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Texas Tech Basketball: The case for hiring Mark Adams

By Andrew Gleinser

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - JANUARY 07: Associate Head Coach Mark Adams of the Texas Tech Red Raiders looks on during the second half of the college basketball game against the Baylor Bears on January 07, 2020 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - JANUARY 07: Associate Head Coach Mark Adams of the Texas Tech Red Raiders looks on during the second half of the college basketball game against the Baylor Bears on January 07, 2020 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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What’s left of the Texas Tech basketball program in the wake of Chris Beard’s unceremonious departure remains to be seen. We know he’s taken most of his assistant coaches with him (only Mark Adams and Sean Sutton remain listed on the school’s website) and that several players have entered the transfer portal, with more likely to come. When the dust settles (not that that ever happens in Lubbock), there may be nothing left but the facilities.

But at least the facilities are top notch — or they will be once that god-awful mural of Beard comes down off the new Womble practice facility. This job has never been more attractive, so whoever AD Kirby Hocutt zeroes in on should be happy to get it. It just may be another week or two before we have any indication as to who that will be.

I’ll be honest — I don’t know who my top target would be. I’d say my top three, in no particular order, would be Adams, Abilene Christian coach Joe Golding, and North Texas coach Grant McCasland. But of all the possibilities, Adams already seems to have plenty of support in Lubbock, especially after apparently declining the chance to follow Beard to Austin.

Former Texas Tech players such as Matt Mooney, Justin Gray and Norense Odiase have voiced their support for Adams on Twitter, and numerous fans have as well. Beard frequently credited him as being the architect of the team’s imposing defense, so keeping Adams around would at least keep that intact.

How It Could Work

Adams wouldn’t be the splashiest hire, as his only head coaching experience at the Division I level went poorly at Texas Pan-American. He does have extensive head coaching experience overall, amassing 554 wins in 23 seasons combined with stints in the Division II, junior college and NAIA levels. He’s also a Texas Tech graduate and doesn’t seem like the type to ever want to leave Lubbock. The main question is whether he would even want the job.

I haven’t been able to find his exact age, but considering he graduated from Tech in 1979, that would likely put him in his early or mid-60s. Thus there’s a legitimate question as to whether he would want to take on the responsibility, but if he truly wants it, there’s no reason he can’t coach this team for a good five to 10 years.

Texas Tech is receiving a cool $4 million from the Longhorns for Beard’s buyout, and they wouldn’t have to pay a buyout to promote Adams, nor would they have to pay him what they were paying Beard. This would leave them with plenty of coin to bring in a top tier coaching staff, which would be key to making this work.

Tech would have to target a top recruiter for the staff to fill the role of the departed Ulric Maligi. They would also need to find a top offensive assistant to revamp that side of the ball. For all the winning we’ve had over the past few years, Beard’s teams were never among the nation’s best scorers, so here’s a golden opportunity to change that.

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Why We’d Love To See It

Adams has been on Beard’s staff since their time together at Arkansas-Little Rock. I’m interested to see how Beard does without Adams by his side, and I’d be even more interested to see how they do going head to head. We may end up finding out just how much of Beard’s success came from Adams and his defense.

Keeping Adams around would probably give the program a better chance at retaining at least some of the players who’ve already entered the transfer portal or have yet to enter it. He’s already well liked in Lubbock and has extensive ties to the school. The chances of him bolting for a “better” gig are far less than with any other candidate.

But make no mistake, this is a pivotal moment for this program. Hocutt simply can’t afford to miss. Adams has never had success as a head coach at the Division I level, and you also have to consider his desire for the job and what his plans would be if he were to take it. His vision for the program would be just as important, if not more so, as his coaching abilities.

But as far as coaching abilities go, we know he’s got them, and that typically translates across all levels. Texas Tech would continue to play its signature suffocating defense, and with the right coaching staff in place around him, Adams could very well be the right man to lead this program. He’s earned his shot, and this may just be the right time for it.

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