NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Newly-named head coach Jerome Tang nabbed his first recruit for the Kanas State basketball program with the signing of George Washington Carver High School’s Dorian Finister in New Orleans on Monday.
“It was just a great fit,” Finister told WGNO Sports after signing in front of friends, family and Rams’ teammates. “It made me feel comfortable. It made me feel at home. I’m big on home. It’s a place you can get better at. It was overwhelming when I got there.
“I can’t wait to get up there and strive to be a better person and a better player.”
The 6-foot-5 guard inked his signature to K-State after visiting the Wildcats in Manhattan, Kansas over the weekend. Finister, who scored 14 points in Carver’s Class 4A state championship win over McMain in March, chose Coach Tang’s program over schools such as Houston and Texas A&M, despite the latter signing Carver teammate Solomon Washington in November.
Tang became the 25th head men’s basketball coach in March after serving as an assistant coach at Baylor since 2003. He helped lead the Bears to a national championship in 2021 as an associate head coach for Scott Drew’s Big 12 program.
“He’s a winner,” Coach Tang told WGNO Sports’ Ed Daniels via Zoom. “That’s so important to have guys who understand what winning is about. And when we get him up here, get him with our strength coach and get him in a daily routine, you know it’s not going to be right away, but I fully expect Dorian to be an all-league player before he leaves here.”
Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter.
