BOSTON — As the students at Texas Tech soaked up an 88-degree day back at camꦕpus, the Red Raiders arri🥀ved at TD Garden, surrounded by falling snow.
But where else would they rather be?
“I don’t want to waste a minute of this,” second-year Texas ♏Tech coach Chris Beard said. “I can’t speak for these teams that we’re sharing this regional with, I mean, they’ve been here so many times. But for us, it’s like we’re just embracing it. … We just don’t want it to end.”
Third-seeded Texas Tech (26-9), which was picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 preseason 𒁏poll, will face second-seeded Purdue (30-6) on Friday night in its first Sweet 16 game in 13 years, looking for its first appearance in the Elite Eight.
Beard, 45, has led the Red Raiders to their most wins in 22 yea🗹rs, and was named Big 12 co-Coach of the Year, earning a six-year contract extension this mont♛h.
The success isn’t shocking. The stability is.
After being an assistant at four different schools, Beard got his first head-coaching opportunity at Fort Scott Community College. After one season, he went to Seminole State Community College. After one season there, he spent 10 years as an assistant at Texas Tech, under Bobby Knight, and Pat Knight, before getting fired aꦉnd taking a job with the 🃏now-defunct South Carolina Warriors of the ABA.
Then came one season at Division II McMurry. Next was two sea൩sons at Division II Angelo State.
In 2015, he took over at Arkansas Little-Rock, and led the𝓀 No. 1𓃲2 Trojans to a first-round upset of Matt Painter and Purdue.
Beard then signed a five-yea൲r contract with UNLV, and left after 19 days to become the head coach at Texas Tech, wꦉhere his two daughters — who sat beside him at Thursday’s press conference — were born.
“It’s like when Bear Bryant left 🅘Texas A&M forಌ Alabama,” Beard said upon being hired. “He said, ‘When Momma calls, you’ve gotta go home.’ Texas Tech is my momma, and I’m home. I’m so glad to be here.”
He’s even happier in Boston.
“You’re talking to a guy who used to drive the bus and the van 18 hours to get somewhere,” Beard said. “We’re on a jet that has a heater in it. It only took three hours to get here. When we got here, we’re eating unbelievable food at the hotel. … Like from my point of view, I’m just glad Iඣ’m not driving a 15-passenger van that doesn’t have a heater that has a gas leak and only an AM radio꧂.
“This is special. I haven’t been able to sleep for a lot of reasons — Purdue, Coach Painter, but also just having 🌟so much fun. … I’m just enjoying the ride, a🌸nd I can’t state that enough, just how excited I am for one more day.”