Kansas State's Jerome Tang 'Energetic And Refreshed' About Road Ahead
Kansas State is enjoying a dominant two-game winning streak.
Still, they're not where they want—or need—to be, as they are still 9-11 on the season. However, coach Jerome Tang is pleased with the team's progress over the last week.
"I’ve been saying for a while, we’re getting better and we’re close," Tang said after the Oklahoma State victory Wednesday night. "We’re not as good as we can be, there’s still room for improvement. But I’m thankful that we’re able to show we could keep improving after wins, because we’ve shown we could improve after losses.”
Above all, Tang's faith never dwindled, and he is optimistic that February won't be the same narrative.
“We almost refer to this month as the ‘dog days of February,’ but I don’t feel like the dog days," Tang said. "I feel so energetic and so refreshed. The team looks energetic and refreshed. Our practices are super competitive and just a joy, and it’s showing out there."
Perhaps Kansas State’s victories after a six-game losing streak have given everyone a sense of encouragement. Coleman Hawkins said he's "excited" for the challenge of facing No. 3 Iowa State Saturday afternoon.
“I feel like we can use some of the things they do defensively to our advantage," Hawkins said. "I know they post-double, I know their heavy influence of going baseline and they put two to the ball. We’re gonna put together a game plan to go out and try to go beat them and get one on the road.”
Jayden Armant is a graduate of the Howard University School of Communications and a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats on SI. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
Jayden is a journalism school graduate of Howard University. He was the 2024 recipient of the Terez Paylor scholarship award. He previously worked at the Orlando Sentinel.