Jerome Tang, former Kansas State head basketball coach, is set to return to Baylor as the Bears’ associate head coach under Scott Drew, sources told ESPN. Tang and Baylor are reportedly finalizing a multiyear contract that will bring him back to a program where he spent nearly two decades as a top assistant before departing for Manhattan.
Tang was dismissed by Kansas State two months ago after compiling a 73-57 record in just over three seasons at the helm. In his first year, he guided the Wildcats on an impressive run to the Elite Eight, earning national recognition for revitalizing the program. Despite that early success, Kansas State terminated Tang for cause in March, citing “recent public comments and conduct” that it said were not in line with university standards. Tang has publicly disagreed with the reasons for his firing, stating at the time that he “strongly” disagreed with the university’s characterization of his termination.
Prior to his head coaching stint at Kansas State, Tang was a key part of Scott Drew’s staff at Baylor from 2003 to 2022, serving as both assistant and associate head coach. He played a major role in building Baylor into a national powerhouse, highlighted by the Bears’ 2021 NCAA championship. His return to Waco marks a reunion with Drew and a continuation of a coaching partnership that shaped Baylor basketball for nearly twenty years.
