KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas State men's basketball head coach Jerome Tang has been named the 2023 Werner Ladder Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year.
Tang is the first coach at Kansas State to earn the honor.
In his first season as head coach, Tang's Wildcats went 26-10 on the season, the third-most wins in K-State history
His team also reached the Elite Eight in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament for the school's 13th time in history.
"I'm honored and blessed to receive the Werner Ladder Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Award," Tang said in a statement. "There have been a lot of great coaching jobs this season, and to be recognized among them is truly a humbling experience for me."
𝒯𝐻𝐸 𝐵𝐸𝒮𝒯 𝒞𝒪𝒜𝒞𝐻 𝐼𝒩 𝒯𝐻𝐸 𝒞𝒪𝒰𝒩𝒯𝑅𝒴
— Naismith Awards (@NaismithTrophy) April 2, 2023
Jerome Tang is the 2023 @wernerladderco Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year 🏆 pic.twitter.com/o3hXrgBj68
Tang was named a finalist for the award beside the head coaches of Purdue, Houston and Marquette.
"I want to congratulate the other finalists — Coach (Matt) Painter, Coach (Kelvin) Sampson, Coach (Shaka) Smart — for their tremendous years," Tang said.
He further thanked those who helped him throughout the season and beyond in his statement.
Tang was selected as the Wildcats' head coach in March 2022 after serving as an assistant and associate head coach at Baylor from 2003-2022.
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