Counting down the top 10 Texas Tech coaches of the Big 12 era

No. 3: Chris Beard

If we revise this list in two or three years, it would shock no one if Chris Beard sits at No. 1.  But right now, he comes in at No. 3 simply because he’s only been in charge of the men’s basketball program for four years.

But what a four-year run it’s been.  The former Bob Knight assistant has surpassed what his mentor managed to accomplish on the South Plains despite being at his post for only half of the time.

In 2018, Beard took the Red Raiders to their first-ever Elite 8 and a year later he brought home the program’s first regular-season Big 12 championship while coming within one possession of winning the National Title.

His .714 winning percentage is by far the best in Red Raider history.  He’s also averaged a program-record 18.7 wins per season.  To put that in perspective, Beard has gotten to the 18-win mark in every year he’s been in charge.  The rest of the coaches in Tech history have done that just 38 times in the 95-year history of Tech hoops.

Had Beard been able to close the deal on the 2019 National Title, he would not only sit atop this list, but he would also likely have had the city of Lubbock renamed after him.  Most Red Raider fans believe that will eventually happen (the title anyways) and when it does, he will be right there with Marsha Sharp in the pantheon of Texas Tech head coaches.