Among all the names tied to Kansas State's head coach vacancy, the latest is perhaps the most intriguing. Since firing Jerome Tang, the Wildcats have been linked to an abundance of names across the nation, like Jerrod Calhoun (Utah State) and Steve Forbes (Wake Forest).
Throw Ron "Metta World Peace" Artest in there as well. Yes, you read that right. The Los Angeles Lakers champion has expressed his relative interest in the position in Manhattan, KS.
"Kansas State Head Coach Job is one I think is very interesting for me," Artest tweeted on Thursday. "I’m so excited about the progress I’ve made in developing into a no-brainer head coach."
One of the fiercest competitors and relentless defenders in league history, Artest would certainly bring a level of fire to Kansas State that was arguably vacant with Tang.
But...that's about it. He has no coaching experience beyond one year of player development for the G-League South Bay Lakers, so the university likely wouldn't entertain bringing him in to reverse its current plummeting direction.
Plus, they've got much bigger things to worry about at the moment. As the Tang saga now enters a legal battle, the program has to defend its firing on the premise of cause. Many outsiders and analysts are calling BS on the Wildcats' justification for Tang's departure, including Stephen A. Smith, Scott Van Pelt, and Seth Greenberg.
"I am deeply disappointed with the university’s decision and strongly disagree with the characterization of my termination," Tang said in a statement to ESPN. "I have always acted with integrity and faithfully fulfilled my responsibilities as head coach. I would like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the opportunity to serve as Head Coach at Kansas State. It has been one of the great honors of my life."
While most agree that his lackluster track record and public comments were enough to remove him from the program, the general agreement is that he should be paid the rest of his contract money. Tang's deal needs to be fulfilled, and many believe his words weren't sufficient to be fired due to cause. His Cincinnati postgame words, while harsh, did have some level of accountability and display of emotion that were needed after a blowout loss to an underwhelming conference opponent.
For now, Tang's longtime partner-in-crime Matthew Driscoll is at the helm for the Wildcats. Their victory over Baylor was the first in nearly a month, setting the tone for a potential shift in Manhattan, KS. Even with it being a win against a lackluster conference opponent, it was much needed for a program going through one of the toughest seasons in recent memory. Kansas State faces Texas Tech (19-7, 9-4 in Big 12) this afternoon in Lubbock, TX.