Rapid Recap: Kansas State just getting started
KANSAS STATE JUST GETTING STARTED
Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang met with the media on Tuesday afternoon, a day before he will exit Manhattan once again but to recruit. It was just two days after landing back in town after a weekend at the Final Four where he accepted the Naismith Coach of the Year award.
He was informed of the honor ahead of time and was able to celebrate with his team and staff before traveling to Houston. But like he told Field of 68, he wants the next time he is at the Final Four to be because they won the last game.
Tang shared multiple times that he is appreciative of the season that K-State had and is thrilled about what they were able to accomplish in just one year, but they still didn’t get to where he wants to be and that is the national champions.
It’s all about winning the last game.
For Tang, he was blown away by the reception that Kansas State received when landing at the Manhattan Regional Airport. That kind of bond between a fan base and team is rare and not every program gets to experience that. It’s what makes K-State special.
In fact, he noted that it fuels him even more to win a championship so that he can bring a parade through Manhattan. He implored once again that it will happen.
TOMLIN’S PROCESS
Another item that was addressed is the paperwork that Nae’Qwan Tomlin plans to fill out to hear some feedback from the folks on the panel of the NBA Draft. They will share with him what the projections and grades are for him once he submits his name.
With that being said, judging by Tang’s comments, they have every expectation that the 6-foot-10 forward will be back in Kansas State purple next season. But even his head coach encouraged him to obtain as much information as possible.
They’ll go one step at a time with him, but Tomlin will remain in Manhattan and continue working out with the Wildcats throughout the process. And it is also clear that the coaching staff is instilling a lot of confidence in him and empowering him with more leadership and control for year number two.
ISH’S DECISION
Not long ago, Ish Massoud made the choice to enter the transfer portal after two seasons at K-State. Jerome Tang was asked about those conversations and what was shared between one another that led him to that ultimate decision.
As was speculated, Massoud had visions of playing much more minutes and being more of a factor. Tang didn’t want to promise that to him without being sure he could deliver on it, and he just didn’t want to over-sell what he could provide to him in his final year of basketball.
They weren’t close on what they wanted from each other, so it was a mutual separation of sorts. But the Kansas State head coach did insist to Massoud that they could revisit the situation if he chatted with other coaches and teams and felt they weren’t being honest with him or weren’t willing to give him what he desired.
However, Massoud is well aware that his spot could be filled in the meantime as well.
BEING RIGHT BETTER THAN BEING FAST
Speaking of the transfer portal, K-State will hit it as well to fill at least three spots. When asked how long it would take or if they learned more about the timing from last year, Tang noted that he has always taken a more patient approach to the portal.
The first wave is typically the players that the schools wanted to lose and wanted to see leave. Another wave are those that assessed their situation and heard their coaching staffs out on the pitch to remain at that institution but chose against it.
Another wave will also be the guys that participated in the NBA Draft process and the feedback constituted that they return to school but instead they enter the transfer portal to comb through even more options.
They will want to see the whole batch of players that are available and are more concerned about being right than being fast.
K-STATE RECRUITING
We know that they will hit the recruiting portal hard and there seems to still be zero interest in digging back into the high school ranks to fill the voids. However, another element that they will search for is leadership and someone that can rally the team and create connectivity across the roster.
Obviously a coaching staff can do that, but Kansas State understands the power of the players being able to do it themselves and what that does for chemistry, cohesion and camaraderie. It is what made Markquis Nowell even more special this past season.
He had everyone rowing in the same direction, earned his teammates’ respect in a short amount of time and created the culture and family that Tang envisioned when he was hired in Manhattan. But that doesn’t mean that it is permanent. You have to fight for that culture every day, according to Tang.
In fact, he pointed out that he learned that from Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd. It is one of the things he regrets from last year in Tucson. He didn’t stay as buttoned up or as tight on some aspects of his program that he needed to in year two because he thought it was sewn in after one season.
While it seems like they are encouraging and nurturing Tomlin and Cam Carter to potentially be those guys at the front of the room to do it, that is another trait that they will search for in the portal that they consider critical to success.
MORE CONVERSATIONS
As of today, Massoud is the only K-State player that has entered the transfer portal. That doesn’t mean there can’t be more, though. After all, the deadline to enter one’s name into it is not until May 11. That is over a month away.
However, there isn’t necessarily any steam towards anyone else departing at the moment. Tang also didn’t come close to suggesting that there would absolutely be more, but he did convey that conversations were ongoing so it wasn’t exactly a static situation, either.
One player directly asked about was Dorian Finister.
He didn’t play after December despite having already seeing the floor and choosing not to redshirt. With that being said, Tang did reveal that there are some moving parts he can’t discuss but they believe they have a case for some kind of waiver that would still grant him a redshirt.
