Jerome Tang explains why there is no timetable for Nae’Qwan Tomlin to rejoin K-State
Perhaps the most telling comment that Kansas State men’s basketball coach Jerome Tang made while talking about the status of suspended forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin on Tuesday came in response to a question about whether or not the 6-foot-10 senior could return to a leadership role whenever he is allowed to return to the team.
“As of this moment, I don’t know if he’s coming back,” Tang said. “So I’m not even thinking about that right now. Right now, I’m looking for dudes that are on the team.”
Just like that, Tang made it clear that he is taking Tomlin’s weekend arrest for “disorderly conduct” and “brawling or fighting” at Tubby’s Sports Bar in Manhattan very seriously.
On Monday, Tang announced that he was suspending Tomlin from the team indefinitely. On Tuesday, he said there is no timetable for his return and then went so far as to say Tomlin might end up getting dismissed from the roster altogether.
“Our responsibility as men and as mentors is to hold these guys accountable and to love them through the consequences, not love them around it,” Tang said. “Nae’Qwan is going to have to show that he has learned something from this. There’s still a process that is going on that we have no control over that has to take place. We will find out what happens there and then we are going to deal with what we have to deal with here. I’m not putting a timetable on it.”
Tang made it clear that Tomlin could be away from the K-State basketball team for a significant period of time.
Whenever the situation feels right, he will consider reinstating the most experienced and talented returner on the team.
“Right now I’m not really even focused on that,” Tang said, “as much as I’m focused on that young fella getting better every day and moving in the right direction and recognizing what his pitfalls are, what his downfalls are and learning to develop a plan to avoid those situations.”
Tang said he informed Tomlin of his suspension and told him that he will be away from the team as the legal process plays out after his arrest. K-State basketball coaches plan to make sure he goes to class and gets whatever help he needs.
At some point down the road both sides will come together and discuss the future.
“He knows we love him,” Tang said, “and he knows that we’re there for him. He is extremely apologetic for what happened.”
It has been a disappointing fall semester for Tomlin.
The junior-college transfer averaged 10.4 points and 5.9 rebounds during his first season with the Wildcats last year. He was a a major reason why they were able to win 26 games and reach the Elite Eight. He played so well as a junior that he was able to test the NBA Draft waters over the summer and try out for a number of professional teams. When he decided to return to college, much was expected of him as senior. But little has gone right since then.
Tomlin was also away from the K-State basketball team for significant stretches of the preseason as he dealt with what Tang described as “personal issues.”
Those kept Tomlin away from the team for long chunks of practice and the team’s preseason scrimmage against SMU, which the Wildcats lost without him.
When he returned to the team last week, it seemed like Tomlin was back on track. Not so much now.
“There were just a lot things that he needed some time away,” Tang said. “Obviously, we didn’t give him the type of help that he needed to handle all the things that he’s facing, and so we’re going to do a better job as a staff of providing those things for him. We’re going to be there for him as he deals with the consequences of bad decisions.”
K-State will struggle to replace Tomlin while he is away from the team.
Tomlin was one of the most athletic and versatile big men in the Big 12 last season. It would not have been a shock to see him make the all-conference team this year.
The Wildcats will need to lean on players like David N’Guessan, Arthur Kaluma, Macaleab Rich and Taj Manning.
K-State will try to experiment with some different lineups when it hosts an exhibition game against Emporia State on Wednesday. Its first real game of the season, against USC in Las Vegas, will be a challenge without Tomlin.