Texas Tech Basketball Proves the Power Is in the Program
The past five seasons of Texas Tech basketball often felt like the Chris Beard show. However, if you cared to peel back the curtain at all, the Red Raiders have done a great job of building a program as opposed to being Beard's sandbox.
Texas Tech's current basketball foundation wasn't even built by Chris Beard. No, it wasn't manufactured by new head coach Mark Adams, either. Tubby Smith deserves praise as the architect of the current run that the Red Raiders are enjoying. Smith took over a program in absolute disarray and quickly turned the Red Raiders into a tournament-quality program. Keenan Evans, Justin Gray, Norense Odiase and Zach Smith were pivotal to Chris Beard's early success, but it was Tubby Smith who brought them to Lubbock.
Sure, Beard built Texas Tech's national profile, but Tubby Smith built the talented foundation that shot the Red Raiders to back-to-back Elite Eights and a National Championship game.
I know a lot of people want to forget that Country Club Chris even exists, but he was also a pivotal mouthpiece for the program during his time as a Red Raider. Like the Mouth of the South Jimmy Hart or Brother Love, Beard cut promos, while everyone else did the heavy lifting. Beard is an incredible salesman and a formidable recruiter, but I think even he believed Texas Tech basketball was all Chris Beard and the success would fade away when he eventually left.
Adams hasn't coached a game yet, but he's put together an intriguing roster that has this fanbase more excited than they've ever been. How do I know that? The fans bought more season tickets this year than they ever have before:
Mark Adams is a Red Raider, and the Red Raiders are circling the wagons around their own. We'll all find out on November 9th if Adams can win games on the court like he's been winning off the court since April 1st.