If I had to hire the next hoops coach, I'd have a two person list.
1. Go balls to the wall and make Billy Donovan say no ... multiple times. I've said all this before, but a quick recap ... Make him say no to the #1 college market in the country for a bazillion years in a row. Make him say no to a top 7 program of all time. Make him say no to a fan base that routinely puts 18,000 - 21,000 in the best college hoops arena in the country. Make him say no to an ACC power. .... Make him say no to all of that ....
Now ... if he DID say no ...
Then I would hire ...
2. Chris Beard ....
All this dude does is win. With the talent he has on hand.
Yeah, it's a bit of a risk. Because you never really know what you're getting long term.
But this guy is in his second year at Texas Tech, and is sitting atop the Big XII. He has no bad losses this year (Seton Hall, Oklahoma, Iowa State, Texas .. all on the road. He's already avenged the three conference losses). He plays a disciplined, but fun up tempo style.
Maybe his most impressive resume point for me, is when he coached in the ABA (yes, apparently, someone brought this league back in some form). He took over an expansion team. And promptly led them to a 29 - 0 start. Which, by the way, got his team to the finals. Who goes undefeated in minor league pro ball?? He lost the championship, to a team that had Christian Laettner on the roster. (How crazy is that tidbit?? Anyway ...)
When we were winning our national title in 2013, Beard coached Division III McMurry University.
He then went to Angelo State for the '14 and '15 seasons and went 47 - 15.
In 2016 he was hired by Arkansas Little Rock. In his one year there, he guided the Trojans to a 30 - 5 record, a Sun Belt Championship, and a 12 seed in the big dance, where he upset Purdue in double overtime.
After that, UNLV hired him ... but Tubby Smith left Texas tech a couple weeks later, which apparently he had an out in his UNLV contract for ... so he took over that gig.
44 years old. Coaching well at various stops along the way. Head coaching stints at two JUCOs. Assoc Head Coach at Texas Tech. Then his head coaching stints listed above.
If we're going to roll the dice (and anyone not named Billy Donovan is just that) ... I'd roll the dice with this guy.
I'll say this ... I hope like hell that Chris Beard doesn't step in to replace Calipari at UK. You give that roster of NBA wannabe leftovers to a guy who can actually COACH ... ugh .... that would be miserable.
1. Go balls to the wall and make Billy Donovan say no ... multiple times. I've said all this before, but a quick recap ... Make him say no to the #1 college market in the country for a bazillion years in a row. Make him say no to a top 7 program of all time. Make him say no to a fan base that routinely puts 18,000 - 21,000 in the best college hoops arena in the country. Make him say no to an ACC power. .... Make him say no to all of that ....
Now ... if he DID say no ...
Then I would hire ...
2. Chris Beard ....
All this dude does is win. With the talent he has on hand.
Yeah, it's a bit of a risk. Because you never really know what you're getting long term.
But this guy is in his second year at Texas Tech, and is sitting atop the Big XII. He has no bad losses this year (Seton Hall, Oklahoma, Iowa State, Texas .. all on the road. He's already avenged the three conference losses). He plays a disciplined, but fun up tempo style.
Maybe his most impressive resume point for me, is when he coached in the ABA (yes, apparently, someone brought this league back in some form). He took over an expansion team. And promptly led them to a 29 - 0 start. Which, by the way, got his team to the finals. Who goes undefeated in minor league pro ball?? He lost the championship, to a team that had Christian Laettner on the roster. (How crazy is that tidbit?? Anyway ...)
When we were winning our national title in 2013, Beard coached Division III McMurry University.
He then went to Angelo State for the '14 and '15 seasons and went 47 - 15.
In 2016 he was hired by Arkansas Little Rock. In his one year there, he guided the Trojans to a 30 - 5 record, a Sun Belt Championship, and a 12 seed in the big dance, where he upset Purdue in double overtime.
After that, UNLV hired him ... but Tubby Smith left Texas tech a couple weeks later, which apparently he had an out in his UNLV contract for ... so he took over that gig.
44 years old. Coaching well at various stops along the way. Head coaching stints at two JUCOs. Assoc Head Coach at Texas Tech. Then his head coaching stints listed above.
If we're going to roll the dice (and anyone not named Billy Donovan is just that) ... I'd roll the dice with this guy.
I'll say this ... I hope like hell that Chris Beard doesn't step in to replace Calipari at UK. You give that roster of NBA wannabe leftovers to a guy who can actually COACH ... ugh .... that would be miserable.
