MANHATTAN, Kan. – First-year Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang announced another member of his staff on Friday (April 8) with the addition of Austin Carpenter as Director of Player Development.
“I’m excited to be able to add another outstanding individual to the staff like Austin,” said Tang. “He is someone that I got to know the past two years at Baylor, and he played a big part in the success we had there as a graduate assistant. He is a super-talented individual who has great experience in recruiting strategy and operations as well as in the total development of the student-athlete. He will play a significant role in the evaluation of the entire program. I’m happy for him to take this next step in his career with us at K-State.”
Carpenter is the fourth announced member of Tang’s inaugural coaching staff at K-State, joining associate head coach Ulric Maligi, assistant coach Jareem Dowling and Chief of Staff Marco Borne.
Carpenter arrives at K-State after spending the last two seasons (2020-22) working as a graduate assistant at Baylor, where he worked alongside Tang. During his time in Waco, Carpenter was a part of the greatest two-year stint in the school’s history, as the Bears won their first National Championship in 2021, along with back-to-back Big 12 regular-season titles in 2021 and 2022. Baylor’s 55-9 (.859) record over the last two seasons is the nation’s best mark among power conference teams. Seven players earned All-Big 12 honors during his two-year stint, while a school-record three Bears were selected for All-America honors in 2021.
Prior to his time at Baylor, Carpenter also worked in recruiting operations as an undergraduate at Oklahoma for the powerhouse football and golf programs from 2018-20.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Kansas State family after spending the past two seasons with Coach Tang in Waco,” said Carpenter. “Coach Tang firmly believes in developing people beyond the game of basketball, and I look forward to continuing to serve alongside him with our staff. This is a historic program that helps student-athletes succeed both on and off of the court that I feel blessed and excited to be a part of. The future is bright in Manhattan as the standard continues to be elevated here!”
Carpenter recently helped Baylor navigate a successful 2021-22 season, as the Bears won 27 games and tied for the Big 12 regular-season title despite numerous injuries to key players. The team lost in heartbreaking fashion to eventual national runner-up North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, as they rallied from 25 points down with 10 minutes remaining before losing 93-86 in overtime. The squad ran their winning streak to 21 games, including 15 consecutive to start the year, spending five weeks at No. 1 before finishing No. 8 in the final USA Today Coaches poll. Three Bears earned All-Big 12 honors, while senior Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua (Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year) and freshman Jeremy Sochan (Sixth Man Award) earned individual awards.
In Carpenter’s first season in Waco, Baylor lost just twice during its historic national championship season in 2020-21, posting a 28-2 overall record and a 14-1 mark in Big 12 play. The Bears enjoyed the best start in program history with an 18-game winning streak en route to collecting the school’s first conference title in 71 years and cumulating with an 86-70 win over No. 1 ranked Gonzaga in the national championship game. A school-record three Bears earned All-America honors, including Jared Butler becoming the first consensus First Team selection in program history. Davion Mitchell and MaCio Teague were both Third Team All-Americans, while Mitchell swept every major National Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Carpenter was a recruiting strategist for the Oklahoma men’s golf program and two-time Big 12 Coach of the Year Ryan Hybl from January to August 2020. During the COVID-19 shortened season, the Sooners were among the best teams in the country, climbing to No. 1 in the GCAA and Golfweek polls and finishing the year ranked No. 2 nationally. Carpenter spent time creating a comprehensive recruiting strategy for the program, which included creating graphics and video content for social media as well as alumni engagement.
Carpenter spent two years (2018-20) as an undergraduate at Oklahoma working in the football recruiting operation, first serving as a game day assistant (Fall 2018) before becoming a student recruiting assistant from January 2019 to August 2020 under former Assistant AD of Recruiting Strategy Annie Hanson. He was a part of consecutive Top 10 signing classes in both 2019 and 2020, as he focused primarily on recruiting operations of both official and unofficial visitors.
Carpenter earned a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management and Supply Chain Management from Oklahoma in 2020, while he is expected to add a Master’s degree in Sports Pedagogy from Baylor in May 2022.
Professional Experience
Game Day Assistant, Oklahoma Football, Fall 2018
Student Recruiting Assistant, Oklahoma Football, January 2019-August 2020
Recruiting Strategist, Oklahoma Golf Program, January-August 2020
Graduate Assistant, Baylor, 2020-22
Director of Player Development, Kansas State, 2022-present
Education
Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, University of Oklahoma, 2020
Master’s Degree in Health and Human Sciences, Baylor University, 2022
How to follow the ‘Cats: For complete information on K-State men’s basketball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team’s social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
