K-State Q&A: How Casey Alexander won over the Wildcats during basketball search
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- K-State hired Casey Alexander, known for a proven offense and roster plan.
- Search included seven Zoom interviews; Alexander got 5-year, $17M deal.
- Alexander predicts big turnover; a few Belmont players may follow him.
It’s time for a special edition of K-State Q&A.
We are posting your favorite mailbag about Wildcat sports a few days early this week, because Casey Alexander was hired as the new men’s basketball coach Monday and the first round of the NCAA Tournament begins Thursday.
Now seems like a sweet spot.
So let’s dive right into your questions. Thanks, as always, for providing them.
I am starting to come around on Casey Alexander as the men’s basketball hire. I think he wins here. But I would be lying if I said I wasn’t higher on Josh Schertz and Jerrod Calhoun during the coaching search. Is it wrong for me to feel that way? - Andrew B. via e-mail.
One odd thing that stood out to me about Kansas State’s search for a new basketball coach is that I heard less chatter about Casey Alexander than any other candidate.
The word on Alexander was that he was a proven winner and K-State was impressed with him from the beginning. He was in their top three. But that’s all anyone ever said about him until the moment he got the job.
Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz and Utah State coach Jerrod Calhoun generated much more buzz over the past four weeks. I also heard plenty about Creighton assistant coach Alan Huss, even though a source later said he was never a serious candidate for the opening.
Maybe that’s one of the reasons why Alexander ended up with the job. His businesslike approach may seem boring. But it could be exactly what K-State basketball needs right now.
He won’t bring much fanfare with him to Manhattan. But he will bring a proven system and a reliable roster plan to Bramlage Coliseum. That’s more than Jerome Tang ever had.
His coaching style should work in the Big 12. He is known as an offensive guru.
Illinois coach Brad Underwood wasn’t a candidate for the gig, but a source told me that he went to bat for Alexander. Apparently, Illinois coaches have studied Alexander’s offense in the past at Belmont. They try to use his stuff in the Big Ten. That helped reinforce his status as a brilliant X’s and O’s coach.
All things considered, I think the Wildcats made the right hire.
Some will complain that he has never won a NCAA Tournament game or that he lacks experience at a power-conference school. But he is the king of 20-win seasons. He fits the exact mold of an experienced head coach that athletic director Gene Taylor said he wanted to hire.
And it’s not like Calhoun and Schertz have any March Madness success to speak of.
Time will tell how the Alexander era goes at K-State. But there isn’t anything to complain about at the moment.
Did we interview any other big names on the coaching carousel? - Jeff M. via e-mail
K-State set up Zoom interviews with seven candidates, according to insiders.
They were Northern Iowa coach Ben Jacobson, New Mexico coach Eric Olen and the four names mentioned above — Alexander, Calhoun, Huss and Schertz. The Wildcats also spoke with one sitting head coach from a power-conference team, but I was asked not to share his name here because the candidate didn’t clear the interview with his athletic director.
But I did mention that mystery candidate in my initial list of potential coaching names. Feel free to try and connect the dots.
It’s also worth noting that Jacobson withdrew his name from the search before he formally spoke with K-State officials. He wanted the job, but he decided to focus on his current team instead. That move paid off as Northern Iowa won Arch Madness.
After that first round of interviews, K-State officials then held in-person interviews with their three finalists — Alexander, Calhoun and Schertz.
The Wildcats liked Schertz, but he told them he was already working on a contract extension with SLU. The odds of him leaving for a different job this year were low. He has since signed a lucrative deal to remain with the Billikens.
The Wildcats loved Calhoun and even tried to negotiate a deal with him. But talks never progressed. The more serious things got the more obvious it became that he was hoping for an extension at Utah State or waiting for Cincinnati to enter the picture. K-State officials gave him a window of time to reciprocate their interest, but it closed before that happened.
In hindsight, K-State sources now say that was a blessing in disguise.
K-State immediately pivoted to Alexander, and they quickly agreed to a five-year deal worth $17 million.
Alexander wanted the job more than the other finalists.
Were any players in attendance for Casey Alexander’s introductory press conference? -@kanbowhunter via X.
No, they were all out of town enjoying spring break.
Alexander said he had tried, and failed, to get in contact with K-State’s players as of Monday afternoon. But he isn’t closing the door on any of them suiting up for the Wildcats again next season.
I suspect that Taj Manning is open to one more year in Manhattan if Alexander will have him. He bleeds purple and his cousin, Joshua Manning, is now a wide receiver for the K-State football team. It would make sense for him to finish his career with the Wildcats.
Who else could return?
I’m not expecting many players back. PJ Haggerty is worth more in the transfer portal. Abdi Bashir was a huge Tang fan. David Castillo might want a change of scenery. I have no idea what to expect from the EuroCats — Andrej Kostic, Elias Rapieque and Dorin Buca.
Alexander is predicting significant turnover ahead of Year 1. That is probably a good thing for a team that just lost 20 games and finished 15th in the Big 12 standings.
How many Belmont transfers will be Cats next season? -@garrettb_1983
A few Belmont players are sure to follow Casey Alexander to K-State.
The team’s leading shooter, Tyler Lundblade, has already announced his plans to transfer. Another key player, Drew Scharnowski, is also on the move. Win Miller is also looking to transfer.
Several power-conference schools will be interested in Lundblade. But he may stay loyal to his coach and transfer to K-State.
Alexander has said that he is more than open to recruiting his former players to his new school.
That is one of the top perks about hiring a sitting head coach. He can bring his old team with him.
I also expect a few Belmont assistant coaches to join Alexander in Manhattan.
Can you please find a way to convince Coach Alexander and Gene Taylor to bring back the “Cats” basketball logo at midcourt at Bram? - @WildcatV1ctory
The court at Bramlage Coliseum is relatively new, so I doubt the Wildcats are looking to spend money on a new court.
But I am all about bringing that logo back in some form.
It would be perfect for a throwback themed game.
Now that the Jerome Tang era is over, I’m curious: Did he ever seem genuine to you? We were naive fans who wanted to believe, and hindsight makes me wonder if we missed signs. From your vantage point, did the façade show through? -@the_funky_andy via X.
I’m not sure what to say about all that.
But he definitely tricked a lot of K-State fans into thinking he was an excellent coach in Year 1 with Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson in the starting lineup.
Once those players left Manhattan, nothing Tang tried seemed to work. He changed his offense multiple times and he changed his recruiting approach multiple times. This is a guy who said he didn’t want to recruit players who cared about NIL money at his introductory news conference and then gave up on high school recruits. In Year 3, he only tried to buy transfers. In Year 4, he added Europeans to the mix.
He also went from the king of social interactions to nearly zero public speaking engagements of any kind.
His inability to commit to a plan after Year 1 was best shown by the T-shirts he wore around campus. Every week, there was a new phrase on them. His last few press conferences were also all over the place.
Even his rotation seemed to change from game to game.
There wasn’t much rhyme or reason to any of it.
He was an excellent assistant coach at a religious school like Baylor. But he couldn’t cut it as a head coach at a public university like K-State.
K-State vs. KU for the WBIT title at Koch Arena would be something else - @patemaw7 via X.
The WBIT bracket is set up for Kansas, K-State and Missouri to all reach the semifinals in Wichita.
Too bad Wichita State isn’t playing in the WBIT. Those four teams in Final Four would be the dream scenario.
Still, a Sunflower Showdown final would be epic. Both teams are No. 2 seeds on the bracket. Let’s hope it happens.
My weekly recommendations
Let’s focus these on the NCAA Tournament. Here’s my full bracket, if you want to follow along or fill out your own.
Favorite upset pick: USF. The Bulls have won 11 straight games and they have a top 25 defense when it comes to stopping teams in the paint. They will be a tough matchup for Louisville.
Favorite team to make a run: Illinois. The selection committee did more than a few favors for Brad Underwood’s team. If the Fighting Illini can beat Houston in the Sweet 16, which I think they have enough firepower to do, they should make it to the Final Four.
Favorite championship pick: Arizona. They were the class of the Big 12 this season. I like the Wildcats to win it all.