Kansas

Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang takes connecting with his players to heart

Published

2 years ago

February 9, 2024

Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang takes connecting with his players to heart

A year ago, when a rough February stretch threatened to derail Kansas State basketball’s Big 12 season, Jerome Tang and his staff decided to pull their foot off the gas.

The Wildcats were coming off back-to-back road losses to Texas Tech and Oklahoma, which were struggling in their own right, and they had dropped four of five to fall to 6-6 in the conference after a torrid start.

So they shortened practices, gave the players a few more days off, and the team responded with a four-game winning streak that in turn helped pave the way for a deep NCAA Tournament run.

Fast forward to last week, after a fourth straight loss, at last-place Oklahoma State, again had the Wildcats reeling. They had just dropped below .500 in the conference at 4-5 after a 4-1 start, and No. 4-ranked Kansas was coming to town just 48 hours later.

Kansas State basketball’s overtime magic strikes again in Sunflower Showdown win over KU

After some soul-searching, Tang pinpointed a different issue, one that had little to do with fatigue. The response from the Wildcats, however, was the same as they snapped out of their funk and stunned the Jayhawks, 75-70, in overtime Monday to the delight of a sellout crowd.

“Our struggles to this point have been more connection struggles, rather than physical ability struggles, and as a staff we’re trying to spend more time with those connections,” Tang said afterward. “I have to do a better job with our guys and connect with their hearts, and I think that’s the first step.”

For one night, at least, all was well again with the Wildcats, who improved to 15-8 overall and got back to even in the Big 12 at 5-5. The challenge now is to sustain it moving forward, starting with a 9 p.m. (CT) Saturday road game against No. 19 Brigham Young (16-6, 4-5 Big 12) at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.

“We just dealt with their hearts,” Tang said of the quick turnaround for the KU game. “I hadn’t connected with them the way I connected with the team last year.

Kansas State basketball must turn the page with a visit from rival Kansas looming

“And so, you can see they were just playing basketball. They weren’t playing with this love, joy and freedom that we talk about, (and) they weren’t doing it because they loved us as a staff.”

Two days may not have been enough times to change the players’ hearts and minds, but Tang thought it might have lit a spark.

“As a staff, if we can connect with their heart, and then they play because they love us and they know that we’re doing what we’re doing because we love them, it gives them that little extra fight,” Tang said. “And I thought I saw that fight (Monday) because I was transparent with them and told them I hadn’t done a good job.

“And our staff did a really good job. We spent a lot of time together the last couple of days, but it was less about basketball and more about how much they mean to us, and how much we believe in them and how much we believe in what they want to do.”

Kansas State basketball’s skid reaches four with 75-72 road loss to Oklahoma State

Point guard Tylor Perry, who has had his ups and downs but scored 21 of his game-high 26 points after intermission, including eight in overtime, said Tang’s message going into the KU game resonated with the players.

“Anything’s possible, that this is what we’re supposed to do, and he honestly said that we can play better than we did,” Perry recalled. “That’s just the type of person he is.

“He always believes you can do so much better, and he believes in us so much, and he just instils so much confidence in us throughout the whole team. We’re so blessed to have the best coach in America, and I wouldn’t want nobody else running the show for us.”

Beating KU was a much-needed shot in the arm for the Wildcats, but Tang is hopeful that it also triggered a major resurgence for his team, which still has work to do in order to qualify for the NCAA Tournament in March.

“There’s still a stronger heart connection that can take place,” he said. “We can continue to play better basketball.

“But they told on themselves how good they can be. And now it’s up to us to love them to want to be at that level all the time.”

Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.

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Kansas

City Hall intruder fatally shot by employee in Lawrence, Kansas, officials say

Published

11 hours ago

January 5, 2026

Press Room

City Hall intruder fatally shot by employee in Lawrence, Kansas, officials say

An intruder was fatally shot by an armed city employee inside Lawrence City Hall in Kansas on Monday morning, officials said.

The 28-year-old man “forced his way into the building then broke through a door” on the fourth floor and into a secured area about 8 a.m., according to a police statement.

This led to an altercation with an armed city employee, Police Chief Rich Lockhart told reporters outside City Hall, about two miles north of the University of Kansas campus.

“During that altercation, the 28-year-old subject was shot and killed by the city employee,” the chief added.

The intruder wasn’t immediately identified, and it wasn’t clear if he was armed.

Authorities didn’t immediately name the city employee or his job. But police did characterize the civil servant as “trained and authorized to carry a firearm.”

The fourth floor is home to the city manager, city attorney and budget manager.

Officials said they did not know why the man went to the fourth floor, and “it’s not someone that’s known to us,” Lockhart said.

City Hall was closed and should reopen Tuesday. A municipal court in the building won’t open again until Thursday.

City Manager Craig Owens said he was grateful no city employees were hurt.

“I want to express my gratitude to the Lawrence, Kansas, Police Department work during the disturbing incident,” he said.

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IU football lands Kansas State transfer edge rusher Tobi Osunsanmi

Published

1 day ago

January 4, 2026

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IU football lands Kansas State transfer edge rusher Tobi Osunsanmi

Indiana’s portal haul continued to grow Sunday as multiple outlets reported the addition of Kansas State edge rusher Tobi Osunsanmi.

Osunsanmi has played in 36 games over the last four years and has 8.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss. Most of that production came over the last two seasons. He has a total of 47 QB pressures during his college career.

In 2025 he played in six games and had 20 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks. He suffered a season-ending injury in October.

He saw action in all 13 games in 2024 as a reserve defensive end and on special teams, recording 19 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble over 303 defensive snaps and 31 special teams plays.

In 2023 he saw time in all 13 games as a reserve linebacker, a rush end on passing downs and on special teams. He was tied for team-high honors with five tackles on kickoff coverage.

He played in four games in 2022 and preserved his redshirt.

The 6-foot-3 and 250-pound Osunsanmi has one year of eligibility remaining.

The Wichita, Kan. product (Wichita East H.S.) was regarded as the 232nd-best overall player in the nation for the Class of 2022 by 247Sports.

Osunsanmi will help fill the void left by outgoing edge rushers Mikail Kamara, Kellan Wyatt and Stephen Daley.

More transfer portal information:

For complete coverage of IU football recruiting, GO HERE.

The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”

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Kansas

Kansas football transfer portal tracker: Jan. 4 developments for KU

Published

2 days ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

Kansas football transfer portal tracker: Jan. 4 developments for KU

LAWRENCE — The Division I transfer portal window for college football is open from Jan. 2 through Jan. 16, and that means Sunday is another chance for the Kansas football program to shape its roster.

The Jayhawks already gained one public addition earlier this offseason in Grand Valley State transfer Jibriel Conde — whose signing was announced Dec. 4. Conde, who is making the jump up from Division II, is a 247Sports-rated three-star defensive lineman in the portal and is listed by KU as a defensive tackle. On Saturday, a number of current Kansas players — including redshirt freshman quarterback Isaiah Marshall, redshirt sophomore wide receiver Keaton Kubecka and redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Blake Herold — also outlined in social media posts on X that they are locked in with the program for the 2026 season.

Marshall is set to compete for the starting quarterback job next season. Kubecka has the chance to step up into a more significant role at wide receiver. Herold is in line to be a key part of Kansas’ defensive line.

Those positives, though, don’t outweigh the fact that there has been a sizable group of players who have revealed their intentions to transfer away. Looking overall, when it comes to those whose decisions became public before and after the portal opened, the significant names to know include redshirt senior safety Lyrik Rawls, redshirt junior linebacker Trey Lathan and freshman quarterback David McComb. Lathan led KU in tackles in 2025.

Check in here for more updates during this transfer portal window about a KU team that finished 5-7 during the 2025 season, with transfer ratings as outlined by 247Sports.

Kansas football transfer portal additions

Jibriel Conde (3-star defensive lineman from Grand Valley State) — KU lists him as a defensive tackle

Kansas football transfer portal departures

Joseph Sipp Jr. (linebacker)

Jacoby Davis (cornerback)

Dylan Brooks (defensive end)

Jaidyn Doss (wide receiver)

Carter Lavrusky (offensive lineman)

Trey Lathan (linebacker)

Tyler Mercer (offensive lineman)

Harry Stewart III (running back)

Caleb Redd (3-star edge) — KU lists him as a defensive end

Aundre Gibson (3-star cornerback)

David McComb (3-star quarterback)

Kene Anene (3-star interior offensive lineman) — KU lists him as an offensive lineman

Laquan Robinson (3-star safety)

Jameel Croft Jr. (3-star cornerback)

Logan Brantley (3-star linebacker)

Greydon Grimes (3-star offensive tackle) — KU lists him as an offensive lineman

Jon Jon Kamara (3-star linebacker)

Lyrik Rawls (3-star safety)

Damani Maxson (3-star safety)

Jaden Hamm (tight end)

Bryce Cohoon (wide receiver)

JaCorey Stewart (linebacker)

Johnny Thompson Jr. (running back)

Efren Jasso (punter)

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

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