Beard has gone far since Seminole State days

Chris Beard wouldn't be coaching the men's basketball team at Texas Tech or readying for a Sweet 16 game on Friday night had he not been at Seminole State nearly two decades ago.

And he wouldn't have beenthere if not for Rusty Beene.

Beene was the athletic director who brought the young coach to the junior college an hour east of Oklahoma City back in 2000. The things that have turned Beard and his Red Raiders into fascinations of the college basketball world were evident even then. The energy. The toughness. The intensity.

"Inspirational is a word that's overused," Beene said. "He creates excitement.

"He gives the kids a passion to play for him."

On the day Texas Tech looks to take another step in the NCAA Tournament, Beard's time at Seminole State is a reminder of all the steps taken by peopleon these teams. Players. Coaches. Assistants. They have individual journeys that come together to make Madness in March.

For Beard, his journey involved Seminole State.

Back in 2000, Seminole was looking for a men’s basketball coach, and Beene got a call from Bill Self, who was then the coach at Oral Roberts.

“He told me about this guy who'd taken a team in Fort Scott, Kansas, and basically turned them around overnight,” Beene remembered.

That guy was Beard. After talking with the coach, the athletic director was sold. Beene could tell that Beard had the skills to be great. He understood the game. He understood the players. But more than anything, Beene sensed that Beard understood the energy that coaching demanded.

“Whenever you put talent and passion together,” Beene said, “it creates excitement that makes the whole thing work better.”

That formula worked pretty well at Seminole. Beard, who brought three of his top players from Fort Scott to Seminole, coached the team to 25 wins and a national

ranking that climbed as high as No. 14.Beene and others at Seminole were extremely happy with Beard, and Beard seemed similarly enamored with the school.

He has since said his intention was to stay there a while.

Then, Bobby Knight showed up.

In the spring of 2001, Texas Tech hired Knight, who quickly realized he needed more talent to compete in the Big 12. He went out looking for junior-college players who could help right away, and that led him to Seminole State.

Beard impressed Knight — and Knight is not easily impressed.

Not long after, Beard called Beene. The coach wanted his boss to know that Knight might offer a job.

“Hey,” Beard said, “I want you to know I like Seminole, I like working with you.”

Beene cut him off. “Chris, I understand

that you're a young man, you've got to think about your future,” Beene told him. “Division I is a big deal.”

“Well,” Beard continued, “I wanted you to know before I got too deep into this.”

Not long after, Beene's phone rang again. This time it was Knight. Beene had nothing but praise for Beard then just as now. Beene has often told the story of the day he walked into the gym during walk-on tryouts. When he arrived, Beard was explaining what he was looking for.

“You guys all know that you were the best on your high school team,” the coach said. “Instead of showing me that, I want to know which one of you will run through a wall for me.

“That's what I need.” It's the same kind of toughness and tenacity that Beard has instilled in his players at Texas Tech. It has helped the Red Raiders turn a big

corner. It has given them the look of a program that might be good now but will continue to get better.

But again, there's a good chance Beard wouldn't even be in Lubbock had he not spent time there as an assistant. When Texas Tech went looking for a head coach a couple years ago, it needed stability. The Red Raiders had been through three coaches in five years, and when Tubby Smith bolted, finding a replacement who loved Texas Tech was a must.

After being hired away from Seminole State by Knight, Beard had stayed there as an assistant for a decade.

The fit was a natural. Those who knew Beard back at Seminole State are as happy as can be for him. He still sends a note or makes a call to them every now and then. He offers to leave tickets when Texas Tech plays in Norman and Stillwater, too.

But even if the notes and calls and tickets dried up, they would still smile when they see Beard striding up and down the sideline.

They know, after all, his steps once crossed their path.

“It makes you proud,” Beene said. “He's represented Seminole State awfully well.”