Chris Beard Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Country, and Helped Us Get to the Elite Eight
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NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Final Four Thursday, April 4, 2019 Minneapolis, Minnesota Chris Beard Texas Tech Red Raiders in the country, and helped us get to the Elite Eight. So I think college basketball associates with those guys. THE MODERATOR: We'll ask Coach Beard to open it And then there's the iconic coaches in our game, like up with a few thoughts, and then we'll take questions. Coach Izzo, that kind of transcend any players. CHRIS BEARD: First, I just want to, on behalf of But I've always seen the value in the one-and-done too. everybody in our program, like our staff and our players I think college basketball is better because of Zhaire and our coaches, just to recognize what a run Smith playing at Texas Tech. I think in this tournament, tournament this is. It's everything I thought of as a I would agree with that, there's some identities with young coach coming up, what will the Final Four be these four teams. I think that's what these four teams like? are, teams. Everything is first class. The NCAA has nailed this for I've had a chance to watch Auburn and Virginia a lot, the student-athlete experience, just what a great city just by being a fan, and I've certainly watched every too. We're just enjoying everything about our time game that Michigan State has played to this point. I here. So I just wanted to recognize that. think one thing these four teams have in common is I think they are teams. The identity of each team, I We're looking forward to playing on this stage. In our think, is the balance of different players, not just one opinion, Michigan State is one of the best teams in star player. college basketball. They have great players and a Hall of Fame coach. We have nothing but respect for their So I think this Final Four is great for college basketball program the things they stand for. We're in our third and has a chance to be one of the best in terms of the year building the program at Tech, and we're striving to three games played. be in the conversation with the Michigan States of the world. Q. Can you just take me through the first time, do you remember the first time you met Mark Adams Simply stated, we feel like we'll have to play our best and why you kind of targeted him on your staff with game of the year to have some success on Saturday Little Rock? night, but I don't think that's much difference than CHRIS BEARD: Mark Adams isn't a national name, but anybody else in this tournament. That's our objective. those of us in Texas and especially in small college, We're looking forward to the opportunity to play well on junior college, Division II circles, recognize Coach as Saturday. one of the best guys that ever did it in our part of the country. Q. No one-and-done players here at the tournament, obviously. Duke and Kentucky are My personal relationship started with Coach Adams out, but there's a lot of talented college players and when I was an assistant at Texas Tech, and he was future pros, guys like Jarrett and De'Andre Hunter. living in Lubbock, coaching at Howard Junior College in What have you seen in Jarrett's development from Big Spring. We just developed a friendship. We'd talk freshman to sophomore year, and does the fact basketball a lot. He'd come to the Tech practices. I'd that there are no one and dones here say anything go to his practices and recruit players for Howard. larger about that way of recruiting? CHRIS BEARD: We might have a couple of one-and- And we were big movie guys. I spent my whole career done graduate assistants. We had a couple of issues going to the late movie. I'm that guy at the 10:30 movie with our breakfast this morning, so... where I'm the only person there, and I actually ran into Coach Adams a number of times. It wasn't really about No, I think there's so many just beautiful things about the movie. It was about the release of turning your college basketball, and certainly like we've had some phone off and sit there for two hours. Coach and I great four-year players. I thought Keenan Evans was shared that. the best player in the Big 12 last year, one of the best Rev #1 by #206 at 2019-04-04 19:22:00 GMT page 1 of 5 We'd literally go to the movies two or three times a coaching sojourn. week together. I got screwed every time. I'm sure he'll CHRIS BEARD: I tell the guys to never forget where tell some of you all different, but I had to pay for the they come from and be you, and certainly a part of my tickets and concessions. He would always tell me he journey that's being documented now, and I'm proud of forgot his wallet in the car and that kind of deal. it. I wouldn't trade my coaching path for anything. Whether it be the junior college or ABA or small But Coach Adams has had success at every level. college, very, very blessed to be here and feel like I He's been a head Division I coach, he's in several Hall represent a lot of people on this stage that have of Fames in small college. He's got a great defensive coached at schools that are really good coaches that mind. He thinks outside the box. He doesn't let what have coached great players and never had the chance happens in the game currently impact his thinking. under these lights. I hope coaches around there find some satisfaction in this. There's only a few guys in our game like that that can think of things that aren't already going on. Most For that young coach out there like me that sat in the people in college basketball, I think, steal things from open practices for 22 years and dreamed about being the NBA. Coach Adams comes up with his own mind. there, don't give up. Keep at it. This game's bigger than any of us. This game isn't about your There's a lot of people that have the information in their predecessors. It's basketball, man. If you keep doing mind, but what makes Coach Adams special is now he it, it will give you a chance at some point. Don't give can communicate it to others, whether it be the staff or up. the players. He's the most disciplined guy I've ever known, but he's also a players' coach. He's one of the Just a few years ago, I was in the ABA or D-II, and best coaches in college basketball, and I'm proud to that's the special part about this. I don't take that stand on this stage and sit on this stage and talk about lightly. I even talked to my team about it. In terms of him. People ask about Texas Tech defense and what's the difference of hotels, it's not just about those years, going on in Lubbock, Coach Mark Adams has a big it's about when I was an assistant and you come to the part in what's going on. Final Four and you don't have a room, and you just beg one of your buddies that's in Division I to crash on their Q. (Off microphone)? floor. I've been in a lot of rooms where it's two guys in CHRIS BEARD: So we normally go to the movies, and each bed without the comforters because you got to there might be three or four people there. We sit next more people on the floor with the comforters, and then to each other because we talk basketball. We got one maybe in the bathroom bathtub with the pillows. there one night, and we were going to go to the 10:35 We put eight deep before in a Marriott Courtyard, I show at the Cinemark 16. It really didn't matter what promise you. movie it was, but the only movie left was "Sex and the City." I remember kind of looking at him like, man, I The problem is in the mornings with the towel situation don't know about this, Coach. He looked around. because I'm not really a big believer -- I guess I'll share There's only three cars in the parking lot. That's Bill a bar of soap if you wash it really good, but I'm not who runs the place, and I think that car's been there for sharing a towel with any other man, you know. But we two weeks. All right, let's go see "Sex and the City." used to come to the Final Fours and bring our own towels, true story. So this was the only time that we didn't sit right next to each other at the 10:35 movie. So we thought we were Q. Along those lines, you have the message up in good, but then right before the lights went down, about the locker room, smell the roses, for the guys.