Jerome Tang’s time at Kansas State has come to an end.
The Wildcats head coach was fired on Sunday amid his fourth season at the helm.
KSU fell to 10-15 and 1-11 in the Big 12 with a 78-64 loss to Houston on Saturday. That defeat came just three days after the Wildcats got embarrassed 91-62 by Cincinnati at Bramlage Coliseum, leading Tang to slam his team in his postgame presser.
“This was embarrassing,” Tang said. “These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform. There will be very few of them in it next year. I’m embarrassed for the university. I’m embarrassed for our fans, our student section. It is just ridiculous.”
Tang is reportedly negotiating the terms of his exit with the school. His buyout for a firing without cause is more than $18 million, but Kansas State is trying to fire him for cause. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the basis for cause firing is language in Tang’s contract that references any activity that brings “public disrepute, embarrassment, ridicule” to the university.
“This was a decision that was made in the best interest of our university and men’s basketball program,” Kansas State Athletics Director Gene Taylor said in a statement. “Recent public comments and conduct, in addition to the program’s overall direction, have not aligned with K-State’s standards for supporting student-athletes and representing the university. We wish Coach Tang and his family all the best moving forward.”
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Tang disagrees with how the school has characterized his dismissal, as he shared in a statement Sunday. “I am deeply disappointed with the university’s decision and strongly disagree with the characterization of my termination. I have always acted with integrity and faithfully fulfilled my responsibilities as head coach,” Tang said. “It has been one of the great honors of my life. I am grateful to the players, staff, and fans who make this program so special. I remain proud of what we built together and confident that I have always acted in the best interests of the university and our student-athletes.”
A former assistant at Baylor, Tang was hired by Kansas State in March 2022 and made an immediate splash, guiding the Wildcats to a 26-10 record and a trip to the Elite Eight in his first season. It has been downhill ever since. The Wildcats went 19-15 in 2023-24 and 16-17 in 2024-25, failing to reach the NCAA Tournament both years. They are currently 15th in the Big 12 and ranked 101st on KenPom.
Expectations were high for the program heading into the 2025-26 campaign following the offseason addition of reigning AAC Player of the Year PJ Haggerty, along with several other prominent transfers. “They’re just really high-level, high-character guys who are passionate about the same things,” Tang told Hoops HQ about his roster back in July. “And that’s basketball and winning.”
The team had a few notable victories during nonconference play, beating California, Mississippi State and Creighton. It nearly toppled Nebraska on Nov. 21, losing 86-85 on a last-second free throw. But the last two months have been abysmal, as KSU has secured just one win in the new year: 81-78 over Utah, which is 9-16 and 1-11 in league play, on Jan. 20.
K-State is set to take on Baylor on Tuesday in Manhattan. The interim head coach will be associate head coach Matthew Driscoll.
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