Jerome Tang to return to Kansas State after Arkansas pursuit

NS_headshot_clearbackgroundby:Nick Schultz•04/05/24•

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Jerome Tang is staying at Kansas State after all. After Arkansas made a strong pursuit to replace Eric Musselman, he is opting to remain in Manhattan, he announced via social media.

Tang’s name was one of the first to come up for the Razorbacks opening after Musselman left for USC, along with Ole Miss coach Chris Beard. However, Beard announced his plans to stay in Oxford on Friday, meaning the search turned to Tang. The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman reported he was a “leading candidate” after Beard’s decision.

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Kansas State made a strong push to keep Tang, though. CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reported the school offered him an extension as Arkansas made its pursuit, and that commitment apparently made a difference.

Kansas State was Tang’s first head coaching opportunity after a long career on staff at Baylor, serving as an assistant coach from 2003-17 before moving up to associate head coach from 2017 until his departure in 2022. He immediately found success with the Wildcats, putting together a 45-25 overall record in his two seasons at the helm and making back-to-back NCAA Tournaments.

Tang’s first year went as well as it could’ve, though, as K-State went 26-10 overall and 11-7 in Big 12 play en route on an Elite Eight appearance.

Kansas State has also been active in the transfer portal this offseason, most notably landing former Michigan guard Dug McDaniel earlier this week. Now, the Wildcats have avoided a major departure, keeping their coach in town despite a push from an SEC program.

As for Arkansas, the search to replace Musselman is now taking another turn now that both Chris Beard and Jerome Tang have announced their plans to stay at their respective programs.

Musselman amassed a 111-59 record at Arkansas, but is now heading back to his West Coast roots. He played college basketball at San Diego and was the head coach of both the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings during his career. He also was the head coach at Nevada before arriving at Arkansas in 2019.