Cayman Islands Classic suits Kansas State basketball coach Jerome Tang just fine
Jerome Tang pointed out time and again throughout the preseason how little control he had over this year's Kansas State basketball schedule.
But you won't hear him complain about the Wildcats' trip to the Cayman Islands Classic, which gets underway Monday with a 6:30 p.m. CT game against Rhode Island in the John Gray Gym in George Town, Grand Cayman.
Not only does the three-day tournament fit with his scheduling philosophy, but just as important, his preference for a temperate climate.
"I like playing in the islands," Tang said with a laugh. "You're going to notice we're going to play in a bunch of islands (tournaments). I like warm weather, and so that's going to be big.
"I think our fans will enjoy that, too."
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Tang also prefers to play his in-season tournaments at the end of November, rather than in December.
"For the most part, we'll try to play in a Thanksgiving tournament, so the guys can go home for Christmas," he said. "That's going to be my philosophy."
As for this year's Cayman Islands Classic, the Wildcats take a 3-0 record into their opening-round game against Rhode Island (1-2). The Rams lost a pair of close games against Quinnipiac (67-62) and Texas State (70-66) to open the season before beating Stony Brook, 74-64, last Tuesday.
K-State is coming off a 69-53 home victory Thursday against Kansas City after beating Texas-Rio Grande Valley (93-53) at home and California (63-54) to start the Tang coaching era.
"The hardest game to win is the first one, and so you really have to prepare," Tang said. "Everybody has time to prepare for it, so you've got to get the first one.
"After that, it's just about how quickly you can recover, and how much you can learn about the next team and just move on."
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The Wildcats play the last of four Monday first-round games, and will face either Nevada or Tulane on Tuesday. The championship semifinal is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and the consolation semifinal at 4 p.m.
The top of the bracket has Illinois State taking on LSU, while Akron and Western Kentucky square off in the second game. The tournament concludes with final-round games on Wednesday, capped by the championship at 6:30 p.m.
K-State sophomore guard Cam Carter said he looks forward to the trip.
"I'm really excited," he said. "It's my second time going out of the country, so I know it's different out there. Different type of weather, different type of water, everything."
Veteran guard Keyontae Johnson is taking a more practical approach to the tournament.
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"It's very exciting. Going there, we're trying to make a statement," said Johnson, who leads the Wildcats in both scoring with 16 points per game, and rebounding with a 6.0 average. "Just keep playing the basketball we've been playing as a team (and) getting better every day.
"I feel like it's a great opportunity for us to challenge ourselves and play against different competition."
In addition to Johnson, point guard Markquis Nowell is averaging 12 points and 6.7 assists, with forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin adding 11.3 points and 5.7 rebounds.
Rhode Island is led in scoring by redshirt sophomore guard Ishmael Leggett with 17.7 points and 6.3 rebounds a game. Freshman forward Abdou Samb and senior guard Malik Martin each average 10 points.
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Cayman Islands Classic suits Jerome Tang just fine
