Texas Tech basketball: Chris Beard’s best press conferences

When momma calls

The old adage about never getting a second chance to make a first impression is why introductory press conferences are such a big deal in sports.  When Beard was officially introduced as head coach of the Texas Tech basketball program in April of 2016, he made quite the first impression despite not really needing to sell anyone in scarlet and black on his candidacy and hiring.

Remember that Beard only came to town because Tubby Smith had decided to bolt for Memphis without warning and without giving AD Kirby Hocutt an opportunity to change his mind.  It was the second time in four years that Tech had been spurned at the drop of a hat by a Tubby as Tommy Tuberville pulled the exact same move on the football program in 2012 when he left for Cincinnati in the blink of an eye.

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Having twice been dumped for American Athletic Conference schools, Tech fans needed to feel loved and wanted again.  Almost like a middle schooler who has just been broken up with for the first time, we were starting to wonder what we were doing wrong that coaches would willing leave a Big 12 school for programs in a conference with less revenue and a lower national profile.

But when Beard came back, much like Kliff Kingsbury in 2013, he made us once again feel like we were a destination, not a stepping stone.  In the most famous line from his introductory presser, he reminded us that he was part of the Red Raider family after his ten years as an assistant under Bob and Pat Knight.

"Quoting an old line from legendary Alabama head football coach Bear Bryant, Beard said, “When momma calls, you gotta go home.”"

With that one statement, Beard healed the fan base and gave us insight into the love he had for the university.  Don’t forget how important Texas Tech ties were for fans when accepting coaches at the time given the damage the abrupt exits of the Tubbys had done.  In fact, there was a period when Hocutt seemed only interested in hiring coaches with Tech roots such as Tim Tadlock, Candi Whitaker, Kliff Kingsbury, and then Beard with Tubby Smith being one of the rare expectations that had no prior connection to the university.  Thus, it was important for Beard to make us feel like he was in it for the long haul in Lubbock and that’s what he did.

"“Texas Tech is my momma and I’m home and I’m so glad to be here,” he said emphatically to a round of applause from the fans gathered at the United Supermarkets Arena that day."

Beard is indeed home and people who aren’t Red Raiders still may not fully grasp that idea.  But that’s fine.

His Texas Tech roots run deep and he is building something special in the West Texas dirt where so much of the fabric of America has been grown for generations.  He’s as much a part of what makes Texas Tech great as tortilla tossing, the Masked Rider, tulips in the spring, and the Victory Bells that ring out from atop the administration building.  We all thank God for Chris Beard.  Now, here’s hoping that next March (and April), we get a full dose of his greatness once again.