Within the moments after Kansas State’s excruciating 79-76 loss to Florida Atlantic in an Elite Eight recreation on Saturday at Madison Sq. Backyard, coach Jerome Tang posted up within the hallway resulting in the Okay-State locker room.
Then he waited and greeted each crestfallen member of the Wildcat entourage with a hand slap and a “Head up!” directive.
As soon as inside, he promptly elaborated on the concept as he addressed the fascinating staff that had fallen simply in need of the college’s first Closing 4 since 1964.
“He mentioned if that is the worst factor that now we have to undergo, then our life can be fairly damned good,” mentioned Markquis Nowell, the spellbinding Most Excellent Participant of the East Regional, as he mustered a smile within the largely hushed room.
He added: “There’s some individuals actually going by way of some laborious issues in life, and I simply misplaced a basketball recreation.”
Over the following jiffy, Tang would enter the Florida Atlantic locker room to congratulate coaches and gamers and urge them ahead.
And after his typical postgame opening to thank “my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ,” he immediately supplied the identical conciliatory perspective to a broader viewers.
“If we will’t be grateful in these instances, then all of the love and pleasure that we speak about is fraud,” he mentioned. “And we’re not frauds.”
Not frauds within the sense of how he walks the discuss. And positively not frauds on the courtroom.
Tang’s first Okay-State staff, fused along with Nowell, Ish Massoud and 11 new scholarship gamers, received extra video games than the Wildcats had received the final two seasons mixed (26 vs. 23) as he basically revived a sagging program.
His grasp of how to try this bodes effectively for Okay-State’s future … even with Nowell’s eligibility expired and Keyontae Johnson nearly actually heading to the NBA.
And his grasp of the way to meet this second was much more compelling testimony about what ought to make the longer term vivid.
Not simply within the sense of why he ought to attraction to recruits, but in addition when it comes to why Okay-State followers ought to really feel proud to have him because the chief of this system.
After I requested him why it was so essential to right away embrace the larger image, right here’s what he mentioned:
“That is the third time I’ve misplaced within the Elite Eight,” he mentioned, alluding to earlier losses as a Baylor assistant coach. “And you may sit round and mope and cry about it, or you may actually take into consideration the love and the enjoyment that you simply’ve had by way of the season.
“And winners preserve their heads up. They don’t drop their heads. So our guys weren’t going to stroll off the ground with their heads down. … Robust issues are going to occur in our life, and we don’t get to wallow in it. We’ve bought to maintain transferring ahead. That is extra of a lesson for them of turning into males than it’s about basketball.”
Don’t misunderstand. The loss was painful to all. Correctly.
When Nae’Qwan Tomlin was requested throughout the postgame information convention to precise the frustration of coming so near the Closing 4 solely to not make it, Tang, Nowell and Tomlin conferred away from the mic earlier than Nowell answered.
“He can’t categorical it,” Nowell mentioned.
Credit score Nowell with yet one more help to go along with his NCAA Match-record 19 towards Michigan State and 12 extra on Saturday together with 30 factors.
If solely he might have generated only one extra at recreation’s finish after FAU’s Michael Forrest made two free throws with 6.9 seconds left to present the Owls a three-point lead. Or have hit his sixth 3-pointer of the sport.
Alas, although, one thing bought jumbled on a last play that Tang mentioned he was disillusioned in himself for not higher orchestrating.
As Nowell described it: “Coach wished Ish to set the display, and I waved it off as a result of I felt like on the best aspect of the courtroom that’s the place Ish hits most of his photographs. They usually closed out laborious on him, and he didn’t get off his shot.”
It made for an abrupt and hole ending to a gorgeous run this season. And perhaps it was all of the extra piercing as a result of solely minutes earlier than it gave the impression to be falling Okay-State’s means.
Regardless of being absurdly outrebounded (44-22 by the top) and Johnson enjoying simply over 18 minutes earlier than fouling out.
When Nowell banked in a 3 that was so unbelievable he was virtually laughing as he ran again down the courtroom, Okay-State led 63-57 with 8:39 to go.
“I (felt) like that shot gave us somewhat momentum,” he mentioned.
As a substitute, it was a jumping-off level for Florida Atlantic, which unleashed a 15-1 run. In reality, Okay-State didn’t make one other basket for practically seven minutes however gritted up and managed to chop it to 75-74 on Cam Carter’s three-pointer with 22 seconds left.
The comeback wasn’t to be, although, with Nowell stating that all of it got here right down to Okay-State struggling to get important defensive stops and that Florida Atlantic appeared to get “each single 50-50 ball.”
At his locker later, Nowell mentioned, “There’s a bunch of coulda, woulda … operating by way of my thoughts.”
But in addition loads of pleasure after the Harlem native turned a nationwide sensation over the previous few days after performances that he mentioned led to the “surreal” feeling of listening to from the likes of Magic Johnson, Carmelo Anthony, Ja Morant, Trae Younger and Muggsy Bogues.
On the coronary heart of that pleasure, although, was the information that something he had carried out — and even wished he’d carried out in any other case — nonetheless was a part of one thing larger than himself to be cherished eternally.
One thing radiated by the charismatic Tang.
“This hurts proper now, however I wouldn’t commerce these guys for 10 gamers, 10 others, or 20 others,” Tang mentioned. “I wouldn’t commerce them for something on this planet.”
Identical to Okay-State followers shouldn’t wish to commerce him for something.
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