Texas Tech’s Bus Driver Feels Like He’s A Part of the Team
The Texas Tech Red Raiders Basketball team takes on Duke this Thursday in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16. The storylines are aplenty with Coach K's looming retirement, Kevin Obanor owning tournament games, Mark Adams reaching the Sweet 16 as a "first-time" head coach at the age of 65 to name a few.
Most of those storylines involve people and players on the court, but there are also plenty of stories behind the scenes like that of Tom Walters, the Red Raiders' bus driver.
Walters doesn't drive the team to San Diego or San Francisco, they fly, but he's there waiting for them to drive them to and from the arena. As part of the March Madness confidential that the NCAA is doing with the Red Raiders, we got a peek into the life of Walters and Texas Tech's basketball program.
Walters says he feels like he's a part of the team and it's incredible to see his face light up with the guys coming out and giving him a fist bump. Walters also sets up Mark Adams with hot coffee from a thermos and cookies. First-class service if you ask me.
The dedicated team bus driver is a bit of a lost occupation in division one sports nowadays with so many teams chartering flights, in fact, Walters might be one of the only bus drivers that meets his team at the tarmac when they land in Ames, Norman, or and NCAA tournament location.
More than 10 thousand miles into this season, Walters hopefully has a few thousand more as he goes to San Francisco this Thursday and then hopefully to New Orleans the following week for the Final Four.