Gene Taylor to prioritize head coaching experience in K-State basketball search
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Gene Taylor will likely focus on candidates with head-coaching experience.
- K-State is the first power-conference program with a coaching vacancy.
- Taylor will rely on the prior search committee during a patient hiring process.
It is not uncommon for athletic directors to look for opposites when it comes time to hire a new coach.
If the old guy was a disciplinarian, his replacement is often easygoing. If the old guy emphasized defense, his replacement tends to be good on offense. If the old guy was quiet, his replacement is usually loud.
K-State athletic director Gene Taylor may follow that same formula as he searches for a replacement for Jerome Tang, who was unceremoniously fired “for cause” Sunday midway through a nightmare season that has featured just 10 wins for the Wildcats.
Tang came to K-State via Baylor, where he helped Scott Drew build the Bears into a national power over the course of two decades as an assistant coach.
This time around, it sounds like Taylor wants to hire a sitting head coach.
“One of the things that we will probably focus on is head coaching experience,” Taylor said, “and looking to see what kind of program they’ve had and what kind of success they’ve had. That doesn’t mean those will be the only candidates we look at, but that is certainly where we will start.”
It’s too early to know exactly which candidates Taylor will target over the coming weeks. Most expected Tang to continue coaching until the end of the regular season. But the viral comments he made last week after a loss to Cincinnati accelerated the timeline of his dismissal.
Taylor may not have had a list of names ready to go when he announced a coaching change.
But there are some obvious candidates out there, including Illinois coach Brad Underwood and Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz.
Four years ago, Tang vaulted to the top of K-State’s list early on as the Wildcats looked to replace Bruce Weber. But sources confirmed they interviewed several other candidates, including UAB coach Andy Kennedy, then Wyoming coach Jeff Linder and a few other up-and-comers at mid-major programs.
K-State also expressed interest in then Colorado State coach Niko Medved, then North Texas coach Grant McCasland and then San Francisco coach Todd Golden. But those coaches all led their teams to the postseason that year, which made formal interviews with them difficult.
This time around, K-State will have a leg up on the competition. The Wildcats are the first power-conference team with a coaching vacancy. That should give them a head start as they explore their options.
Taylor said he will rely on the same search committee that assisted him four years ago. That means executive associate athletic directors Kenny Lannou and Casey Scott will be by his side throughout the hiring process. Taylor said he hasn’t yet decided if he will hire an outside search firm to help him compile a list of candidates and schedule interviews.
K-State is expected to take a patient approach during its search. Many candidates will not be available until their teams are eliminated from the NCAA Tournament.
One thing is for sure: He is confident that K-State will be an attractive destination for a good coach ... who most likely has head coaching experience.
“There is a lot of support for the basketball program,” Taylor said. “The budget is strong. All those things still exist. I don’t see that being a problem. This is a great program, and it’s got a great reputation. I have no concerns at all about attracting top candidates.”