Beard takes over for Longhorns
After rejuvenating Texas Tech, coach returns to his alma mater after Smart’s departure
AUSTIN — Texas Tech fans wanted desperately for Thursday morning’s news about Chris Beard to be a cruel April Fool’s Day prank.
But after Stadium’s Jeff Goodman broke the story on Texas poaching Beard, more reports surfaced confirming the development. Shortly after the initial break, a source within the athletic department confirmed the hiring to Hearst Newspapers.
By 5 p.m., Beard already had deplaned in Austin, accompanied by Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte, whose successful pursuit somehow was both stunning and expected.
“I’m thrilled and excited to be coming back to Austin and back to the Longhorn family,” Beard said in a statement. “I can’t express how excited I am for this opportunity and the journey that lies ahead.”
Beard, 48, had been linked to the opening since Shaka Smart accepted a job to become Marquette’s coach on March 26. And while Beard earned his bachelor’s degree from Texas in 1995 and worked as a student assistant for coach Tom Penders, skepticism endured over whether he’d willingly cast aside the once-moribund program he transformed into a Big 12 power.
Turned out Del Conte just had to wait for the right day.
On April 1, Beard’s contract buyout for accepting a position with another Big 12 or in-state Division I school dropped from $5 million to $4 million. It’s still a sig
nificant sum, but Texas was at least spared from paying what would have been a $7.1 million buyout for Smart when he departed for Marquette following six capricious seasons on the Forty Acres.
“He’s a highly regarded coach and also a person who is so well thought of in his profession and beyond, and in our talks with him and those who know him well, we came away extremely impressed,” Del Conte said of Beard in a statement.
Beard spent the past five seasons positioning Texas Tech among the upper echelon of Big 12 and Division I hoops. Under his stewardship, the Red Raiders qualified for the NCAA Tournament in three out of four years — the 2020 tournament was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic — and reached the 2018 Elite Eight and 2019 national championship game.
A two-time Big 12 coach of the year and the 2018-19 Associated Press coach of the year, Beard now will be tasked with repairing a program that hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 2014.
Those snake-bitten outings hit a nadir this year in Texas’ firstround loss to Abilene Christian on March 20, now one of the most consequential days in program history. That flop in Indiana triggered a chain reaction, leading Smart to Marquette and Beard to the Longhorns.
It’s unlikely any of that movement occurs if the Longhorns had scored just two more points against the Wildcats and advanced to the second round. But after six Marches without an NCAA Tournament victory, Smart and Texas agreed it was time for an amicable and mutually beneficial split.
From that point, the hiring process hinged on Beard’s willingness to leave Lubbock. Though other candidates, like Brooklyn Nets assistant and Texas hoops alumnus Royal Ivey, interviewed for the job, Del Conte made little effort to conceal his desire for another splashy hire one year after poaching women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer from Mississippi State and three months after landing football coach Steve Sarkisian.
Del Conte loves “grinders,” as he’s mentioned often when introducing new hires. All Beard accomplished at Texas Tech, and how he accomplished it, aligned with the AD’s vision of what a coach should be.
“We’ve all seen what he’s done in building Texas Tech into a national force, recognize his wealth of knowledge and experience, and his track record at every place he’s been is extraordinary,” Del Conte said in a statement. “His success is well documented, and he’s a Longhorn at heart who cut his teeth in the business as a student assistant coach under Tom Penders.”
Tech made Beard the nation’s fourth-highest paid men’s basketball coach, ranking behind only Kentucky’s John Calipari, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski and Villanova’s Jay Wright — current or future Hall of Famers with a combined eight national titles and 21 Final Four appearances. Texas has not revealed contract specifics, but Beard is expected to receive an annual base salary in line with or in excess of the $5 million he was scheduled to earn this season.
That exorbitant price tag will be worth it if Beard can work his magic in Austin. Del Conte’s bet feels like a sound one considering the new hire’s track record.
In the five seasons before Beard was hired, Texas Tech shuffled through three coaches and skidded to a 65-93 overall record with a .244 winning percentage in Big 12 play and an 0-1 record in the NCAA Tournament. During Beard’s stint at Tech, the Red Raiders went 112-55 with a 49-40 conference record and a 9-3 NCAA Tournament record. He also went 8-5 against Smart’s Longhorns and won seven of the last nine meetings.
As masterful as Beard is when it comes to exceeding expectations, he’s facing a difficult project at Texas.
Senior forward Royce Hamm Jr. and guard Donovan Williams are transferring. Breakout sophomore Kai Jones declared for the NBA draft, and freshman Greg Brown will soon do the same. Seniors Matt Coleman, Jericho Sims and Jase Febres are not expected to return. And 2021 four-star signee Tamar Bates requested a release from his letter of intent.
But Texas wouldn’t have needed Beard if everything was in order. Del Conte believes the alumnus who transformed Texas Tech into a national championship contender in just three seasons can achieve the same in Austin.
“It’s been a whirlwind of a day,” Beard said. “Our top priority will be embracing our players as soon as we get to campus, and I look forward to starting this journey together toward our championship goals.”