Every year, around this time on the calendar, the coaching carousel starts to spin. In 2023, Texas Tech took a turn on that ride when Mark Adams resigned and Grant McCasland was hired. Now, the 2024 cycle has fired up and many Texas Tech fans are wondering if McCasland could possibly be involved once again.
The seismic shift that has rocked the sport this week and ended up with John Calipari reportedly set to land at Arkansas started at SMU. When the Mustangs fired Rob Lanier and hired Andy Enfield from USC it created a chain reaction in the sport.
The Trojans then were able to land Eric Musselman from Arkansas to lead their program. That's why Arkansas was in the mix for a new coach and it appears they've reached a deal with Calipari, who was rather embattled after another first-weekend exit from the NCAA Tournament at Kentucky.
Now, the college basketball world is waiting to see who the Wildcats will hire. One name that's been floated around that would be of specific interest to Texas Tech basketball fans is Baylor's Scott Drew. In fact, On3Sports recently shared an unconfirmed report that Drew is one of three coaches that Kentucky will contact along with Billy Donovan of the Chicago Bulls and UCONN's Dan Hurley.
Kentucky will contact Dan Hurley, Billy Donovan, and Scott Drew for its head coach vacancy, per @KySportsRadio👀https://t.co/oMITdKgQg3 pic.twitter.com/RkHx2khMlp
— On3 (@On3sports) April 9, 2024
Of that trio, Drew might be the coach most likely to jump at the Kentucky job. Donovan may want to stay in the NBA and Hurley will be tough to pry away from Connecticut given that he just won his second straight National Championship there on Monday night. Thus, it is easy to see how Drew could wind up replacing Calipari in Lexington.
On the surface, Texas Tech fans may be hoping to see Baylor lose the man who has built the Bears into a national power. After all, Drew has taken one of the most down-on-its-luck programs in America and turned it into a National Champion.
However, it is fair to wonder what would happen if Drew does head to The Bluegrass State. That's when Texas Tech fans would worry that Baylor might try to lure McCasland back to Waco.
It is easy to see why McCasland would have interest in the Baylor job. He got his undergraduate degree from Baylor in 1999 and he was an assistant coach under Drew from 2011-16.
Of course, Tech fans are still leery of losing a head coach to his alma mater being as we are just three years removed from Chris Beard leaving Lubbock to coach at his alma mater, Texas.
However, one has to believe that Tech would put up a heck of a fight to retain McCasland. After he went 23-11 and led the Red Raiders to the NCAA Tournament this season, there's every reason to believe A.D. Kirby Hocutt and the Texas Tech administration would do whatever is necessary to keep their head coach. That includes giving him a lucrative contract extension, something Hocutt has been quick to do with other coaches during his tenure.
Sure, Baylor is a great job thanks to Drew. They have a great recruiting pipeline now and they just opened a brand new arena this season. That's all because of the success Drew has had.
However, Texas Tech is also an excellent job. The Red Raiders have the best arena an practice facility combination in the Big 12, if not the nation. What's more, Tech has a strong N.I.L. collective to help bring top talent to Lubbock.
One might also assume that it would be tough for McCasland to leave Lubbock after just one season. He's already said how much he and his family love West Texas and uprooting his family might not be something he wants to do for the second time in a calendar year.
Of course, Drew may not get the job in Lexington. And if he does, there might be other candidates that Baylor desires more than McCasland, such as current Kansas State head coach and long-time Baylor assistant Jerome Tang.
Still, no one would blame Texas Tech basketball fans for at least considering the possibility that the current coaching carousel's spin might also involve McCasland at some point. However, if Texas Tech is serious about building a nationally relevant program, the university will do whatever it takes to keep its current head coach happy and in Lubbock.