Longhorns Coach Chris Beard Speaks On Return To Lubbock

Chris Beard is returning to Lubbock for the first time since his move to Texas, and the Red Raider faithful are ready

Matt Galatzan | Jan 31, 2022

Texas Longhorns head basketball coach Chris Beard will be making his way back to Lubbock for the first time since he left Texas Tech, and made his way to Austin to take over for Shaka Smart.

Suffice it to say, Red Raider fans were not too happy with Beard's decision.

After all, Beard had been the most successful basketball coach in the program's history -- and arguably in the history of Red Raider men's sports -- leading Texas Tech to a 122-55 overall record.

Beard also took the program to four NCAA tournaments in five seasons, including an Elite Eight (2017-18), as well as a Final Four and a national championship game appearance (2018-19).

After such a successful run, Beard leaving Lubbock was painful enough for Red Raider fans. But the fact that he left for the program's arch-rival, the University of Texas, made it an even more bitter pill to swallow.

As a result, Texas Tech fans have been rather outspoken about their former coach's decision, lambasting him at every opportunity on social media as they prepare for the first matchup between the two teams since he became a Longhorn.

"I'm not surprised. It's part of it, man. Change happens in life. Change is in sports. Again, no regrets," Beard said. "I think we left the job better than we found it, and that's no disrespect to Tubby Smith because we found it in a really good spot too. But we worked really hard there. There are no regrets at all."

In truth, Beard did leave the Tech program and quite a healthy shape, with the Red Raiders currently sitting at 16-5 on the year, third place in the Big 12, and with a 4-2 record against ranked opponents.

The Red Raiders also hold a win over the nation's then-No. 1 team, the Baylor Bears.

Beard, however, had his reasons for leaving and does not regret his decision in the slightest.

"I chose to come back to my alma mater and try this challenge, and all of us have the right to make choices. That's what we did," Beard said. "I wish Coach Adams and those guys nothing but the best. Look forward to the competition of the game. I have nothing but respect for the fan base and everybody there. There are a lot of really good people there that I love and I look forward to the game."

Texas and Texas Tech are set to tip-off at 8 pm CT at United Super Markets Arena, with the game set to be broadcast on ESPN 2.

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Published Jan 31, 2022

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.