Is Baylor's Jerome Tang ready to be a head coach, say at Kansas State? Scott Drew sure thinks so
If longtime Baylor assistant Jerome Tang is ready to finally make the leap to a head coaching position, he has no greater champion than Scott Drew.
Tang, the Bears' associate head coach, has been by Drew's side all 19 of his years at Baylor, so could this be the year he finally cuts ties and goes it alone? Could he end up as Bruce Weber's successor at Kansas State?
If so, Drew has no doubt that Tang will succeed.
"I think, first and foremost, coach Tang has had opportunities in the past," Drew said Wednesday during the Bears' news conference ahead of Thursday's first-round NCAA Tournament game against Norfolk State. "And people see that he does a great job and would be a great head coach.
"And the good thing is, he can be selective. He's never just taken something for money or because he wants to be a head coach. When he feels called to go somewhere, he's going to go, and definitely it'll be exciting for us."
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There may not be a better time for Tang to make the leap. Last year he helped lead Baylor to its first national championship in men's basketball and the Bears enter this year's NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed in the East Regional with a 26-6 record.
Tang has been mentioned as a possible candidate both at Kansas State and Missouri, and is considered one of the hottest assistants out there. Could the Wildcats and Tigers end up going head-to-head for his services?
Since he is not a head coach and clearly had Drew's endorsement, it might allow Tang to accelerate the interview process whereas head coaches involved in the postseason have more immediate concerns.
While Tang has no head coaching experience, there are plenty of success stories out there among longtime former assistants. Texas Tech's Mark Adams was promoted from associate head coach to the top spot this year when Chris Beard left for Texas and has guided the Red Raiders to a No. 3 seed NCAA Tournament seed in his first year as a Power Five head coach.
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Adams had been successful previously as a head coach at other levels.
Should Tang succeed as a head coach, he wouldn't be the first Drew disciple to do so. North Texas' Grant McCasland, who also has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the K-State job, was a Baylor assistant for five years under Drew and has led the Mean Green to four 20-win seasons in five years.
North Florida's Matthew Driscoll has had mixed success at North Florida, but has led the Ospreys to both NCAA Tournament and the NIT was poised for another postseason bid in 2020 before everything was wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic. Paul Mills guided Oral Roberts to the NCAA Sweet 16 last year.
"Coach Driscoll (and) coach Mills have all had those opportunities and done well," Drew said. "And coach Tang will do exceptionally well when he gets that opportunity also, no doubt about it."
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Baylor coach Scott Drew champions Jerome Tang as a head coach
