Texas Tech’s basketball program will remain in good hands for years to come, as the university agreed to a new six-year contract with Red Raiders’ head coach Chris Beard. The deal will keep Beard on board through the 2024-25 season.
According to sources, Beard’s new deal will pay him $4.575 million on an annual basis which makes him the nation’s third highest paid college basketball coach after Kentucky’s John Calipari and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski.
“In only three years, Chris Beard has elevated Texas Tech to the upper echelon of college basketball,” – said Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt in a statement. “I am appreciative of the continued loyalty and personal commitment that Chris has made to continue to lead our program into the future. He is widely respected as one of the best coaches in the nation and I could not be more excited that through various resources, we have been able to invest into our basketball program at one of the highest levels in the nation.”
Chris Beard joined Texas Tech in 2016 after a successful stint with Little Rock. Beard’s first season with Texas ended poorly as Red Raiders finished 7th in Big 12 Conference. The things turned to better in his sophomore season as he led his team to NCAA Division I Elite Eight tournament.
Beard build on his success in 2018/19 as Texas finished as a runner up in NCAA Division I tournament. He won the AP National Coach of the Year and Big 12 Coach of the Year award at the end of the season. His record with the Red Raiders is 76–31 while his overall coaching record in college stands at 172–61.
“Thank you to President Schovanec, Kirby Hocutt, Tony Hernandez, Chancellor Mitchell and the Board of Regents for making this strong commitment to both me and our men’s basketball program,” – said Beard after inking a new deal. “Thank you to our players and staff, both former and current, for your commitment to winning. Special thanks to our fans and our students for your incredible support and passion. Together we have accomplished some great things in the past three years but we are not satisfied and will continue working tirelessly to build one of the best college basketball programs in the nation.”
