Jerome Tang shares message with excited Wildcats fans upon his arrival at Kansas State
Kansas State fans rolled out the red carpet for their new men’s basketball coach when Jerome Tang arrived in Manhattan with his family via a chartered flight on Wednesday.
The Wildcats had a pep band at the airport ready to play the K-State fight song as soon as Tang exited the jet wearing a lavender pullover. A hundred or so fans also cheered with approval as he made his way into the terminal and began shaking hands.
“I am excited,” Tang said afterward. “This is a great turnout. It’s cold out there and folks are cheering and smiling. I am just honored — really honored — to be here.”
It was a fitting first step for Tang as he embarked on his first job as a college head coach, and the polar opposite of the cold welcome former coach Bruce Weber received when he arrived on campus a decade ago.
K-State fans were eager to meet Tang. He was thrilled to meet them.
They will need each other if Tang is going to build the Wildcats back into a winner.
“Our whole program needs you,” Tang said of K-State fans. “Kids come to play for programs and communities. It’s the fan that attracts them. I am so excited to partner with everyone and get this thing rolling and bring some real excitement.”
Tang, a 55-year old who has spent the past 19 seasons working as an assistant alongside Scott Drew at Baylor, said he was attracted to the K-State job because of its fans and athletics director Gene Taylor.
K-State will formally introduce Tang to fans and media during a news conference at noon Thursday.
Until then, he told fans what he can expect from him when he begins roaming the sidelines at Bramlage Coliseum next season.
“I’m just a regular dude,” Tang said. “I roll up my sleeves every day and I work really really hard. I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth, but I can lace up my boots and grab the shovel and dig and work. We are going to outwork people. That is going to produce winners.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2022 at 5:57 PM.