Jerome Tang Previews Upcoming Games
Dec 16, 2024 | Men's Basketball
The Wildcats play the unbeaten Bulldogs in Kansas City on Tuesday before traveling to Wichita Saturday.
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head men's basketball coach Jerome Tang met with the media on Monday afternoon (Dec. 16) to preview upcoming matchups with Drake and Wichita State this coming week.
The Wildcats (6-3) takes on one of the nation's last unbeaten teams on Tuesday night, as they play host to Drake (9-0) in the 13th Wildcat Classic at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. The game tips off at 7 p.m., on ESPN+. The team then travels to in-state rival Wichita State (8-2) on Saturday, Dec. 21 when they will take on the Shockers at Koch Arena at 6 p.m., CT.
Links to the audio and a transcript of Tang's availability are above.
K-State has a 10-2 record in the Wildcat Classic, which began at the T-Mobile Center in 2007 with an 87-60 win over Florida A&M. Among the 10 wins at the Wildcat Classic are three over Top 25 foes, including No. 23 Alabama (2011), No. 8 Florida (2012) and No. 21 Texas A&M (2014). The team is 2-0 at the Wildcat Classic under Tang with wins over Nebraska (71-56) and Wichita State (69-60) in each of the last 2 seasons.
The Wildcats have not played since Dec. 7 when they lost at St. John's. Three players are averaging in double figures led by junior Brendan Hausen (15.2 ppg.), who scored a career-high 27 points against the Johnnies in his last outing.
Led by former Northwest Missouri State head coach Ben McCollum, Drake is one of 5 unbeaten teams remaining in the Division I ranks after a 90-35 win over St. Ambrose on Dec. 12. Four of its 9 wins have come away from home, including a Charleston Classic title with neutral site wins over Miami (80-69), FAU (75-63) and Vanderbilt (81-70) and a 66-60 road victory at Valparaiso. The Bulldogs have won their 9 games by nearly 20 points per game.
Tickets for Tuesday's game at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City start at $20 and can be purchased through the Athletics Ticket Office at (800) 221.CATS or online at kstatesports.com/tickets.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
On what he emphasized to the team during a 10-day layoff between games…
"Well, we've just focused on the book ends, transition defense and rebounding and then buy in, you know. Like it's a blessing to be here, right? It's not a right and just that, like, we need more buy in. You know, I felt like we made progress."
On Dug McDaniel's attitude…
"Dug is doing fine. I don't know why there's speculation out there about that. I guess Dug's body language probably shows a lot in games and we're talking to him about it, but he was, for the most part, really good in practice. And, you know, we've had team meetings with guys, we've talked about shot selection, and I really feel like the guys have bought into what we want to do move forward. So, you know, I know I got some text messages and his parents, you know, and stuff. But well, first of all, if I'm going to dismiss a kid, we're not going to do it through the media, all right, like that's not how we're going to handle things. Dug and I we have a good relationship, I wouldn't say it's a great relationship, but it's okay, because the Bible says that iron sharpens iron and when two pieces of iron hit each other, there's going to be sparks, and that's all right, that's okay. It's just, how can we continue to keep moving forward and Dug has been great with that."
On the departure of Achor Achor creating opportunities for other guys on the team…
"It opens up the opportunity for a lot of guys. You know, Taj [Manning], Mobi [Ikegwuruka], we got a healthy Mobi now who's been able to practice multiple days in a row, and so, you know, yeah, it opens up opportunity. Also gets people's attention, you know. Love Achor, and wish him the best, but you know, one of the things I said is that our staff, one of our goals in recruiting this summer was to have an abundance, so that if you lost a player or two, you still had enough to accomplish what you wanted to accomplish. And so this, it doesn't catch me by surprise, I know that we still have what we need to accomplish, what we want to accomplish."
On what stands out about Drake's team…
"Well, Coach [Ben McCollum] has won four [DII] national championships, and he brought four players with him that played in the national championship game last year. And so, they have some continuity, it shows up in them being undefeated and being able to play, you know, win close games and they've already beaten two high major teams this year and so they're not going to be phased. And they have five players on their roster from Kansas City, so I know they're going to be excited to play. And so, yeah, they're a really good team, just like I said, I thought the St. John's game and these next two [Drake and Wichita State] are NCAA tournament teams and so we have to go and show that we are a type of team that can make a run to get to the NCAA tournament."
On the parallel to last season in playing their best game at LSU after the departure of Nae'Qwan Tomlin…
"You know, I thought the loss of 'Qwan brought the team closer together. Really focused on what was happening. Cam Carter was going back home to Louisiana and, I mean, he played like an unbelievable first half, if you remember there. And so, yeah, there was a lot that went to that, you know, adversity, the splinters, teams are pulled together and that group just pulled together for that. And so that was really good. Yeah, you know, I see a team that's figuring some things out and come together, our staff, we're figuring some things out. You hope that certain guys can do certain things, but, you know, after a period of time, you just start saying, 'well, man, this is what we need,' and these guys can provide it, and they may not provide, you know, something else that we need, but if this is where you're lacking in an area, then you gotta shore up that area, and for us, it's rebounding. So I got to play guys that are going to go rebound the basketball and so you know that that's going to help us."
On the team's goal to improve rebounding…
"We're going to play the guys who will go rebound the basketball. We got some, now they may not be able to do some things as well on the other end or in different areas, but we have a deficiency in going to rebound the ball, both on the offensive and defensive end. And so I liken it, my brother, he [was a] professional boxer and he's training us, that's my workout. Over at the gym, the KO boxing gym, the coach was talking to me about throwing punches, right, and he said, 'you know, it's not over after you throw the punch, you got to get back and protect yourself, otherwise you can get knocked out.' It's the same thing with defense, right, it's not over when we contest the shot, right, we got to go get the rebound, otherwise we'll get knocked out and that's what's been happening. We haven't, you know, been throwing the punch, contesting the shot, but we haven't been finishing the play. And so told that boxing analogy to the team and hopefully it like kind of will sink in and we'll see some improvement there."
On Drake being 2nd nationally in scoring defense and what they do so well…
"Well, they play complimentary basketball, right, their offense, they have one of the slowest pace in the country. They use about 21 seconds, a little bit more than 21 seconds on offense. And then they do a really good job of keeping you out the paint, right, they do a great job of covering elbows and blocks and playing with their chest and being in the gaps. And so that makes you also like have to work a little bit harder and teams who are impatient on offense, you know, if you play 25 seconds of defense and you play 10 seconds of offense, you'll go through the game and you'll end up playing 10 minutes offense and 25 minutes of defense, and that's no fun, no kid ever chooses to do that. So we have to play complimentary basketball also, we got to make them play defense for a long period of time and not just bail them out."
On what Bennett Stirtz brings to the table for Drake…
"Well, I mean, you got a 6'4" point guard, coach's son, really high IQ, doesn't get sped up, athletic too. Like, I think people overlooked that, his athleticism, and then he has a great feel for delivering a pocket pass and then will make tough shots at the end of shot clock. I mean that's real similar to when Trevor [Hudgins] was there [Northwest Missouri State] with Coach [Ben McCollum], right. Really good point guard didn't get sped up with the end of shot clock and rise up and make big shots and that's coach's MO so he fits exactly what Ben's about."
On what Drake does really well offensively…
"Everybody fills their role on that team, right. Like rollers roll and go finish and shooters shoot and they don't take shots that don't fit with their roles. And the guys who are ball movers are ball movers and defenders and everyone plays their role. Yeah, everyone on the team plays their role."
On feeling confident with the team's first shot defense…
"Yeah, I feel like our first shot defense is good. And, I mean, we obviously could contain the ball a little bit better, which will cut down on rotations and then allow us to keep a body on a body rebounding wise. But you know, sometimes it's just a matter of winning a one-on-one battle. You know, it's a two second fight when the ball is in the air and we got to have guys who can go win that one-on-one battle."
On if David Castillo is where he should be in this point of the season…
"David just needs playing time and that's my responsibility."
On focusing on not overlooking Drake and Wichita State ahead of Big 12 Conference play…
"Yeah, we're not in a position to overlook anybody, you know, and we're still trying to get better and still trying to figure some things out. So yeah, there won't be any overlooking at all. And you know, our big thing is always just going 1-0 and winning that day and not looking ahead. And so for us, you know, last few days been about us getting better and then now preparing for Drake and they're the most important game on the schedule."
On K-State fans creating a home environment in the games played at T-Mobile Arena…
"Well, these individual games, right, normally, we play neutral site games. I tell y'all, the first time we played, and I think we played Nebraska, and I remember the staff coming back and saying, 'coach, it's crazy out there,' and I was like, 'y'all tripping,' you know, and then I walked out, and it was, you know, 13,000, 15,000, however many it was and it was crazy. Then last year, the Wichita State game, I mean, it was 18,000, they had the curtains pulled back up top. And you know, to see our fans just support us the way they do, man. The Big 12 tournament, being able to have a home court advantage and I know it paid dividends last year in our game against Texas, our fans were with us, man, as they are today, right. Like, you know it's crazy, you hear comments, or you'd see things about, you hear don't give up on the team and all that kind of stuff and I start thinking, everything I know about K-State fans is that, K-State in general, we're not quitters. We don't give up, we don't stop short, our farmers, when it doesn't rain, doesn't give up on the crops, right? Like our students they don't give up, like we're fighters, that's what we do and that's what the staff is going to do, what this team is going to do, you know. And so I'm excited for our game tomorrow and in Kansas City and having our fans there and show up and give our guys a chance to get a taste of T-Mobile. I'm excited, excited about the opportunity to have an undefeated Drake team coming in, you know, I mean, that is exciting for me and I know that we've been working hard and there's no quit in us, just like there's no quit in K-State nation and our fan base."
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.
The Wildcats (6-3) takes on one of the nation's last unbeaten teams on Tuesday night, as they play host to Drake (9-0) in the 13th Wildcat Classic at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. The game tips off at 7 p.m., on ESPN+. The team then travels to in-state rival Wichita State (8-2) on Saturday, Dec. 21 when they will take on the Shockers at Koch Arena at 6 p.m., CT.
Links to the audio and a transcript of Tang's availability are above.
K-State has a 10-2 record in the Wildcat Classic, which began at the T-Mobile Center in 2007 with an 87-60 win over Florida A&M. Among the 10 wins at the Wildcat Classic are three over Top 25 foes, including No. 23 Alabama (2011), No. 8 Florida (2012) and No. 21 Texas A&M (2014). The team is 2-0 at the Wildcat Classic under Tang with wins over Nebraska (71-56) and Wichita State (69-60) in each of the last 2 seasons.
The Wildcats have not played since Dec. 7 when they lost at St. John's. Three players are averaging in double figures led by junior Brendan Hausen (15.2 ppg.), who scored a career-high 27 points against the Johnnies in his last outing.
Led by former Northwest Missouri State head coach Ben McCollum, Drake is one of 5 unbeaten teams remaining in the Division I ranks after a 90-35 win over St. Ambrose on Dec. 12. Four of its 9 wins have come away from home, including a Charleston Classic title with neutral site wins over Miami (80-69), FAU (75-63) and Vanderbilt (81-70) and a 66-60 road victory at Valparaiso. The Bulldogs have won their 9 games by nearly 20 points per game.
Tickets for Tuesday's game at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City start at $20 and can be purchased through the Athletics Ticket Office at (800) 221.CATS or online at kstatesports.com/tickets.
HEAD COACH JEROME TANG
On what he emphasized to the team during a 10-day layoff between games…
"Well, we've just focused on the book ends, transition defense and rebounding and then buy in, you know. Like it's a blessing to be here, right? It's not a right and just that, like, we need more buy in. You know, I felt like we made progress."
On Dug McDaniel's attitude…
"Dug is doing fine. I don't know why there's speculation out there about that. I guess Dug's body language probably shows a lot in games and we're talking to him about it, but he was, for the most part, really good in practice. And, you know, we've had team meetings with guys, we've talked about shot selection, and I really feel like the guys have bought into what we want to do move forward. So, you know, I know I got some text messages and his parents, you know, and stuff. But well, first of all, if I'm going to dismiss a kid, we're not going to do it through the media, all right, like that's not how we're going to handle things. Dug and I we have a good relationship, I wouldn't say it's a great relationship, but it's okay, because the Bible says that iron sharpens iron and when two pieces of iron hit each other, there's going to be sparks, and that's all right, that's okay. It's just, how can we continue to keep moving forward and Dug has been great with that."
On the departure of Achor Achor creating opportunities for other guys on the team…
"It opens up the opportunity for a lot of guys. You know, Taj [Manning], Mobi [Ikegwuruka], we got a healthy Mobi now who's been able to practice multiple days in a row, and so, you know, yeah, it opens up opportunity. Also gets people's attention, you know. Love Achor, and wish him the best, but you know, one of the things I said is that our staff, one of our goals in recruiting this summer was to have an abundance, so that if you lost a player or two, you still had enough to accomplish what you wanted to accomplish. And so this, it doesn't catch me by surprise, I know that we still have what we need to accomplish, what we want to accomplish."
On what stands out about Drake's team…
"Well, Coach [Ben McCollum] has won four [DII] national championships, and he brought four players with him that played in the national championship game last year. And so, they have some continuity, it shows up in them being undefeated and being able to play, you know, win close games and they've already beaten two high major teams this year and so they're not going to be phased. And they have five players on their roster from Kansas City, so I know they're going to be excited to play. And so, yeah, they're a really good team, just like I said, I thought the St. John's game and these next two [Drake and Wichita State] are NCAA tournament teams and so we have to go and show that we are a type of team that can make a run to get to the NCAA tournament."
On the parallel to last season in playing their best game at LSU after the departure of Nae'Qwan Tomlin…
"You know, I thought the loss of 'Qwan brought the team closer together. Really focused on what was happening. Cam Carter was going back home to Louisiana and, I mean, he played like an unbelievable first half, if you remember there. And so, yeah, there was a lot that went to that, you know, adversity, the splinters, teams are pulled together and that group just pulled together for that. And so that was really good. Yeah, you know, I see a team that's figuring some things out and come together, our staff, we're figuring some things out. You hope that certain guys can do certain things, but, you know, after a period of time, you just start saying, 'well, man, this is what we need,' and these guys can provide it, and they may not provide, you know, something else that we need, but if this is where you're lacking in an area, then you gotta shore up that area, and for us, it's rebounding. So I got to play guys that are going to go rebound the basketball and so you know that that's going to help us."
On the team's goal to improve rebounding…
"We're going to play the guys who will go rebound the basketball. We got some, now they may not be able to do some things as well on the other end or in different areas, but we have a deficiency in going to rebound the ball, both on the offensive and defensive end. And so I liken it, my brother, he [was a] professional boxer and he's training us, that's my workout. Over at the gym, the KO boxing gym, the coach was talking to me about throwing punches, right, and he said, 'you know, it's not over after you throw the punch, you got to get back and protect yourself, otherwise you can get knocked out.' It's the same thing with defense, right, it's not over when we contest the shot, right, we got to go get the rebound, otherwise we'll get knocked out and that's what's been happening. We haven't, you know, been throwing the punch, contesting the shot, but we haven't been finishing the play. And so told that boxing analogy to the team and hopefully it like kind of will sink in and we'll see some improvement there."
On Drake being 2nd nationally in scoring defense and what they do so well…
"Well, they play complimentary basketball, right, their offense, they have one of the slowest pace in the country. They use about 21 seconds, a little bit more than 21 seconds on offense. And then they do a really good job of keeping you out the paint, right, they do a great job of covering elbows and blocks and playing with their chest and being in the gaps. And so that makes you also like have to work a little bit harder and teams who are impatient on offense, you know, if you play 25 seconds of defense and you play 10 seconds of offense, you'll go through the game and you'll end up playing 10 minutes offense and 25 minutes of defense, and that's no fun, no kid ever chooses to do that. So we have to play complimentary basketball also, we got to make them play defense for a long period of time and not just bail them out."
On what Bennett Stirtz brings to the table for Drake…
"Well, I mean, you got a 6'4" point guard, coach's son, really high IQ, doesn't get sped up, athletic too. Like, I think people overlooked that, his athleticism, and then he has a great feel for delivering a pocket pass and then will make tough shots at the end of shot clock. I mean that's real similar to when Trevor [Hudgins] was there [Northwest Missouri State] with Coach [Ben McCollum], right. Really good point guard didn't get sped up with the end of shot clock and rise up and make big shots and that's coach's MO so he fits exactly what Ben's about."
On what Drake does really well offensively…
"Everybody fills their role on that team, right. Like rollers roll and go finish and shooters shoot and they don't take shots that don't fit with their roles. And the guys who are ball movers are ball movers and defenders and everyone plays their role. Yeah, everyone on the team plays their role."
On feeling confident with the team's first shot defense…
"Yeah, I feel like our first shot defense is good. And, I mean, we obviously could contain the ball a little bit better, which will cut down on rotations and then allow us to keep a body on a body rebounding wise. But you know, sometimes it's just a matter of winning a one-on-one battle. You know, it's a two second fight when the ball is in the air and we got to have guys who can go win that one-on-one battle."
On if David Castillo is where he should be in this point of the season…
"David just needs playing time and that's my responsibility."
On focusing on not overlooking Drake and Wichita State ahead of Big 12 Conference play…
"Yeah, we're not in a position to overlook anybody, you know, and we're still trying to get better and still trying to figure some things out. So yeah, there won't be any overlooking at all. And you know, our big thing is always just going 1-0 and winning that day and not looking ahead. And so for us, you know, last few days been about us getting better and then now preparing for Drake and they're the most important game on the schedule."
On K-State fans creating a home environment in the games played at T-Mobile Arena…
"Well, these individual games, right, normally, we play neutral site games. I tell y'all, the first time we played, and I think we played Nebraska, and I remember the staff coming back and saying, 'coach, it's crazy out there,' and I was like, 'y'all tripping,' you know, and then I walked out, and it was, you know, 13,000, 15,000, however many it was and it was crazy. Then last year, the Wichita State game, I mean, it was 18,000, they had the curtains pulled back up top. And you know, to see our fans just support us the way they do, man. The Big 12 tournament, being able to have a home court advantage and I know it paid dividends last year in our game against Texas, our fans were with us, man, as they are today, right. Like, you know it's crazy, you hear comments, or you'd see things about, you hear don't give up on the team and all that kind of stuff and I start thinking, everything I know about K-State fans is that, K-State in general, we're not quitters. We don't give up, we don't stop short, our farmers, when it doesn't rain, doesn't give up on the crops, right? Like our students they don't give up, like we're fighters, that's what we do and that's what the staff is going to do, what this team is going to do, you know. And so I'm excited for our game tomorrow and in Kansas City and having our fans there and show up and give our guys a chance to get a taste of T-Mobile. I'm excited, excited about the opportunity to have an undefeated Drake team coming in, you know, I mean, that is exciting for me and I know that we've been working hard and there's no quit in us, just like there's no quit in K-State nation and our fan base."
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.
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