DEVELOPING: K-State MBB graduate assistant Mark Vital Jr was arrested by Riley County Police yesterday.

He’s charged with domestic battery. Vital was a member of Baylor’s 2020-21 National Championship team @WIBWsports pic.twitter.com/94ijZPFSLM

— Jason Kinander (@WIBWJason) February 9, 2026

Noooooo Baby Rico

There was a women arrested for the same thing as well - her bond set at 4K….MV only at 2k. This should help his counseling master degree a lot.

BluesBear said:

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There was a women arrested for the same thing as well - her bond set at 4K….MV only at 2k. This should help his counseling master degree a lot.

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Hmmm ... do we have a Chris Beard situation?

Bearknuckle said:

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TWD 1974 said:

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Bearknuckle said:

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PartyBear said:

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The odds of this being Tang's last season just shot way up I woukd think.

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according to several premium posters, Tang was the Dawg who made our defenses salty. Others very angrily shot that idea down. I'd bet he ends up back in Waco with Scott if things end at KSU. Will be interesting to see the impact if that indeed is how things go down.

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Don Sanchez is a great defensive coach. Hoping he stays and provides input on player recruitment for the next couple of years.

Love Coach Tang, but he left here to be a head coach. If he leaves KSU, I have no doubt a midmajor will be calling.

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if Baylor is willing to pay him close to what a mid-major would (idk, what is that like $1M tops?) as I think he might prefer not having to be the head guy at a smaller school in this specific era, and I'd bet Scott would be happy to have his old running buddy back...

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It was my understanding that Coach Tang's first contract at KSU was around $600k... are we paying assistant coaches that much better now?

TWD 1974 said:

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Bearknuckle said:

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TWD 1974 said:

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Bearknuckle said:

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PartyBear said:

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The odds of this being Tang's last season just shot way up I woukd think.

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according to several premium posters, Tang was the Dawg who made our defenses salty. Others very angrily shot that idea down. I'd bet he ends up back in Waco with Scott if things end at KSU. Will be interesting to see the impact if that indeed is how things go down.

---

Don Sanchez is a great defensive coach. Hoping he stays and provides input on player recruitment for the next couple of years.

Love Coach Tang, but he left here to be a head coach. If he leaves KSU, I have no doubt a midmajor will be calling.

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if Baylor is willing to pay him close to what a mid-major would (idk, what is that like $1M tops?) as I think he might prefer not having to be the head guy at a smaller school in this specific era, and I'd bet Scott would be happy to have his old running buddy back...

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It was my understanding that Coach Tang's first contract at KSU was around $600k... are we paying assistant coaches that much better now?

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i was kinda doing a Lucille Bluth joke with the $1M,

but point being that if HC matters more he's not coming back, but if money is important I'm sure we could out bid a mid-major if necessary.

Bearknuckle said:

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TWD 1974 said:

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Bearknuckle said:

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TWD 1974 said:

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Bearknuckle said:

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PartyBear said:

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The odds of this being Tang's last season just shot way up I woukd think.

---

according to several premium posters, Tang was the Dawg who made our defenses salty. Others very angrily shot that idea down. I'd bet he ends up back in Waco with Scott if things end at KSU. Will be interesting to see the impact if that indeed is how things go down.

---

Don Sanchez is a great defensive coach. Hoping he stays and provides input on player recruitment for the next couple of years.

Love Coach Tang, but he left here to be a head coach. If he leaves KSU, I have no doubt a midmajor will be calling.

---

if Baylor is willing to pay him close to what a mid-major would (idk, what is that like $1M tops?) as I think he might prefer not having to be the head guy at a smaller school in this specific era, and I'd bet Scott would be happy to have his old running buddy back...

---

It was my understanding that Coach Tang's first contract at KSU was around $600k... are we paying assistant coaches that much better now?

---

i was kinda doing a Lucille Bluth joke with the $1M,

but point being that if HC matters more he's not coming back, but if money is important I'm sure we could out bid a mid-major if necessary.

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If the money wasn't there or worked if it was offered three years ago, what is so different now? What's the dollar ceiling for the top Assistants in Football, MBB and WBB? Tang is a HC who brought a team to the final 4. There is a short list of active coaches that can say that. I just don't see him taking a step back.

TWD 1974 said:

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Bearknuckle said:

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TWD 1974 said:

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Bearknuckle said:

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TWD 1974 said:

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Bearknuckle said:

---

PartyBear said:

---

The odds of this being Tang's last season just shot way up I woukd think.

---

according to several premium posters, Tang was the Dawg who made our defenses salty. Others very angrily shot that idea down. I'd bet he ends up back in Waco with Scott if things end at KSU. Will be interesting to see the impact if that indeed is how things go down.

---

Don Sanchez is a great defensive coach. Hoping he stays and provides input on player recruitment for the next couple of years.

Love Coach Tang, but he left here to be a head coach. If he leaves KSU, I have no doubt a midmajor will be calling.

---

if Baylor is willing to pay him close to what a mid-major would (idk, what is that like $1M tops?) as I think he might prefer not having to be the head guy at a smaller school in this specific era, and I'd bet Scott would be happy to have his old running buddy back...

---

It was my understanding that Coach Tang's first contract at KSU was around $600k... are we paying assistant coaches that much better now?

---

i was kinda doing a Lucille Bluth joke with the $1M,

but point being that if HC matters more he's not coming back, but if money is important I'm sure we could out bid a mid-major if necessary.

---

If the money wasn't there or worked if it was offered three years ago, what is so different now? What's the dollar ceiling for the top Assistants in Football, MBB and WBB? Tang is a HC who brought a team to the final 4. There is a short list of active coaches that can say that. I just don't see him taking a step back.

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That's incorrect: his first year they lost in the Elite Eight, not the Final Four.

And since then, they haven't sniffed that level of success. To date, he is 71-55 as an HC, and if you subtract that first magical season, he is 45-45 with a consistently downward trend over the last 3 years. So I don't think he's going to get a huge number of programs beating down the door for his services as an HC.

If he wants to keep HCing no matter what, then of course he's not coming back to Baylor. But Baylor may be the highest bidder for his services as an assistant coach even if everyone else is bidding on him as an HC, so I don't think we can absolutely exclude the possibility that he does return to Baylor at least for a season or two before getting back into the HC ranks...

I predicted when Kstate got off to slow start this year.. he's be fired.. Sampson would resign in Houston.. his son takes over.. and Tang goes back home to UH as assistant.

Only problem with that scenario is Tang's MASSIVE buyout.

$15.7m - - WOW....

Jerome Tang on postgame radio with Wyatt & Stan:
"I'm an embarrassed man. I'm embarrassed for our university, embarrassed for our fans, embarrassed for our student section.
None of these dues deserve to wear this uniform. We have practice tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. God bless."…

— Ryan Wallace (@The_RyanWallace) February 12, 2026

Mark Morefield is head and shoulders above Tang.

Jerome Tang: "I don't feel like I need to give an explanation to our fans right now. I want them to know that I'm working really hard. I'm not happy with the results, but I am proud of the young men that we brought in."

— Kellis Robinett (@KellisRobinett) February 1, 2026

This was the quote less than two weeks ago after the Iowa St game.

Some Kansas State fans are wearing bags on their heads tonight. pic.twitter.com/RSUeCFbDKA

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) February 12, 2026

Big12Fan2024 said:

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Some Kansas State fans are wearing bags on their heads tonight. pic.twitter.com/RSUeCFbDKA

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) February 12, 2026

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he's a dead man walking at KSU.

Not sure if we'll even make an assistant coach offer with all of his goofy public posturing (going back to his first year in Manhattan when he literally tried to provoke a Him-or-Me situation with university president).

It seems like Jerome always speaks exactly what he's feeling, which can be both a strength and a fatal flaw.

Had you asked me the question a couple of months ago, I would have agreed with TWD that Tang would land a mid major head coaching job if fired. But I have a feeling his inability to handle the stress and the ensuing emotional outbursts (along with struggles to assemble a competitive team) are going to cause a lot of mid major Presidents and AD's to likely go in other directions. I'll be surprised if he doesn't have to spend some time back as an assistant before moving into another head coaching role.

Big12Fan2024 said:

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Had you asked me the question a couple of months ago, I would have agreed with TWD that Tang would land a mid major head coaching job if fired. But I have a feeling his inability to handle the stress and the ensuing emotional outbursts (along with struggles to assemble a competitive team) are going to cause a lot of mid major Presidents and AD's to likely go in other directions. I'll be surprised if he doesn't have to spend some time back as an assistant before moving into another head coaching role.

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Oh man oooof, it's getting bad for Jerome.

I've covered 10 Division I men's basketball teams
9 at Missouri State. 1 at Kansas State.
4 different coaches.
No NCAA Tournament appearances.

I've covered a team bringing in a cryotherapy machine and nearly freezing two players' feet off, players robbing other students in their…

— Wyatt Wheeler (@WyattWheeler_) February 12, 2026

Grateful to be back on regular schedule with @KStateMBB .

Thankful for @kstatesports and those who trusted the legal process and allowed the truth to speak for itself.
Ready to move forward and get to work.

Built on faith. Committed to growth. #EMAW

— The Villain 🃏 (@MarkVitalJr) February 27, 2026