Kansas State interim head coach Matthew Driscoll already has a strong resume. It’s no surprise that, in the midst of former head coach Jerome Tang’s for-cause firing, he was asked to step up.
After the Wildcats’ 90-74 victory over the Baylor Bears on Tuesday night, there’s a compelling case for Driscoll to take over as Kansas State’s next head coach.
Matthew Driscoll’s resume makes him the perfect candidate to replace Jerome Tang at K-State
Competition in the Big 12 waits for no one. It doesn’t matter if there are seven players on a roster or an interim head coach stepping up amid an already difficult season. For the Wildcats on Tuesday night, Driscoll checked all the boxes and proved he has the right mindset to coach in this league.
But let’s get one thing clear, a head coach doesn’t make or break a program. After K-State’s 78-64 loss on the road to then-No. 3 Houston, a turnaround already looked imminent. That same day, player names were out and a sense of accountability was in.
Tuesday’s win was a combination of both. The right leader was at the head of the program amid an already imminent turnaround, and the result is one that everyone should have expected: a performance that screams resurgence for Kansas State basketball.
Welcoming the winningest head coach in North Florida history
Driscoll spent six seasons as an assistant coach with Jerome Tang at Baylor from 2003-09. While Tang was busy as an assistant under current Baylor head coach Scott Drew during the 2021 NCAA Championship season, Driscoll was building something special at North Florida.
Prior to his departure ahead of this season, Driscoll became the winningest head coach in program history for the Ospreys. In 16 seasons with the program, Driscoll won three regular-season titles and the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament during the 2014-15 season.
That same year, the Ospreys also made the NCAA Tournament. Compare that to Kansas State, a program that made its last tournament run in 2023 and only its second since 2019, and it’s clear that Driscoll’s mid-major success makes him an ideal candidate to lead the K-State Wildcats.
Moves from mid-major programs to power conferences aren’t unheard of, either. Shaheen Holloway took 15-seed Saint Peter’s to the Elite Eight before stepping in to lead a struggling Seton Hall program in the Big East. In the three seasons prior, the Peacocks won a combined 42 games.
Compare that to Driscoll: North Florida won 45 games in his final three seasons with the Ospreys. It’s worth noting, however, that Holloway’s success included the 2020 season, which had a limited number of games.
Holloway and the Pirates even defeated Kansas State at Bramlage Coliseum during a nonconference matchup in December, just another bump in the road ahead of Big 12 conference play.
Driscoll’s Big 12 experience remains highly relevant
During his six years at Baylor, Driscoll saw the Big 12 for what it was – a gauntlet full of the nation’s best talent. He’s learned how to navigate the pressures of recruiting and the expectations of making deep NCAA Tournament runs.
That experience signals that Driscoll isn’t stepping into unfamiliar territory at Kansas State. He knows what it takes to compete against the nation’s top programs and how it feels to coach on a staff that embodies everything the Wildcats hope to become.
Combine that with his head coaching success at North Florida, and Driscoll brings a rare combination of mid-major accomplishment and power-conference savvy that could position Kansas State basketball for a turnaround sooner rather than later.
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