“This is an unbelievable blessing. I’ve lived a blessed life, but this is just a start for some big things.”
Kansas State’s, Jerome Tang, is the reigning college basketball coach of the year, after taking the Wildcats to the Elite 8 in his first year as head coach. His journey is unique, marked by faith in God, a love for basketball, and the bible.
TANG: “At one point in time, I could quote up to close to sixteen books of the Bible.”
DAWSON: “In their entirety?”
TANG: “Yeah.”
In 1989, while on a bible quiz scholarship at North Central Bible College, Jerome became the bible quiz coach and in multiple years took his team to nationals. “That was the foundation of my coaching and God knew what He was doing because it also really established me as a man of God,” recalled Tang.
Still, his desire was to coach basketball, an opportunity he would receive in 1993 as the head coach of Heritage Christian High School in Cleveland, Texas. While he led the team to four state titles in ten years, financially, times were tough. “Making ends meet,” said his wife, Careylyen, “I don’t know how I stretched money for us for the week.”
In 2003, the couple was expecting their second child and learned their insurance had lapsed. His wife, Rey, called Jerome to tell him the news. “I just remember sitting in the car, just crying and I called and told him,” Rey recalled, “and he said, ‘Don’t worry about it. God will provide.’”
DAWSON: “Were you ever worried about your life situation or did you just have a faith that you knew everything was going to be okay?”
TANG: “I have this like crazy faith. I always believed that I was God’s favored. And I tell people they should feel the same way because Scripture says that we’re the apple of His eye. Your faith just grows as God shows Himself faithful to us.”
Just a few days later, Jerome was offered an assistant coaching role at Baylor University under Christian head coach, Scott Drew. With it came a significant raise and insurance, affirming Jerome’s faith. Jerome recalled, “He said, ‘The job is yours.’ That was incredible.”
Baylor was a basketball program, not necessarily known for their winning tradition. However, Jerome was convinced that they would not only succeed, but that they would eventually win it all.
“I didn’t know how long it was going to take,” said Tang. “But I knew we were going to win because we just had great people around us, hard workers, and we followed the direction of coach being led by the Lord and the Holy Spirit.”
Under Coach Drew and Coach Tang, Baylor lost nearly 70% of their games in their first four years. Slowly they began turning things around and in 2021, after 19 years together, Baylor won the national championship.
DAWSON: “How special was it when the final buzzer sounds and you’re the national champions?”
TANG: “Oh my goodness. You know, God is so good and His timing is perfect. It’s never perfect for us in our minds, but it’s perfect for us and our journey. And had we won it before that, I think that would have been the pinnacle for me. When we won it, it was nice, but I had already come to a point in my life where my walk with God and who I am in Him was fulfilling and satisfying.”
The next season, Jerome was offered his first head coaching position at Kansas State. In the media’s mind, Jerome had an uphill climb.
DAWSON: “You were doubted. Kansas State was picked dead last in the preseason Big 12 standings. Did that deter you at all?”
TANG: “No. I saw our team when we put the collection of guys together, I saw them. I was like, ‘If this is the last team in the Big 12 then all ten teams are going to the NCAA tournament.’ I felt we had an NCAA tournament team.”
Not only did the Wildcats make the NCAA tournament, that first season, Tang took them to the Elite 8, and just three points shy of the final four. He was unanimously voted, by the Associated Press, the national coach of the year.
“I realize that it’s another platform that God’s given me in order to bring honor and glory to Him,” says Tang. “But also to really be able to talk about the great men that I live life with.”
DAWSON: “What is the rest of this journey look like for Jerome Tang? What would it take for it to be a success for you?”
TANG: “We’re going to win the national championship.”
DAWSON: “Do you believe that?”
TANG: “Yeah. Yeah. That’s going to happen. We’re going to win a national championship. And more importantly, I believe Jesus is really clear when He says, ‘By this all men will know that you’re My disciple. If you have love towards another.’ Not if you love those who look like you and those who vote like you, those who dress like you, but just love people. And I believe that the ministry that God has really stirred in my heart that He wants us, me as a follower of Jesus, to show what it’s like to love everybody.”
Source: cbn
