‘Our fans will be really proud’: Jerome Tang bullish on new K-State basketball roster
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Coach Jerome Tang rebuilt K-State’s roster with European pros and key transfers.
- International recruits like Rapieque, Buca and Kostic add size and maturity.
- K-State’s upgraded backcourt, led by PJ Haggerty, aims to boost scoring and pace.
Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang hasn’t agreed to many interviews since the Wildcats ended last season with a losing record for the first time under his watch.
Instead, he has focused the past six months on upgrading the K-State roster by any means possible.
He is hungry to return to the NCAA Tournament after missing the Big Dance in each of the past two seasons. So much so, that he piled up frequent-flyer miles as he and his coaching staff traveled overseas in search of -European players who could help the Wildcats in ways that previous recruiting classes could not.
He also landed a few high-profile transfers and convinced his old friend Matthew Driscoll to leave a head coaching job at North Florida. Driscoll is now retooling the K-State offense as an assistant.
The end result, at least on paper, looks positive. K-State has more athleticism, size, talent and experience than it did a year ago. But nobody has seen this group play together or heard much from Tang lately. For now, the team remains a wildcard.
But Tang is confident in this group.
“They care and they work hard,” Tang said in an exclusive interview. “Our fans are going to be really proud to watch them compete every night.”
With only four returning players, Tang wanted to prioritize maturity as much as basketball skills as he looked to rebuild the K-State roster. That was one reason why he was drawn to German big Elias Rapieque, Italian center Dorin Buca and Serbian wing Andrej Kostic.
All three of them have spent time playing for professional teams in Europe, where basketball was more than just a hobby. It was their life. If they played poorly, they could get cut.
Adding a trio of players from that culture has helped bring a more businesslike approach to K-State basketball workouts and practices.
“We have a way more mature team,” Tang said. “This bunch of guys are really serious about the game of basketball. They want to get better and they bring energy. They are a blast to be around. I really mean that. They are a joy to be around.”
He is also excited about what this team is capable of on the court.
Tang is cautiously optimistic that K-State’s most notable newcomers will all be difference-makers this season.
On Rapieque: “He played at the highest level overseas, with former NBA guys. There were times when he was the star, the focal point of his team. He was able to do that when they needed him to score and be dominant. He could also be a role player when they needed him to be. When he’s on the floor, he just makes everybody better.”
On Buca: “He is going to provide us something as a mobile big with great size that maybe we haven’t had before.”
On Kostic: “He is just a bucket, man. He’s gifted with his size at 6-foot-7 for a guard. He shoots the ball effortlessly, and he’s got a bunch of creativity to his game.”
Tang thinks all three of them are a good fit with their new teammates.
Memphis transfer PJ Haggerty was another big addition during the offseason. He chose to play for the Wildcats after he averaged 21.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Tigers.
“He’s a stud,” Tang said. “He was an All-American for a reason. We are excited to have him, because he is serious about the game of basketball and he wants to win. That’s all he talked about when we recruited him, how much he wanted to win.”
Tang also thinks sophomore guard David Castillo has improved during his offseason with the Wildcats.
It is impossible for Tang to hide his excitement about a backcourt that will feature Monmouth transfer Abdi Bashir, Akron transfer Nate Johnson, returner CJ Jones, Castillo, Kostic and Haggerty.
He envisions this team playing at a faster pace, making more shots than it did a year ago and grabbing defensive rebounds at an improved rate.
“We have good guards, man,” Tang said. “When you have good guards, you can win in college basketball. I’m excited about that. They all can dribble, pass and shoot, but they also have size. I mean, David Castillo is our smallest guard and he’s probably 6-2. Everybody else is 6-3 to 6-7. They are just bigger guards. That should help us everywhere.”
K-State won’t play its first game until it hosts UNC Greensboro on Nov. 4 inside Bramlage Coliseum. But the Wildcats are already hard at work in the weight room and on the practice floor.
Time will tell what this group is capable of, but Tang likes their approach so far.