Kansas State Hires Casey Alexander as Basketball Coach

Kansas State University announced on Friday the hiring of Casey Alexander as the new head coach of its men's basketball team, replacing Jerome Tang just weeks after his dismissal. The 53-year-old Alexander, who spent the past seven seasons leading Belmont University, agreed to a five-year contract that begins with a salary of $3.3 million in the 2026-27 season and includes annual increases of $50,000.

The move comes three days after the Wildcats concluded a disappointing 12-20 season with a 105-91 loss to BYU in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament on Tuesday. Kansas State fired Tang on February 15, four days after a 91-62 home defeat to Cincinnati. Following that loss, Tang publicly criticized his players, stating they did not deserve to wear the team's uniform, a comment that drew widespread attention and factored into the university's decision to terminate him for cause. Tang, who guided the Wildcats to the Elite Eight in his debut 2022-23 season, finished with an overall record of 73-57 over three-plus years but struggled in subsequent campaigns, posting marks of 19-15 and 16-17 before this year's downturn. He has retained attorneys to challenge the for-cause...