Kansas State announced a program-changing move without delay, even though the regular season is still one month away. After leading the Wildcats for less than four seasons, Jerome Tang was sacked as head coach. While Kansas State starts the process of finding a permanent head coach, assistant Matthew Driscoll will serve as interim head coach.
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Although Tang’s route to Kansas State was very simple, it was undoubtedly a complicated one. He spent a considerable amount of time in Texas after being born in Trinidad & Tobago and growing up in the Virgin Islands. Before joining Scott Drew’s Baylor staff in 2003, he had a lengthy tenure as a high school coach in the state of Texas. For the next 19 seasons, Tang was Drew’s right-hand man, contributing to one of the best collegiate basketball rebuilds.
Twelve months after winning a national championship with Baylor, Tang received his first head coaching job at Kansas State. The Wildcats’ 26-win season and trip to the Elite Eight were the immediate and outstanding outcomes. Sadly, Kansas State failed to meet expectations, finishing in ninth place in the Big 12 twice in the ensuing seasons. Tang had a terrible 1-11 conference record and was 10-15 at the time of his dismissal.
We’re going to look at a few names that might work well in Manhattan as the Wildcats attempt to take this program in a different way. Although there will undoubtedly be other candidates for this role in the weeks leading up to the season’s conclusion, this is the first significant coaching vacancy, so it will be intriguing to see who the Kansas State administration choose to focus on.
Casey Alexander
Alexander, a seasoned player, assistant, and head coach at Belmont, has 15 years of D1 head coaching experience. Prior to returning to the Bruins in 2019, he did well at Stetson and Lipscomb. He led Belmont to six consecutive 20-win seasons and has the Bruins leading the MVC standings after leading Lipscomb to the Big Dance and a successful NIT run. It all depends on if Alexander is a good fit at Kansas State, but he appears prepared to advance to the next level.
Jerrod Calhoun
Calhoun, another rising coach, has been at the D1 level since 2017 and has over ten years of head coaching experience. Before turning around Youngstown State during a seven-year tenure, the former West Virginia assistant performed admirably at the D2 level at Fairmont State. After joining Utah State two seasons ago, Calhoun has already amassed over 50 victories, and his Aggies are headed for the Big Dance and possibly a MWC championship in the coming weeks.
Bryan Hodgson
Hodgson, who rose to prominence as a key member of Nate Oats’ coaching staffs at Buffalo and Alabama, is another name you’ll hear touted for numerous positions in the years to come. In 2023, he started his head coaching career at Arkansas State, where he won 45 games in two seasons and took home the Sun Belt regular season title. Hodgson is 17-8 and accepted the South Florida position last summer, but he might seize a better chance. For the past ten years, he has assisted in writing successful turnarounds for both large and small initiatives.
Chris Jans
Jans, a native of Iowa, has a wealth of coaching experience and was a junior college coach in Kansas. Over the past ten years, he has led more than half a dozen collegiate programs, including notable stints at Mississippi State and New Mexico State. In his first three years in Starksville, he has led the Bulldogs to the Big Dance and is responsible for the Aggies’ NCAA Tournament victory. Could Jans fit in better with Kansas State’s excellent resources and the Big 12?
Ulric Maligi
Someone with familiarity is worth taking into consideration, and Maligi definitely fits that description. He has worked as a D1 basketball assistant for the past 20 years, most recently with these Wildcats under Tang. Over the years, Maligi has been in charge of attracting and developing some amazing talent at Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and other universities. Even though he has no head coaching experience and was present throughout several recent setbacks, the Kansas State administration can still consider their former assistant head coach.
Ryan Miller
Before being given the opportunity to become head coach, Miller worked as a coach for many years. For more than 20 years, he worked for several universities, including Auburn, Memphis, and TCU. Before accepting the position of head coach at Murray State this past offseason, Miller worked for Creighton for the previous four seasons. With his recent coaching experience in the Big 12 and Midwest, he has made an immediate impression with the Racers, who are now ranked second in the MVC. He will undoubtedly be mentioned for important positions.
Erik Pastrana
Kansas State should definitely consider Pastrana, who started his coaching career there almost 20 years ago as a graduate assistant, if inexperience as a head coach is irrelevant. Over the years, he has worked with some outstanding coaches, contributing to success at Georgia, Oklahoma State, Florida, and Stephen F. Austin. Pastrana, who joined Miami as an assistant, has already had an impact on the Hurricanes and has the potential to be a fantastic leader of this Big 12 program.
Josh Schertz
Schertz is another name that will be on many people’s radars because of his recent explosive rise to prominence in college basketball. Prior to accepting the Saint Louis position, he established a strong team at Indiana State in 2024 following his outstanding work at D2 Lincoln Memorial. His work with the Billikens, who are ranked 24-1 and among the top mid-majors in the country, is evident from a glance at the national rankings. Since almost every significant vacancy will target Schertz, the most important question here is whether Schertz himself would be interested in the role.
Takayo Siddle
Even though Siddle has flown under the radar, he has established a solid reputation while still being under 40. On the staffs of Chris Holtmann and Kevin Keatts, he acquired valuable experience, including a time at NC State in the ACC. UNC Wilmington hired him as their first head coach in 2020, and they haven’t regretted their decision. He owns a CBI title, has been winning a ton of games, and last season guided the Seahawks to the Big Dance. He is undoubtedly a young coach on the rise and will eventually get his moment.
Travis Steele
The fact that Steele has Miami-Ohio undefeated halfway through February is hard to overlook, but he also fulfills another requirement for the Wildcats. Even if Steele lost his cool at Xavier, his experience as a strong conference coach is still significant. Working under Chris Mack and Kelvin Sampson gave him invaluable experience, and he is demonstrating to the Redhawks that he is capable of creating and managing a program. After all, compared to the current situation of Kansas State basketball, Steele performed significantly better with Xavier, even at his worst.
