‘We had to make some changes’: How Jerome Tang guided K-State out of a losing streak
Kansas State is a rapidly improving basketball team.
The Wildcats have looked like a new squad over the past three weeks, and Big 12 opponents are beginning to take notice.
After getting off to a dismal start to the season, K-State (9-11, 3-6 Big 12) is suddenly on a roll. It played Texas Tech, Kansas and Baylor tougher than most expected. Then the team broke through with a pair of convincing home victories against West Virginia and Oklahoma State.
The Wildcats are on their first winning streak since early December after Wednesday’s 85-57 win over the Cowboys at Bramlage Coliseum.
Nobody is happier about that development than K-State coach Jerome Tang.
“It’s a joy coaching these dudes and where we’re at right now,” Tang said. “But it was work to get here. We’re getting ready to start February here in a little bit, and we always refer to that as the dog days of February. But it doesn’t feel like the dog days to me. I feel so energetic and so refreshed. The team looks energetic and refreshed. Our practices are super competitive.”
How did the Wildcats get things turned around?
Let’s start with some numbers.
K-State has played like a top 25 team ever since it lost to Houston on Jan. 11. College basketball statistician Bart Torvik has the Wildcats ranked No. 20 nationally over that span thanks to a huge upswing in offensive efficiency. K-State is no longer trying to win games by scoring 60 points.
Dug McDaniel has become a more aggressive scorer at point guard. Coleman Hawkins has flirted with a few triple-doubles on the inside. And the Wildcats have found balanced scoring across their rotation.
They have also started to play better on defense, as evidenced by the 21 turnovers they forced against Oklahoma State.
Overall, K-State has climbed to No. 73 nationally (up from No. 111) in Torvik’s analytical model over the past few weeks.
“It’s night and day from when we first started,” K-State forward Coleman Hawkins said. “We just simplified things and spoke on things that we felt like could be more effective and maybe some things we need to get rid of. We’ve been clicking well and we have been locked in.”
The turnaround began when Tang decided to make things easier for his roster.
With just three players returning from last year’s team, perhaps he was asking too much of his newcomers early in the season.
“We had to make some changes,” Tang said. “The staff had to do it and the players had to do it ... We have simplified our game and what we want to do and how we want to attack. That’s made it easier for a new group of guys.”
Tang also mentioned that mid-year transfer Tyreek Smith has brought a new level of energy to practice that has helped the team as a whole.
Some will say the improvement is too little, too late for a team that began the season 7-11 and has virtually no chance of earning an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament.
But it certainly beats the alternative. K-State fans have reason to feel optimistic about the remainder of the season.
“I’ve been saying for a while that we’re getting better and we’re close,” Tang said. “We’re still not as good as we can be. We still have room for improvement. But I’m thankful that we were able to show we could improve and keep improving after wins.”