Tubby Smith can’t get Texas Tech out of his head

Texas Tech basketball is under the new leadership of head coach Chris Beard. But it seems that former head coach Tubby Smith can’t get Texas Tech out of his head.

Every Red Raider knows that once you have spent any significant time at Texas Tech, the school is forever in your blood. In the case of former Texas Tech basketball head coach Tubby Smith, it appears Texas Tech is still at the front of his mind.

On Thursday of last week, Tubby Smith was introduced by Memphis at a press conference at the FedEx Forum. When Smith set in, he flashed a famous Texas Tech symbol.

Who knows why Tubby Smith gave the Memphis media the Guns Up? Maybe he was confused and thought he was still in Lubbock, perhaps he even thought he was at the meeting with Texas Tech AD Kirby Hocutt and a number of high-level booster that Smith said he would attend only to no-show.

You have to give the man a bit of a break. Quitting your job and taking another in the span of 24 hours takes a toll and maybe Tubby Smith was just a bit confused.

Or, was this hand signal what he meant when he said he owed it to his Texas Tech players to meet with them in person after leaving for Memphis? That meeting never took place to maybe Smith thought a long distance and subtle Guns Up would help the young men he recruited and left with no personal explanation feel a bit better.

Then, on Tuesday of this week, Tubby Smith had another Texas Tech moment while at a Memphis event. While throwing out the first pitch in front of dozens of Memphis baseball fans, Smith again couldn’t help but throw his Guns Up.

Hopefully he brought the 13-24 Tigers some luck on the diamond that day.

We don’t know what Tubby Smith has done since arriving in Memphis. Perhaps he took a tour of Graceland or ate some overrated barbecue.

Maybe after he completed both of those overhyped tourist events he realized that he moved to a city that has little to offer.

On the other hand, this might be the confusion of an elderly gentleman or this may be something more intentional. Could the former Texas Tech coach be calling out for help?

Maybe he’s already learned the hard way that Memphis was ranked the 11^th most violent city in American in 2014.   Is he signaling for help from Kirby Hocutt like Commissioner Gordon signals Batman?

Perhaps he found out that the Mississippi River is just an overgrown version of the Brazos. Both are muddy and pretty terrible for fishing.

Whatever the reason, it appears that Tubby Smith can’t get Texas Tech out of his head. It’s understandable; we all have a Double T stamped on our hearts so we know how impossible it can be to get Texas Tech out of your system.

But unfortunately for Tubby Smith, no matter how many times he tries to throw his guns up in Memphis, the people of Lubbock don’t want him back. We have a new coach with a higher ceiling and no AARP membership.

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So Tubby Smith can continue to throw his guns up but it will be in vain. That is unless he is being mugged on Beale Street.