Rapid recap: Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang announces who is redshirting

KANSAS STATE REDSHIRTS

Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang announced after the game that Jerrell Colbert, Taj Manning and Anthony Thomas were the three scholarship Kansas State players that would redshirt this season. It was no surprise after they didn’t see the floor in the 93-59 win over UT-Rio Grande Valley.

The decisions for each was reached mutually, according to the K-State head coach. The staff laid out the scenario and role that all three would own and allowed them to make the decision on their approach after being given all of their options.

It is a win/win business and there was no win for those players if they did not redshirt this season. Tang believes redshirting all three players sets Kansas State up very well for next season and places them on a more advantageous path, too.

Dorian Finister will not be redshirting this season. K-State coaches concluded that he could help this because of the improvement that he has made since arriving to Manhattan. For example, he weighed just a bit over 170 pounds when he made it to Kansas State but is now listed at 193.

Finister has treated every day and every practice like he was not going to redshirt and that he was going to play right away. It has paid off or the first year player from Louisiana.

ONE POSITIVE AND ONE NEGATIVE

After acknowledging his first win as the head coach at K-State and reflecting on the locker room celebration, Tang was asked by KSO’s Derek Young what one positive stood out about the performance and a negative that also came to mind.

The Kansas State boss instantly rattled off how well they shared the ball versus the Vaqueros. The passing was superb and the Wildcats collected 25 assists on 30 made baskets. The ball movement was beautiful.

On the flip side, he didn’t think they played a complete game. Specifically, he alluded to the game of college basketball being a 40-minute game and stated that he felt his guys only played with the appropriate intensity for 17 of those minutes.

As Tang shared, that won’t cut it against Big 12 opponents. If Monday is as good as they’ll be, they’re in trouble. Because of that, he is assured that they still have a lot of room for improvement and details to address and work on moving forward.

CREDIT GIVEN TO K-STATE ASSISTANTS

Tang made sure to point out the exceptional job of preparation that was conducted by his coaching staff. He spotlighted two assistants for their contribution in the opening night win for K-State. But as always, he gave kudos to his strength and conditioning coach, Phil Baier.

However, the head coach in Manhattan commended Ulric Maligi for the terrific scout on the game. The Wildcats held UT-RGV to 59 points on just 36 percent shooting. Kansas State also forced 26 turnovers in the contest.

Offensively, assistant Rodney Perry was lauded. He was the last coach to be hired by Tang after he had to complete some of his prior obligations over the Spring and Summer. He makes his mark for the Wildcats on the offensive end.

Tang shared how he does an unbelievable job in teaching offense and spacing. That led to a bunch of open shots. Because of it, K-State was 44 percent from three-point range on opening night in Bramlage Coliseum. Their 93 points were also the most points in an opening night win for Kansas State since 2014.

A LOOK AHEAD TO CAL

Next up for K-State is a date with California on Friday evening in Berkeley. Interestingly, it is the only game that the new staff in Kansas State was actually able to schedule. Everything else was already booked for them.

Tang added a matchup with the Golden Bears because he felt the need for another high-major opponent on the road, especially early in the season.

Good teams can win road game. The Wildcat coaches have been instilling what it takes to win on the road throughout the offseason. The K-State head coach is looking forward to seeing how his team responds on someone else’s court.