Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang: Team morale not a concern through losing streak

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With a rollercoaster season winding down, Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang insists that morale is not an issue with the Wildcats.

Since early January, the Wildcats (13-14, 7-9 Big 12) have experienced the highs and lows of a six-game losing streak followed by six straight victories, and now three more losses. And still they keep pushing forward.

“We get to play a game, a game we love,” Tang said Sunday after a disappointing 66-54 home loss to Arizona State. “Somebody asked Kobe Bryant one time, what’s the number one ingredient for all the great ones, and he said love. ‘We love basketball. It’s not about the money, not about playing on TV, not about the championships. We just love the game of basketball.’

“I’ve got a group of guys that love basketball, and so they show up every day because they love basketball, and they’ve grown to love Kansas State.”

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Feb 17, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Utes guard Mike Sharavjamts (25) and Kansas State Wildcats guard Coleman Hawkins (33) play for a loose ball during the first half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Tang is counting on that love to sustain the team through its final four regular season games and into the Big 12 Tournament. Next up for the Wildcats is a 6 p.m. road game Wednesday against Central Florida (14-13, 5-11 Big 12) at Addition Financial Arena in Orlando.

The Wildcats’ only remaining path to a possible NCAA Tournament bid now is to win the Big 12 championship in Kansas City.

“I’ve been on a 1-0 all month long,” Tang said. “I tell our guys all the time, tough people do the next right thing. Whether we won or lost (the Arizona State) game, we have to do the next right thing.

“That’s what I want our guys to learn how to do. To win the day, you’ve got to go 1-0 in every aspect of the day. And if you…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/kansas-state-basketball-coach-jerome-145052173.html

Author : The Topeka Capital-Journal

Publish date : 2025-02-25 14:50:00

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