- Jerome Tang is the current head coach of the Kansas State University men’s basketball team
- Before Kansas, Tang was an assistant at Baylor
- Tang had just $10.81 in his pocket before joining Baylor
Jerome Tang is the head coach of the Kansas State University men’s basketball team. Before Tang was the head coach at Kansas State University, he was an assistant at Baylor University.
The story of how Tang got the job at Baylor is inspiring. One evening, Baylor head coach Scott Drew invited himself over to Tang’s house for dinner.
Drew wanted to hire Tang as his assistant, and Tang wanted the job. The problem was having dinner at his house.
Normally, this wouldn’t have been a big deal, but Tang and his wife, Careylyen, only had $10.81. Tang wanted to impress Drew, and he found a way.
“My husband is a problem solver,” Careylyen said. “We found some ribs in the fridge that my father had made the day before, and he just said, ‘We can do this.’ Then we made the best meal we could.”
Tang went out and used his $10.81 to buy another half slab of ribs and a container of potato salad to go along with some bread. To most, this looks like a modest meal, but Tang and his wife soon would find out that it was more than enough for Drew.
Drew enjoyed the meal so much that he offered Tang the job, and the salary was mind-blowing for someone who had a little over $10. The job paid Tang $70,000.
This was life-changing money, and the job was also life-changing. If it wasn’t for the quick thinking of Tang and the understanding of Drew, Tang might not be the head coach of Kansas State University today.
Tang’s Career As A College Coach
Tang actually began his coaching career at Heritage Christian Academy in Texas. This is a biblically-based, college-preparatory private school.
Tang coached at Heritage Christian Academy from 1993 to 2003. It was in 2003 when Tang became an assistant at Baylor.
Tang stayed in this role until 2017 when he became an associate head coach for Baylor. As an associate head coach, Tang helped lead Baylor to a national championship in 2021.
Tang would stay at Baylor for one more season before taking the job as head coach of the Kansas State Wildcats on March 21, 2022. In his first season at Kansas, Tang led his team to a 26–10 record.
Tang led Kansas to the NCAA Division I Elite Eight, where they lost 79-76 to Florida Atlantic. For the job Tang did in his first season as head coach, he was named as the Naismith College Coach of the Year.
Tang was also named as the Big 12 Coach of the Year, AP Big 12 Coach of the Year, USBWA District VI Coach of the Year, and the NABC District 8 Coach of the Year.
From a struggling coach trying to make it with just $10.81 to his name to becoming the head coach of the Kansas State and being named Naismith College Coach of the Year, it’s safe to say Tang has found true success.
Tang’s story is one to remind us no matter how hard things may get, never give up. Keep trying to achieve better things, and one day, you might get it, even if you have only about $10.
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