Casey Alexander, a former head coach at Belmont, was named the next head coach at Kansas State men’s basketball on Friday morning. He signed a five-year contract worth an average of slightly over $3 million annually.
Regretfully, supporters have more concerns than only the new coach. It is the residual impact of the past.
Casey Alexander’s path forward at Kansas State starts by moving past Jerome Tang
Many Wildcats supporters don’t want to remember the 2025–2026 season. The past must be left where it belongs—in the past—now that the program is starting afresh.
It doesn’t matter if they start conference play 0–5 for the first time since the 1996–97 season, finish 1–11 in the middle of the Big 12 season, or remove player names from the backs of jerseys. It’s about the future, and there’s a lot of promise.
After taking over, interim head coach Matthew Driscoll did not hesitate to commend former head coach Jerome Tang, but for Alexander, that is a death sentence. Tang is mentioned at both the beginning and the end of the program’s progress.
Driscoll described being in those shoes as “absolutely miserable.” The future is bright if you look past Tang’s actions. The game is done if you think back.
Where things have the potential to go sideways for the former Bruin
In their first season, no head coach is expected to be flawless, especially in Manhattan, Kansas. Although it’s simple to envision what the ceiling might be, nobody anticipates Alexander winning them all in the first year.
However, he has a lot of obstacles to overcome, particularly because he is taking over a program that has been in the lower half of the Big 12 for the past few seasons. Much of it has to do with putting your last name on the line, as Driscoll mentioned.
Who’s in, who’s out, and who might transfer and compete in a major conference like the Big 12 are all determined by the transfer site. Tang should not undergo that kind of metamorphosis; instead, somebody like Ben McCollum or Darren DeVries should.
Bring in the appropriate players, steer clear of late-game blunders, and demonstrate your competitiveness. The position is available for as long as you’d like.
Overcoming a roster rebuild poses a new challenge
The K-State roster for the upcoming season is unlikely to look like this one, to put it mildly. In his first season, Alexander is not only rebuilding a Big 12 roster.
Even as an assistant, he has never coached in this environment before. His greatest accomplishments were in the Missouri Valley Conference, and all of his experience below the head coaching level came from outside the Power Five.
If this was the right decision, only time will tell. Give the new man a chance to prove himself, and don’t worry about another buyout or the next shakeup just yet.
