OPINION: Why the Men’s Basketball Hire is an integral one

Mar 9, 2023 - 4:00 PM

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Mark Adams is gone.

He resigned Wednesday night, and an official release from Texas Tech was made about an hour after the Red Raiders’ 78-62 loss to West Virginia in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament.

Moving on from Mark Adams isn’t as hurtful to some as moving on from Chris Beard was. He didn’t leave for another job, and it is always easier to get rid of a coach after a bad season. Unfortunately for Corey Williams, Steve Green, Al Pinkins, and others, the way the Mark Adams era ended almost guarantees that none of them will be considered for the job. I sincerely hope that they end up in good positions elsewhere, and I will always root for those guys, much like I root for Barret Peery.

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I cannot stress the amount of importance that this hire has for this program. Now, of course the obvious chores of roster retention among other things stick out, but I want to remind everyone where this program was not more than 10 years ago. The 2012-13 season brought an 11-20 record overall, 3-15 in conference including losses such as the 79-42 beatdown in Lawrence, a 79-45 loss in Stillwater, and an 82-48 loss at home to Baylor.

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IF this hire isn’t the right one and the right coach isn’t chosen, I’m not sure we fall that far, but all of the momentum this program has gained since 2016 will be lost with the snap of a finger. I was in a post-game twitter space with some of my friends from The Nation last night and there was a great point that was made: Momentum is what drives college sports, and if Tech loses the momentum gained over the past 6 years, the program could free fall.

Now let me be clear: I’m not doom and gloom on the outlook.

I think that there is a very good list of quality coaches to choose from. But while people fawn over the mid major over-achievers, such as Paul Mills and Pat Kelsey, I’m looking higher. Now this isn’t to say they aren’t good coaches in their own right- they are- but this is a job at a power five level in the PREMIER basketball conference in the country. This is also a program that has top 5 facilities, a top 5 fanbase, and an NIL collective ahead of its time.

While we should add guys like Mills and Kelsey to the list, I think we can look to other coaches first. Those guys will most likely be there after our other options are exhausted.

I think other names to look at include Kurtis Townsend, Rodney Terry, shoot for the moon! Call Jay Wright, make these coaches listen to an offer and make them tell you no before you move on.

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The fact of the matter is that this isn’t time for on the job training. We need a proven winner that can win games in the Big 12 conference. Now how do you go about that? Do you try and poach assistants from other schools like Townsend? Kansas State did just that with Jerome Tang and it has paid off big time. Can you get a Rodney Terry if Texas passes on him? He’s a players coach who has done a phenomenal job given the hand he was dealt. Do you call Will Wade? He was fired by LSU for reasons that are now allowed by NIL rules, and he’s a proven winner in a somewhat comparable conference.

Kirby Hocutt is paid very good money to make these decisions. He’s one of the top paid ADs in the country. This is where you earn that check.

I truly believe the future well being of the program hinges on this hire.

Let’s see what happens.