Texas Basketball: 4 early dream head coaching candidates
Early dream coaching candidates No. 1: Chris Beard
We knew it wouldn’t be long until the Longhorns would try and go after the prominent fifth-year Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Chris Beard among their top candidates to replace the now-departed Smart. Sure enough, Beard is now the talk of the town on the Forty Acres, and he would be a fantastic hire for this program.
Beard is a two-time Big 12 Coach of the Year and a one-time AP Coach of the Year. In the last full NCAA Tournament that was held back in 2019, Beard led the Red Raiders one overtime shy of winning a National Championship. As a whole, he’s elevated the Red Raiders to the point of a national contender year in and year out.
Moreover, Beard knows the Longhorns program well as Texas Tech was a true thorn in the side of Smart this season. And that’s not a trend that recently developed. Texas Tech turned into one of the toughest teams to beat in an always deep and talented pool of Big 12 teams in the last five years.
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Beard has registered a record of 112-55 (.671 winning percentage) during his five seasons as the Texas Tech head coach. He was a head coach with Arkansas-Little Rock for one season before taking the head coaching job with Texas Tech. In that one season with UALR, Beard won the Sun Belt Conference Title, made it to the NCAA Tournament, and won 30 games.