For the first time in program history, the Texas Tech Men’s Basketball team not only had an appearance in the Final Four, but the national championship as well.
Led by head coach Chris Beard, the team defied odds and proved those who viewed the team as nothing more than their predicted seventh in the Big 12 Conference wrong.
Senior Associate Athletics Director Robert Giovannetti said it is hard to put into words what this group of guys mean to the athletic department, especially after losing six players from last season.
“You don’t know what you have coming back and Texas Tech historically had not been doing very well so you can see why they were picked to finish seventh,” Giovannetti said. “I think now you have to start realizing this isn’t a fluke, Coach Beard clearly has a plan and a program built and I think the national media is starting to pay attention to that.”
With Beard’s success, Giovannetti said he would not be surprised if other schools wanted Beard as their head coach.
“When people want somebody else’s coach that means cause they’ve had success and he has had success again, the Elite Eight and Final Four so yeah it makes sense that other schools want him but I fully expect to see him back at Texas Tech next year,” Giovannetti said.
