Kansas State Wildcats men’s basketball has appointed Casey Alexander, the longtime head coach at Belmont Bruins men’s basketball, as its new men’s basketball coach. The hiring was announced Friday, just three days after Kansas State was eliminated from the Big 12 Tournament and roughly a month after the school dismissed former coach Jerome Tang following a controversy.
Alexander, who guided Belmont to 166 victories and four conference championships during seven seasons, has agreed to a five-year contract starting at $3.3 million for the upcoming season. His salary will increase by $50,000 annually, reaching $3.5 million by the 2030–31 season.
Expressing excitement about the opportunity, Alexander said he is eager to begin his new role and join a program with a strong basketball tradition and enthusiastic supporters. He also thanked athletic director Gene Taylor for trusting him with the position. The university added that a formal introductory press conference will take place later.
The 53-year-old coach holds a 303–180 career record across 15 seasons as a head coach, including previous stints with Stetson Hatters men’s basketball and Lipscomb Bisons men’s basketball before his success at Belmont. This season, Belmont captured the regular-season title in the Missouri Valley Conference but was eliminated by Drake Bulldogs men’s basketball in the conference tournament. Alexander previously played for Belmont and began his coaching career there as an assistant.
Taylor noted that several respected coaches expressed interest in the job, but Alexander ultimately stood out as the best fit for the program, praising his reputation as a strong talent evaluator and one of college basketball’s most creative offensive strategists.
Kansas State parted ways with Tang on February 15, shortly after a 29-point defeat to Cincinnati Bearcats men’s basketball. Following the loss, Tang made critical remarks about his players, saying many of them would not return the following season. The comments drew significant attention, and the university dismissed him “for cause,” claiming his statements embarrassed the program.
Tang has challenged that designation, which would eliminate the $18.7 million buyout in his contract. He has hired prominent sports attorneys Tom Mars and Bennett Speyer to represent him.
Assistant coach Matthew Driscoll served as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Kansas State finished the year 12–20 after a 105–91 loss to BYU Cougars men’s basketball in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament its worst record since the 2020–21 season under former coach Bruce Weber.
Tang’s departure marked a sharp decline after his impressive start at Kansas State, where he led the Wildcats to the Elite Eight in his first season four years earlier.
Although Alexander grew up in Tennessee and has limited ties to the Midwest, the opportunity to lead a Big 12 program with strong NIL resources and solid administrative support was too attractive to decline.
He also has a history of turning programs around. At Stetson and Lipscomb, Alexander improved struggling teams and eventually led Lipscomb to the NCAA Tournament and a 29-win season that ended in the NIT championship game. During his tenure at Belmont, he won at least 20 games every season.
University president Richard Linton praised the hiring, saying Alexander’s leadership, integrity, and commitment to student-athletes make him an ideal choice to guide Kansas State’s basketball program into the future.
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