Kansas State's Jerome Tang Explains What Drake Does Well As A Team
Kansas State has their hands full tonight against the undefeated Drake Bulldogs.
But what exactly makes them such a tough opponent? Coach Jerome Tang attributes their fast start to the collective team effort.
“They play complimentary basketball," Tang said. "Their offense has one of the slowest paces in the country. They use about 21 seconds on offense, and then they do a really good job of keeping you out the paint. They do a great job of covering elbows and blocks, playing with their chest, and being in the gaps. That makes you have to work a little bit harder.”
Drake boasts the second-best defense in the country. Tang recognizes and appreciates players knowing their roles and sticking to them every matchup.
“Everybody fills their role on their team," Tang said. "Rollers roll and go finish, shooters shoot, and they don’t take shots that don’t fit what their roles are. The guys who are ball movers are ball movers.”
COACH TANG ON FACING FOUR-TIME NCAA CHAMPION
Kansas State coach Jerome Tang knows what he is facing in tonight's matchup with Drake.
He is up against one of the best coaches in college basketball. The Bulldogs are led by first-year coach Ben McCollum, who won four NCAA titles at Division II Northwest Missouri State.
“Coach has won four national championships and he brought four players with him that played in the national championship game last year," Tang said. "They have some continuity, it shows up in them being undefeated and being able to win close games. They’ve already beat two hot major teams this year, and they’re not gonna be phased because five of their players are from Kansas City.”
McCollum built Northwest Missouri State into a national power in 15 seasons.
During his tenure with the Bearcats, he led the team to at least 21 wins in each of the last 13 seasons. Five of those years included 30-plus wins highlighted by a 38-0 campaign in 2018-19. That season marked just the fifth instance in Division II history that a team ran the table through the regular and postseasons.
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.