Report: Iowa State Men’s Basketball Team Accused of Stealing Signs Against Kansas State
Wildcats coach Jerome Tang appeared frustrated during Wednesday’s Big 12 game as the team alerted officials of their claims.
A pair of testy late-game exchanges between Iowa State Cyclones coach T.J. Otzelberger and Kansas State Wildcats coach Jerome Tang earlier this week were reportedly tied to a sign-stealing accusation.
Otzelberger and Tang exchanged words twice during Wednesday’s 78–67 Iowa State win in Ames, once after a media timeout with just under eight minutes to play and again in the postgame handshake line. According to Kellis Robinett of The Wichita Eagle, Tang’s frustration stemmed from his belief that Iowa State had planted team representatives in the stands behind the Kansas State bench to steal signs during huddles. Tang and his staff were reportedly concerned that the representatives were then texting that information into the Iowa State huddles.
Tang and Kansas State assistant Jareem Dowling alerted the game’s referees about the situation, appearing to point into the stands a few rows behind the team’s bench as they did. Tang then attempted to talk to Otzelberger before being quickly pulled away by the referees. He could be seen saying to the officials, “They’ve got three guys in the stands videoing our huddle,” on the ESPN+ broadcast of the game, before eventually settling down and play resuming.
