Kansas State hires Jerome Tang: Longtime Baylor assistant coach familiar with Big 12

Tang has been on the bench at Baylor since Scott Drew took over in 2003

Kansas State on Monday announced the hiring of long-time Baylor assistant coach Jerome Tang as its next men's basketball coach. Tang will succeed Bruce Weber in Manhattan, Kansas, following his resignation earlier this month on the heels of a third consecutive losing season. He'll be formally introduced as the coach in a press conference Thursday.

"I am beyond excited to be the next head basketball coach at Kansas State," said Tang in a university statement. "Having the opportunity to build on a program with a rich basketball history at a prestigious university is truly a blessing. We look forward to bringing an exciting style of basketball to K-State while helping our student-athletes succeed on the court and in life."

Tang, 55, just finished his 19th season on the bench as an assistant coach with the Bears after their bid to repeat as national champions ended in the second round on Saturday. He was hired as an assistant on Scott Drew's original staff in 2003 when he took the reins of the program and was promoted in 2017 to Associate Head Coach.

Baylor's turnaround under Drew the last two decades is one of the most remarkable in all of sports, as he took over a program mired in controversy and built it to a perennial Big 12 power and an NCAA champion. Tang has been credited as a huge contributor to that rebuild, serving on staff while they built eight top-25 recruiting classes, made three Elite Eights, won two conference championships and consistently produced NBA talent throughout the last two decades.

"As we conducted a national search to find our next head coach, we wanted to identify an individual who can lead our program to consistently high levels while maintaining the integrity that our program is known for," said Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor. "When we first met with Jerome, he was very impressive, and that continued throughout the duration of our search. From a detailed recruiting plan and familiarity with our league, his knack for building and maintaining tremendous relationships with everyone he comes in contact with, to offensive and defensive philosophies, he has what it takes to be a successful leader."

The cross-conference job switch and promotion for Tang makes him a first-time head coach at the Division I level and fills the only vacancy in the Big 12. Prior to his stint at Baylor, Tang served as head coach and athletic director at a private high school.