The former coach of the North Florida Ospreys was with the team for nearly 16 years.
MANHATTAN, Kan. — A former Osprey is stretching their wings once again.
Kansas State University announced Sunday the appointment of former UNF head coach Matthew Driscoll as interim head coach of its men’s basketball team.
The announcement comes after the school’s athletic director, Gene Taylor, said that the school was parting with its current leader, Jerome Tang.
“This was a decision that was made in the best interest of our university and men’s basketball program,” Taylor said. “Recent public comments and conduct, in addition to the program’s overall direction, have not aligned with K-State’s standards for supporting student-athletes and representing the university. We wish Coach Tang and his family all the best moving forward.”
According to ESPN, Tang had signed a multi-year extension with the Wildcats, which would have seen him staying with the team through the 2029-2030 season.
“I am deeply disappointed with the university’s decision and strongly disagree with the characterization of my termination,” Tang told ESPN in a statement. “I have always acted with integrity and faithfully fulfilled my responsibilities as head coach.”
Under Driscoll’s leadership, the Ospreys led the ASUN in scoring average three times, 3-point attempts per game seven times, 3-point percentage four times, and collected three regular-season ASUN titles and the 2015 ASUN Tournament Championship, leading to the team’s only NCAA Tournament appearance. He served as the Osprey’s head coach for 16 years.
“UNF gave me my first opportunity to be a head coach and it’s hard to put into words the impact that will have in my heart,” Driscoll had said while announcing his new position with the Wildcats as associate head coach in 2025. “Jacksonville, UNF and the people will have an incredible grasp on my heart for a long time.”
Kansas State says that a national search for its next head coach “will begin immediately.”