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Texas Tech basketball: Why 2021-22 season was a rousing success

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 01: Guard Kevin McCullar #15 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrates after a made shot during the first half of the college basketball game against the Texas Longhorns at United Supermarkets Arena on February 01, 2022 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 01: Guard Kevin McCullar #15 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrates after a made shot during the first half of the college basketball game against the Texas Longhorns at United Supermarkets Arena on February 01, 2022 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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Mar 20, 2022; San Diego, CA, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Adonis Arms (25) talks with head coach Mark Adams in the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 20, 2022; San Diego, CA, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Adonis Arms (25) talks with head coach Mark Adams in the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Adams earned serious national credibility

There is no sport in the world in which the head coach is more of a face of his program than in college basketball.  The constant roster turnover brought on by four-year maximum playing careers for the athletes makes the coach the essential figure in the program.  (College football can say the same thing but the sheer number of people involved in those programs lessens the overall impact of just one person, even if that one person is the head coach.)

That’s why Texas Tech didn’t have many believers when the season began.  Unlike programs such as Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, or Villanova, Tech wasn’t led by a legendary figure in the sport.  What’s more, Adams was relatively unheard of by most people outside of the Big 12 meaning that there was tremendous skepticism about his ability to run a nationally relevant program, especially given his low-key demeanor and his age.

But all of that is now behind us as Mark Adams proved this year that he can be a top-flight head coach.  And now, he’s earned some serious street credibility which should help his program in a number of ways moving forward.

The Associated Press Big 12 Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year, Adams has proven that he has what it takes to lead his own program.  Now, his team should get more of the benefit of the doubt from pollsters and, more importantly, from transfer portal players and high school recruits.

So much of college athletics is about perception.  The way your program is viewed is one of the most important factors in landing talent while that perception also sets your program up for more recognition from the media.

This year, Tech was overlooked to begin the season largely because few people outside of Lubbock knew what Mark Adams was capable of doing when leading a program.  But after a wildly successful first season on the job, everyone should know that Adams is one of the best coaches in the nation.

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