By: D. Scott Fritchen
At 3:55 p.m., Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang held his last Sharpie and took his last selfie with three girls who giggled. It had been a long day of travel from the Big Apple to the Little Apple. The morning featured a bus ride through packed streets in downtown Manhattan, New York. The afternoon featured wide-open land as far as the eye could see as the charter jet sliced through low-hanging clouds over the Flint Hills.
Saturday blurred into Sunday and every day seemed to slide into the next one along this march through March. But alas, this was the final stop, Manhattan Regional Airport, and the purple-clad welcoming party pressed against the black rope in the airport terminal, and they chanted "K-S-U!", and a boy held a sign that read "TANG GANG," and a girl held a sign that said "YOU'RE MY CHAMPIONS," and somebody else in the crowd held a sign that read: "WHEN YOU LOVE PEOPLE IT'S AMAZING WHAT YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH."
The crowd reserved cheers for each player as he entered the terminal. Markquis Nowell was the last one off the plane. Tang wrapped his arm around Nowell and they walked into the terminal together. The crowd went wild.
"THANK YOUUUUU!!!" the crowd shouted in unison. And then the entire K-State basketball team, wary from the six-day trip to New York City for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, slid their backpacks from their shoulders, and began signing autographs. They had done this before. They took selfies and signed autographs after each game, after each game during this unbelievable season. They were tired. They were worn. After Saturday night's 79-76 loss to Florida Atlantic in the Elite Eight, they simply seemed spent.
Yet they smiled and signed autographs for K-State faithful, who'd waited for an opportunity to thank the coaches and players for a wonderful season.
"Love. Pride," said Cindy Neff of Junction City. "I'm proud of them, what Coach Tang and his guys have done in one year, it's been an awesome turnaround 100%."
Mark Campfield of Manhattan has been a basketball season-ticket holder since 1985.
"Absolutely amazing," Campfield said. "You start with two players and go to the Elite Eight — unachievable, unbelievable. I've followed K-State for 40 years. Season tickets for football and basketball forever. It's been an amazing year for Kansas State."K-State was the only school in the nation to have a football team in a New Year's Six bowl and a basketball team in an Elite Eight this year.
When K-State football won the Big 12 Championship, things were just getting warmed up for the K-State basketball season — a five-month journey that featured a school-record eight wins against AP Top 25 teams, a No. 15 final ranking in the AP Poll, a third-place finish in the Big 12 Conference, and an Elite Eight appearance in Madison Square Garden.
"It's something to look forward to every week," Campfield said. "Things slow down, you get into the winter months and in past years things have gotten a little slow. It just kept going this year. Excitement every week."
Longtime Arrow Stage Lines motor coach driver Bill Hassett knew it so well.
"This season has been a blast," Hassett said. "It's just a dream come true. It really is. It's something that's just unbelievable because this is his first season. It can only go up from here. It's been a blast. I'm blessed to be their driver. I love Coach Tang's overall sense of family. It's unbelievable. He's like a dad to all these guys."
Beth Weishaar posed for a photo with Tang.
"Pretty exciting," she said as she stepped away with a photo and a lasting memory. "I've been wanting to do that for a while. I'm very appreciative for everything he's done for this program, and I'm really excited about the years ahead."
K-State's NCAA Tournament run this year started with a 77-65 win over Montana State and a 75-69 win over Kentucky before a 98-93 overtime thriller against Michigan State.
"Very fun," Weishaar said. "Our heart rates were a lot higher than they ever have been. It was great. Very proud of them."
Prior to stepping onto the New York City-bound plane for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight last Tuesday, Tang said, "We're going to win a national championship while we're here."
Tang's first season ended one game shy of the Final Four.
"It's more than I ever could've dreamed of as far as the joy the young fellas brought to my life," Tang said, "and how great it was to live life with them."
There's more to come.