Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

Texas Tech coach Beard had endorsement from team before he even had the job

Chris Beard Welcome

L.E. Baskow

New UNLV basketball coach Chris Beard discusses his coaching philosophy during a welcome gathering by supporters Friday, April 8, 2016, at Mendenhall Center.

Texas Tech basketball players knew they put Kirby Hocutt in a tight spot.

When they met with the Red Raiders’ athletic director after coach Tubby Smith left for the same job at Memphis, the players presented Hocutt with the name of the man they wanted to become their new coach: UNLV’s Chris Beard.

It wasn’t a spur of the moment decision.

After speaking with former Red Raiders Toddrick Gotcher and Jaye Crockett, the current players were confident in their choice. Gotcher and Crockett had great relationships with this ideal candidate, and their opinions shaped the Red Raiders’ perspective of who they hoped to follow next.

“Toddrick had nothing but praise and great things to say about him,” junior Justin Gray said. “It was all about how he’s a player’s coach and how much he cares about his players on and off the court. Obviously, he wants everyone to graduate. You don’t really hear a lot of coaches saying that or pushing for that. ... We talked to Jaye Crockett as well, and he had nothing but great things to say about him.”

The problem was, that man had just taken the head coaching position at UNLV. Despite the circumstances, the Red Raiders had no doubt Hocutt would come through.

“I knew Mr. Hocutt was going to get him,” Gray said. “I reiterated that to the other guys. I feel like they felt the same way because Mr. Hocutt is the best athletic director in the country, in my opinion. I may be a little biased.”

Getting the job

So, merely a day after Smith’s departure, Hocutt hired Beard — the coach who quickly emerged as Red Raiders’ sole candidate.

Beard accepted the UNLV head-coaching job on March 27 and waited 11 days for the University of Nevada Board of Regents to approve his five-year contract. Hocutt came calling on April 14.

“It was a difficult decision and the timing was terrible,” Beard said. “I have a lot of respect for the people at UNLV. But, sometimes in life you get special opportunities. There are a lot of parallels in my decision to come here and what I tell players to do on a day-to-day basis.”

That special opportunity for Beard meant coming home to Lubbock where he spent 10 seasons (2001-11) as an assistant coach. The Red Raiders won 57-percent of their games with Beard on staff under coach Bob and Pat Knight.

“My time at Texas Tech with coach (Bob and Pat) Knight was definitely a defining time in my career,” Beard said. “I got into coaching to coach the best players at the highest level. The Big 12 is the best conference in college basketball.”

As Hocutt spoke with Beard in Las Vegas, he recognized a common thread between the coach he set out to find and the players he would soon return to in Lubbock.

“These players talk about winning a national championship, to go to the Final Four at Texas Tech,” Hocutt said. “What I heard two nights ago in Las Vegas was the dream coach Beard has for Texas Tech basketball. When you have the goals these young men talk about, what they embrace each and every day, it’s the same dream in coach Beard. There are great days ahead for this program.”

Meeting the team

As Beard flew from Las Vegas to Lubbock, he didn’t have time to call each and every Red Raider. Instead, he shot them each a quick text message.

The response gave him goose bumps.

“Never in all my years have I seen anything like it,” Beard said. “Every player within a few minutes texted back, and almost every player on the roster in their text talked about the team, their teammates and Texas Tech University. To me, that’s a great example of what kind of team we have here and another reason why I can’t wait to get started here.”

A couple of hours before Beard’s introductory press conference on April 16, he met with the players. It was brief but beneficial.

“He told us his vision,” junior Norense Odiase said. “He introduced us to his beautiful daughters and told us how he wants to take us back to the postseason and continue to have the success we’ve had here.”

As Beard spoke about returning to Lubbock and being closer to his daughters, he struggled to keep the tears inside. Daughters Avery, Ella and Margo were their to welcome their dad home.

“Seeing his passion, how emotional he gets just talking about his family, and now us, as part of his family, it’s great to see,” Gray said. “I feel relieved, you know, that we got stability back and we have a great coach in coach Beard. I’m happy for him too, as well, returning home to be able to see his daughters more often. It’s a great situation. It’s a blessing and a great feeling.”

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