. It's a process, and so, I'm not disappointed where we are. I'm excited about where we're heading."
On the progress being made by Ugonna Onyenso…
"It's going to take time, but every guy must do their job. And players determine playing time. It's competitive. You know, you can only put five on the floor at one time. And so, every day those guys have to come to practice and bring it, and if they do their jobs, they determine the playing time."
On the difficulties of prepping for teams early in the season with the transfer portal…
"That's a really good question. The good thing is, it's harder when it's new players and a new coach.
Coach McMahon has been there for three years now. This is our third year playing, so we got a little feel for what they like to do. Maybe we'll do things a little bit different. Obviously, you don't have Will Baker, so it's not a pick and pop from the five as much as might be a pick and roll a lot of things. And so, it makes a little bit different with new players. We can go pull some old footage and see what it is they like to do. But the same struggle we have in preparing for them, teams have been preparing for us. So, we're all on an equal playing field."
On areas where you would like to see improvement…
"Defensive ball screen coverage, you know, we have to get better. We didn't do a very good job last game on that and then rebounding. You know, if we can our first shot defense, I think is, I don't want it with top five in the country, our first shot defense, right? And it's just if we can go retrieve the basketball. And so, if we can do that, that's really going to help us."
On LSU and the challenges they present…
"The five out offense that they run. You know, multiple guys out there who can make shots, (Jordan) Sears is really, really good. I think he was number two in the country in ball screen offense last year, only behind Dug McDaniel. And I mean, he's just a terrific player, and you can't, like, feed him a steady diet of one thing, because he's going to figure it out. And then, obviously, Cam (Carter) can make shots. And you know, just so when you have two guards who can do that, and, and then Jalen Reed, and Jalen played AAU basketball for one of my best friends, Omar Carter, God rest his soul. And so, I've known him for a while and he's just a terrific talent. They have some older guys too, and who know how to play and their third year together with the coaching staff, so they pose a lot of problems, and they're always going to guard you. They're always going to compete and guard you. So, it'll be a great challenge. I'm thankful that we get to play him at home with our crowd."
On what you are expecting of the crowd on Thursday…
"I'm expecting a sellout. That's what I'm expecting. I'm expecting every seat filled and the student section to be rocking so just super, super, super excited about that."
On David Castillo playing with older guards…
"No, it's really good for him, right? Like, this struggle that he is going through. Like every, every player goes through it, and has to go through it, and he's playing a hard position, and it's not easy to play the point guard for me. I've been blessed to coach like at least eight all conference point guards. So there's something to it, right? I told our staff every time he shoots it, I believe it's going in, so I want him to fail aggressively if he's going to fail, like, don't, don't fail passively and so, but so it's really good that he has CJ (Jones) and Dug (McDaniel), but he's going to be just fine. He's going to be just fine because he works at it."
On why it's hard to play point guard for him…
"I just demand a lot of them. They get a whole lot of freedom. Because people always talk about, man, he lets his guards get off. Well, y'all are not with me every day in practice, right? And I demand a lot of every turnover is their fault. Every time a play is run incorrectly, it's their fault, right? You know they have to be able to do something and it not work, and then have the confidence, when I get on them about it, to do it again and make it work, and then smile at me and wink, you know, I mean, that's so you got to have that kind of confidence, like, because otherwise, like, coaches hate, Oh say, for me, I don't want a guy who does everything I tell him to do, and a guy who does nothing I tell him to do, there's got to be like, a little bit in between, because they're players, right? And they see something, they make a play. So, what I saw, and if it doesn't work out, they hit me with the 'my bad coach', and then the next time they go make that play. So, it takes a certain level of confidence and mental toughness and emotional maturity to be able to handle what we do every day at practice. But if you can do that, then on game day, you get to play 40 minutes of freedom."
On the turnovers…
"I don't think it had anything to do with finding roles. I think we were up 20, and the guys relaxed. And we had some like just careless turnovers, some like not being strong with the ball and getting it slapped out of our hands, or a dribble hand off that we were lackadaisical about. And so, we have to learn how to handle success and build on leads."
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 X, Instagram and Facebook.
It will Purple Pride Night with the 10th-ranked Wildcat women's basketball team (2-0) taking on Creighton at 5:30 p.m., CT with the men following at 8 p.m., CT. Tickets are available by calling (800) 221.CATS or online at kstatesports.com/tickets.
Links to the audio and a transcript of Tang's availability are above.
K-State (2-0) will play LSU (2-0) for the third consecutive season on Thursday with the Wildcats winning a neutral-site contest in the championship game of the 2022 Cayman Islands Classic and the first game of the home-and-home series at the Maravich Center in Baton Rouge, La., last season. This will be the first visit by an SEC school since Florida in 2023.
The Wildcats are off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2022-23 with victories over New Orleans and Cleveland State. Junior Brendan Hausen is one of three Wildcats averaging double figures with a team-leading 19.5 points per game on 60 percent shooting, including 55.6 percent from 3-point range. Senior David N'Guessan is averaging a near double-double (16.5 ppg., 9.0 rpg.), while fellow senior Max Jones is averaging 15 points per game.
The game will be a homecoming of sorts for former Wildcat Cam Carter, who transferred to LSU in the offseason. The Donaldsonville, La., native played 2 seasons at K-State, averaging 10.4 points on 38.8 percent shooting with 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 30.7 minutes per game in starting all 70 games in his career. He is currently averaging a team-best 21.0 points per game for the Tigers on 52.2 percent shooting, including 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from 3-point range.
LSU has opened the season with victories over ULM and Alabama State at home.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
On what he has learned about the team after 2 games…
"Oh, man, what a heck of a question. You know, we got some guys who can make shots, and so even when you know we don't play as well as we want to, man, I tell you all the time for years, last couple of said, I got this friend, Tim Maloney, and we would be in staff meetings, and we'd have all these plans, how we need to guard this, how we need to do that, what we need doing. And he would be quiet the whole meeting. Then at the end of the meeting, he'd get up and go, I hope we make shots. That's all he'd say. I hope we make shots. And he would walk out of the meeting, you know. And that's, you know, what it boils down to is, man, you got to make shots. So, you have got to do some other things too. But if you make shots, it solves a lot of problems."
On the return of Cam Carter…
"You know, we haven't really said much about it. We love Cam Carter. Cam did a lot for our program. He believed in us as a staff when a lot of people didn't, and I felt like, and we believed in him. He was a really, really good player for us, and with the nature of college basketball, he got to capitalize on that and be able to go back, be close to home, to his family, too. So, you know, it was a double blessing for him. So, man, super thankful for Cam's time here. And, you know, absolutely love him, and just hope he doesn't play well."
On Achor Achor…
"He has had a few good days now, and mentally, he's in a good spot, and physically, he's in the back. So, yeah, I expect him to play."
On any surprises with Brendan Hausen and his impact…
"Nah, not at all. I expected him to play like this from his freshman year. I watched him in high school, his toughness, his competitiveness, his shot making ability, he's just a gamer, he's just a winner. Knowing the type of confidence that his high school coaches had in him, one of them being his dad, just know that if you breathe confidence into him, he can do it. And now I'm challenging him to be a defender and not be the guy that the other teams think they can pick on. I believe he's going to respond to that."
On the development of Baye Fall…
"Baye has been practicing well. He's been doing a lot of the extra things that he needed to do to put himself in a position to play. He's doing extra lifts. He's taking his nutrition seriously. I think he's up to 215 pounds now, and just making really good decisions off the floor, that's allowing him to be productive on the floor. Like this morning, he had a really good practice today, and he told me, he said I ate a real breakfast this morning. I didn't just eat fruit. And so, he's taking steps towards getting to where he needs to get to. It's a growth process for him. I'm very, very happy for him. Hard work pays off, and it comes at different times, but to see it, coming about, it's exciting for him."
On the growth of Dug McDaniel…
"Yeah, he's growing. And, you know, just playing the point guard (spot) for us is a little different than playing the point guard elsewhere, and there's a whole lot more responsibilities, and seeing the game the way I see it, and then him learning that. And then, once he embraces that in which he has, and he's really like starting to take some ownership of some things, and then I'll get to start seeing the game the way he sees it, and then we can see together. It's going to take some time. It's a process, and so, I'm not disappointed where we are. I'm excited about where we're heading."
On the progress being made by Ugonna Onyenso…
"It's going to take time, but every guy must do their job. And players determine playing time. It's competitive. You know, you can only put five on the floor at one time. And so, every day those guys have to come to practice and bring it, and if they do their jobs, they determine the playing time."
On the difficulties of prepping for teams early in the season with the transfer portal…
"That's a really good question. The good thing is, it's harder when it's new players and a new coach.
Coach McMahon has been there for three years now. This is our third year playing, so we got a little feel for what they like to do. Maybe we'll do things a little bit different. Obviously, you don't have Will Baker, so it's not a pick and pop from the five as much as might be a pick and roll a lot of things. And so, it makes a little bit different with new players. We can go pull some old footage and see what it is they like to do. But the same struggle we have in preparing for them, teams have been preparing for us. So, we're all on an equal playing field."
On areas where you would like to see improvement…
"Defensive ball screen coverage, you know, we have to get better. We didn't do a very good job last game on that and then rebounding. You know, if we can our first shot defense, I think is, I don't want it with top five in the country, our first shot defense, right? And it's just if we can go retrieve the basketball. And so, if we can do that, that's really going to help us."
On LSU and the challenges they present…
"The five out offense that they run. You know, multiple guys out there who can make shots, (Jordan) Sears is really, really good. I think he was number two in the country in ball screen offense last year, only behind Dug McDaniel. And I mean, he's just a terrific player, and you can't, like, feed him a steady diet of one thing, because he's going to figure it out. And then, obviously, Cam (Carter) can make shots. And you know, just so when you have two guards who can do that, and, and then Jalen Reed, and Jalen played AAU basketball for one of my best friends, Omar Carter, God rest his soul. And so, I've known him for a while and he's just a terrific talent. They have some older guys too, and who know how to play and their third year together with the coaching staff, so they pose a lot of problems, and they're always going to guard you. They're always going to compete and guard you. So, it'll be a great challenge. I'm thankful that we get to play him at home with our crowd."
On what you are expecting of the crowd on Thursday…
"I'm expecting a sellout. That's what I'm expecting. I'm expecting every seat filled and the student section to be rocking so just super, super, super excited about that."
On David Castillo playing with older guards…
"No, it's really good for him, right? Like, this struggle that he is going through. Like every, every player goes through it, and has to go through it, and he's playing a hard position, and it's not easy to play the point guard for me. I've been blessed to coach like at least eight all conference point guards. So there's something to it, right? I told our staff every time he shoots it, I believe it's going in, so I want him to fail aggressively if he's going to fail, like, don't, don't fail passively and so, but so it's really good that he has CJ (Jones) and Dug (McDaniel), but he's going to be just fine. He's going to be just fine because he works at it."
On why it's hard to play point guard for him…
"I just demand a lot of them. They get a whole lot of freedom. Because people always talk about, man, he lets his guards get off. Well, y'all are not with me every day in practice, right? And I demand a lot of every turnover is their fault. Every time a play is run incorrectly, it's their fault, right? You know they have to be able to do something and it not work, and then have the confidence, when I get on them about it, to do it again and make it work, and then smile at me and wink, you know, I mean, that's so you got to have that kind of confidence, like, because otherwise, like, coaches hate, Oh say, for me, I don't want a guy who does everything I tell him to do, and a guy who does nothing I tell him to do, there's got to be like, a little bit in between, because they're players, right? And they see something, they make a play. So, what I saw, and if it doesn't work out, they hit me with the 'my bad coach', and then the next time they go make that play. So, it takes a certain level of confidence and mental toughness and emotional maturity to be able to handle what we do every day at practice. But if you can do that, then on game day, you get to play 40 minutes of freedom."
On the turnovers…
"I don't think it had anything to do with finding roles. I think we were up 20, and the guys relaxed. And we had some like just careless turnovers, some like not being strong with the ball and getting it slapped out of our hands, or a dribble hand off that we were lackadaisical about. And so, we have to learn how to handle success and build on leads."
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 X, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
W
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
W
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballK State Men's Basketball | Head Coach Casey Alexander Media Availability - April 30, 2026
Thursday, April 30
K-State Men's Basketball | New Staff Arrivals Part II
Tuesday, April 07
K-State Men's Basketball | New Staff Arrivals
Thursday, March 26
K-State Men's Basketball | Head Coach Casey Alexander Baseball Game TV Interview
Saturday, March 21
