Jerome Tang didn’t mince words after Kansas State suffered a humbling 86-62 home basketball loss to Kansas on Saturday inside Bramlage Coliseum.
Not only did the K-State head coach say he needs a few players to “step up” and “compete” at a higher level against Big 12 opponents, he called them out by name.
“Nate Johnson has to play better,” Tang said. “He’s got to. He’s got to play better. We need (more) from him. His team needs more from him. We expect more from him.”
Tang chose to challenge Johnson after the 6-foot-3 Akron transfer put up just five points, four assists and three rebounds in 35 minutes of action against the rival Jayhawks.
But he wasn’t done. “David Castillo has got to play better,” Tang continued. “That is just what happens. It’s not a secret that people know that David is a really good shooter. So if they take that away, what’s the next thing he’s going to do? It’s the same thing with Nate. We need guys who are capable to step up. Those are two, for sure.”
allowed the Jayhawks to average 1.34 points per possession without star player Darryn Peterson.
Tang chose to mention Castillo after he scored eight points on 11 shots in 37 minutes against Kansas.
He was also critical of K-State’s defensive effort, which
