Goodbye, Neil Dougherty.

Kansas University’s basketball players hate to see you go.

“It’s like a sweet sorrow,” KU freshman Keith Langford said of Dougherty’s decision to accept the head coaching post at TCU, a school located in Langford’s hometown of Fort Worth, Texas.

“I hate to see coach D go because he’s the primary reason I’m here. I didn’t grow up knowing about Kansas tradition. I trusted the things he told me about KU, things that turned out to be true. I talk to him if I have a problem. He has been the cornerstone of my success.”

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“He is 40-years-old and wants to run his own program. He has to go on with his life and I’m happy for him,” Langford said.

Langford says Dougherty will make a great head coach.

“His knowledge of the game is extensive, right on a level with coach (Roy) Williams,” Langford said of the KU head coach. “He is always at all hours giving me pointers. He’s a great coach.”

Fellow freshman Wayne Simien also is a big Dougherty backer.

“Coach Dougherty knows the X’s and O’s and is a teacher on the court,” Simien said. “He is a people person. He doesn’t always say what you want to hear. He can be tough, but it always gets through. He says it whether you want to hear it or not.

“You have to be happy for him. It’s every assistant’s dream to get his own program. I hate to see him go.”

KU senior Jeff Carey, who red-shirted his first year at KU, has worked with Dougherty for five full seasons.

“He is driven, dedicated, self motivated,” Carey said of the seventh-year KU assistant. “One of the reasons is he’s been with coach Williams. He has a great mentor.

“You can tell he’s ready to be a head coach. I’d say he’s equally good at X’s and O’s and motivation. Most of the time I interact with him is when he has to scout the other team and show us the plays. He’ll tell us what we need to do. He knows the other team’s tendencies. He will be a successful head coach, in my opinion.”