Kansas State hired Belmont’s Casey Alexander as coach

Kansas State has hired Belmont’s Casey Alexander as its next men’s basketball coach, athletic director Gene Taylor announced Friday.

Alexander will receive a five-year, $17 million contract after leading the Bruins to the Missouri Valley regular-season title this season, winning 26 games before losing in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. It was its 10th straight season of winning at least 20 games.

“I am incredibly excited to join the K-State team and can’t wait to get started,” Alexander said in a statement. “K-State has such a rich tradition and a passionate fan base, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a part of Gene Taylor.”

Hired away from Lipscomb in 2019, Alexander stayed at Belmont for seven seasons. In his first season with the Bruins, they claimed a share of the Ohio Valley regular-season title and won the conference tournament. They did not play in the NCAA Tournament, however, after it was canceled due to the pandemic.

Alexander went 166-60 at his alma mater, Belmont, and won three regular-season championships, though the Bruins never played him in the NCAA Tournament. He also helped transition the program from the Ohio Valley Conference to the Missouri Valley Conference.

Before taking over at Belmont, Alexander spent six seasons at Lipscomb, winning one regular-season title and leading the Bisons to the NCAA Tournament in 2018. He was also the head coach at Stetson for two seasons.

At Kansas State, Alexander will replace Jerome Tang, who was fired last month at the end of his fourth season in charge.

“Casey emerged as the best fit for our program out of the coaches we spoke with,” Taylor said in a statement. “He is nationally known as an evaluator of talent and one of the best offensive minds in the college game. He has built and maintained successful and winning programs at Stetson, Lipscomb and Belmont, and his reputation for developing players and a strong culture make him a perfect fit for us.”

Alexander had just two seniors in his nine-man rotation at Belmont this season, and there’s a chance some players with remaining eligibility could follow him to Manhattan, Kansas. Sophomores Sam Orme (12.7 PPG) and Drew Scharnowski (10.7) were the most productive of the group.