Kansas State's issues may soon require tough decisions | Daily Delivery

[@The4ensic]

Coach needs to get back into HS recruiting. With 12-13 spots, the team needs to be comprised of 8-9 HS recruited guys and then bring in a few transfers to help develop the younger guys.

[@terrycanning982]

The high school recruits will stay for a year, maybe two. And then the ones with good stats will enter the portal to get paid somewhere else.

[@user-rw4xi8sm8h]

You can't recruit HS guys anymore. They will stay for a year and then leave. You have to do it like he's doing it. The problem is coaching and running an offense that works.

[@rogerf1773]

With all due respect, not every young man is chasing $. Fitz didn't do a great job of explaining how many freshman will buy in to the culture of Kansas State - the academics, the classmates, the campus, the city, and, yes, even the basketball program. KState is very rich in basketball history. Embrace it. Just look at what Klieman does in football. He recruits many high schoolers each year. He, unlike Tang imo, understands that the program must have a base of young players who buy in to KState, not just to basketball. Tang's inexperience is showing

[@The4ensic]

@@rogerf1773 agreed. MHK is a great place. I lived there for eight years while I finished my degrees. However, its isolated. It offers its own flair and a lot of big market guys won't do well in the small city/large town culture. My point was to look at more regional talent within the HS system that have D1 talent. Kansas (as a state) has a very rich basketball history esp. in Wichita and Kansas City. Tap into those markets and those kids will stay!

[@bige2012]

@@terrycanning982 could not the same method being used by HCCK in football, work in hoops? Dudes prove up, they land NIL deal or better NIL deal, to keep them.

[@kenneaderhiser7768]

Thank you. He said he could do better. He said buy a championship, now he says we need continuity and it is NIL’s fault. Yet he has one HS recruit in two years and anyone who has been here multiple years and don’t have national team coaches available can’t play. he cites Iowa St but their coach is only in the job one more season and took over a 2-22 team. Otz took players Tang wouldn’t touch.

[@MikeySKA]

This is what happens when you assemble what is, essentially, an AAU team every year. Yes, they're paid, so not "really" AAU, but a team of players who have no prior connection to K-State, no history with the program, and have nothing to play for other than their own interests. The portal has a significant impact on how rosters are formed now, but Tang needs to do a better job of getting some younger guys in who are going to be here more than one season who can get K-State into their blood and for whom K-State will mean something more than just an NIL paycheck. Given how Tang approaches things, I see K-State being competitive every 5 years or so, and I don't think he'll be here long enough to field another competitive team, unfortunately.

[@sandrastrawn6003]

Agree

[@jcarverlandscaper]

Great take Fitz!

[@allansilverwood7091]

Thank you Fitz. HCJT had 19 years at Baylor to learn how to coach a team on and off the court. How could he be so clueless in how to correct the problems he created by picking the players he did and installing a new offense that has never worked? Go K-State WBB!

[@stevesims2243]

Clones and j-hockeypucks are already counting two automatic wins.

[@kittlee3747]

Two key factors in Tang's horrendous year so far, Transfer Portal & NIL. A third could be poor player evaluation preseason and getting the wrong players for our program. It seems to me that Tang went all-in on just bball talent this year and forgot the tough & gritty characteristics to bball players. Frank Martin & Huggs recruited tough & gritty players. Bruce's teams, although not extremely talented, always played tough. Tang & Co. will need to reassess and go back to K-State's roots of hard-nosed players.

[@Mark-le5mo]

Totally agree on rebounds. That’s a motivational issue.

[@timjohnson2186]

I appreciate tangs dancing skills

[@stevecoty104]

Love my cats but it’s time to call a dumpster fire a dumpster fire. Love coach Tang but he is whiffing on year 2 in a row with total rebuilds. If he does not get to 6 big 12 wins, time for a replacement.

[@rocknhranchkansas3033]

Come on Fitz. You are touting C.H. as a positive. C.H. has numerous moments of lackluster effort. The transfer point guard had coachability issues that manifested into discipline and travel issues last year at Mich. Now is anyone surprised tgat daid player is having a negative effect on this team. One of the big three last year had some issues at his previous institution and hsd such issues at KSU which lead to benching and questions of "Buy In". Tangs HS recruits flee (partly because of his poor roster and game minute management). But yetvcoach whines about lack of holdovers and Cohesion. Tang is the problem!!! Why would any of our young players stay. This is so poorly coached and managed!!!

[@rocknhranchkansas3033]

What HS recruits do we have signed to the next recruiting class. That's right NONE. Tangs fault.

[@errolwilliams9902]

Are the Assistant Coaches any good?i am just asking. I know nothing about basketball. I would like to hear from people who know the game.

[@edinop4205]

What you said Fitz! Season's becoming a damn shame.

[@austinbutterfield5276]

We should recruit more JUCO players. Those guys, chasing their first big bag, are much hungrier than kids who already got a bag

[@Cattracks1806]

I agree. Jayhawk full of talent.....we just need performance based NIL.....

[@stevesims2243]

yes but who wants to come to a mediocre program? Mid-level teams at the other conferences are more attractive because the internal issues here are a major turn-off.

[@drewbeisel1312]

Nahhhhh

[@user-rw4xi8sm8h]

Everyone needs to get behind the womens team and stop talking about the men. This obviously isnt their year and Tang needs to look at possibly some new staff and new offense.

[@MollieC-uc1fk]

Do they care? I mean most of it seems mental. Hate to see the upcoming scores that are ahead unless they act like they want to be there. Withhold the NIL money. I would suggest one on ones with each player and deep searching with all of them. It's like you have coasting employees who send all their work to someone else to do. We need some real studs who can carry a team but this isn't what we want for K-State basketball.

[@stevesims2243]

i think it's psychological, not mental. The guys are confused as to their status and roles due to Tang's public bullshit statements and his arbitrary inconsistent discipline and general lack of ability to sustain a team nucleus.

[@DanGaskell]

I was embarrassed watching the Houston game. This is not a team-oriented group. I don't see any pride in playing for each other. I feel like they are there for the money and that's it. Bench most everyone, except Hawkins and N'Gussen and shake it up a little!

[@DavidWasson-o5i]

Really can't make the case for the NIL. Yes it does make money for the universities but does that translate into wins?

[@KELLYCLARK-s8p]

It seems like this team is worse than any team coached by Bruce Weber. At least those teams played defense. I fear Tang is a recruiter and not a brainiac.

[@stinger0772]

It's basketball. 80-85% of your success is based on your talent and the rest coaching. Unlike football, it doesn't matter much where it comes from or whether they're motivated for the "right" reasons. This is cope for a deficit in talent or coaching. Just be good and be motivated to perform well in your role for the team. Either the players aren't as good as expected or Tang is a poor coach that happen to hit the right mix of players in year 1. They lack any consistency on offense. Players not comfortable in their roles leads to poor offense and puts more stress on the defense. Getting a team with decent talent to mesh well is a coaching issue. Tang will have this season and next to figure it out or he'll be gone.

[@FrankRusso-x9e]

Hell...here is an example of no loyalty after a 2M NIL monies. Hawkins goes to an Illinois bb game in KC wearing a jersey with an Illinois logo.

[@TheGreatTimtini1]

Soon, and very soon. The team needs to become a - team. They have played like a team at times, then something switches and they go into the 'too many passes' and 'too much dribbling' mode. In my opinion, they are so deep that they need to change the offense to a run and gun team. Wear out the opponent. Rebound, pass, pass shoot, crash the boards and play defense. We are built like the Loyola Marymount team of the early 90's, Hank Gathers, Bo Kimble. This offense is not working.

[@stevesims2243]

we've all been saying that since before Drake. All of these games have been must-wins, and counting the St. John's loss, Tang is one for seven. With each loss, expectations have dropped on the remaining games. We are 301st in rebounding.

[@LajaHiggins]

This season is a wash and a dumpster fire. This really really really really hurts me. This is s greaf roster on paper. I think he playing certain guys way to much and some guys don't get enough playing time. I had very high hopes for this team but now im just hoping we can play for pride cause the tournament is out.

[@johnroberts8061]

A stat for those who love to bash and hate Coach Tang. Winning Percentage at K-State for Coach Klieman .631, Coach Tang .634

[@MichaelSmith-fp7kd]

Post that stat at the end of this season.

[@CJ_2345]

What about getting rid of Tang being a decision on the table!!??

[@jlester4892]

I don't see them win another game. And if you want to keep anyone you need to put Buddy of the f'ing floor. WHY ISN'T HE PLAYING?!?!?

[@riley5329]

David N Guessan needs to be benched. He drifts around like he's lost.

[@jlester4892]

This season is CLEARLY lost. This experiment has been a HORRIBLE FAILURE. I still think Tang is the guy. And for those who think he isn't, who do you think is coming here? He's just got to figure out how to motivate young people that are getting paid an OBSCENE amount of money......to do nothing. It's a joke.

[@dougspencer8804]

If you look at what Drew and Tang did at Baylor and what Tang said when he was hired, he has lost his way. He got the fool's gold of having everything fall just right with his first roster and that Elite 8 run that he took the building part for granted. At some point in the next week or two Gene Taylor needs to ask him what his plans are for next year and force him to do what you have said if he isn't going to do it on his own. He must get back to HS recruiting. He must find a true PG, not just combo guards and he must make sure he develops enough relationships with guys in the process to know who is bought in and who isn't.

[@stevesims2243]

remember how high he was on Dorian Finister, and everybody was like, huh? His best development prospect to this day has been Dai Dai, and Dai Dai's departure wasn't filled. Castillo hasn't shown anything. Ames is hitting 44% on treys and 85% on charities playing 21 minutes for Virginia.

[@Jason25-m8m]

Maybe the coaches and players focus on basketball rather than talking and hosting podcasts.

[@richardstones6445]

I have no idea how this team can be cured. But lucky for us, we pay a dude millions of dollars to know how to do it. I'm still on Team Tang, but I'm really, really ready for things to start heading in the right direction.