It's been more than a week since Kansas State coach Jerome Tang was released from the institution.
But his presence still looms. Interim coach Matthew Driscoll lauded Tang's impact once again, discussing how the players grew under his wing and even continue to prosper after his firing.
"As the game went on and those situations presented themselves, there was a time where they went up 22 [points], and the staff told me to call a timeout," Driscoll said in his Colorado postgame interview. "I didn't. Our guys responded. Even though they did what they did, it was 73-70 with two minutes to go. The resilience these guys have shown over the past 10 days, starting with Houston. The way in which coach [Tang] presented what was transpiring, as the genuine human being that he is, when the transition took place. Then, how they reacted against Baylor, then on the road at No. 13 Texas Tech, then coming here. Colorado is a really good team."
He had a squabble with senior guard CJ Jones about the potential to come back, as Driscoll didn't believe the game was still in reach after Colorado went back up in the second half. He praised the team's resilience, even amid the loss.
"I'm encouraged," Driscoll said. "In Thessalonians, it says to continue to encourage each other and build each other up, just as you're already doing. Because Proverbs says, 'Where there is no vision, the people will perish,' and our vision is very clear. TCU is the next opponent on Saturday night."
Still, he wasn't completely satisfied with the result, illustrating what the team needs to do to improve.
"I'm not a moral victory guy, I've never been," Driscoll said. "I'm not a guy that's going to learn from losing, I'm not into that stuff. I'm into learning. I'm in to keep pouring into the cup because the cups are a little bit empty. But however that transpires, we're gonna have to figure out what that looks like. You can't get three shots blocked in the last two minutes of the game. We've got to be better at playing off two, getting fouled, getting to the free-throw line, stopping the clock, and being able to utilize those things. We talk about it, but we have to actually do it."
Kansas State hosts TCU (18-10, 8-7 in Big 12) on Saturday night.
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