Kansas State University has fired men’s basketball head coach Jerome Town, according to reports from multiple sources, led by CBS News’ Matt Noland.
The widely-publicized comments came at a news conference after Cincinnati’s 91-62 rout of Bramlage on Wednesday, one of the worst home losses in Kansas State history. During that press conference, Don lashed out at his players, saying they didn’t deserve to wear the jersey.
advertise
(Of course, there is one person in charge of those players wearing said uniforms in the first place.)
K-State is trying to fire Don for reasonswhich can be very problematic from a legal perspective. Athletic director Gene Taylor said in a statement that “recent public comments and actions, in addition to the overall direction of the program, are inconsistent with K-State’s standards of supporting student-athletes and representing the university.” It’s likely just a ploy to induce Don to agree to a reduction in the $18 million acquisition amount, as clauses such as objecting to bringing “embarrassment or disrepute” to the university are notoriously difficult to enforce.
When Don exited, Kansas State fell to a nightmarish 10-15 record, going just 1-11 in conference play, including a home loss to Bowling Green in December. Despite leading the Cats to a 26-10 record in his rookie season and an Elite Eight appearance in his rookie season, he has a career record of 71-57 and 29-39 in the Big 12, and Kansas State will miss three consecutive NCAA tournaments since then, including a 2024 NIT first-round loss to Iowa State.
Don was well-received after the Elite Eight, with reported poaching interest from Arkansas and a surge of fan support surrounding Neaquin Tomlin’s firing, and Don was re-signed. But since that incident, Don’s record in Big 12 games is only 38-45 and 18-32. The goodwill he generated beyond his first season continued into the rest of the 2023-24 season, but he began to fade away early in the 2024-25 season and all but disappeared halfway through the season as the team struggled.
advertise
As of now, Kansas State has not named an interim coach, and a nationwide search for a permanent replacement has begun. (Update: Associate head coach Matt Driscoll has been named interim head coach. Driscoll, like former Baylor assistant Don, spent 16 years as a head coach at North Florida, compiling a 248-264 record and one NCAA tournament appearance.)