K-State’s Jerome Tang named finalist for Naismith coach of the year

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Kansas State’s Jerome Tang has been selected as a finalist for the 2023 Naismith Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year, as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Monday. Tang is a finalist along with Purdue’s Matt Painter, Houston’s Kelvin Sampson and Marquette’s Shaka Smart.

Fans will have a say in determining the winner, as starting Tuesday (March 21), they can visit www.naismithfanvote.com or on Twitter (@MarchMadness and @naismithtrophy) to cast their ballot for one of the finalists. Voting ends at 11 a.m., CT on Wednesday, March 28 and fans are limited to one vote per day. The fan vote will account for 5 percent of the total vote.

Tang was the consensus Big 12 Coach of the Year, earning the honor from both the league coaches and the Associated Press after helping K-State rise from being picked last in the preseason Big 12 poll to finishing in a tie for third place with an 11-7 record. He is the seventh head coach in school history to earn conference Coach of the Year honors, including the second (Bruce Weber in 2013) to win the honor in his first season.

His 25-9 record is currently one of the best in the nation by a first-year Division I head coach, trailing just Duke’s Jon Scheyer (27-9). He joins Xavier’s Sean Miller as the only first-year Division I head coaches to advance to his team to the Sweet 16. His 25 wins are the second-most by a first-year head coach in school history, while he is the fifth K-State head coach to win 20 games in his first season.