Texas Basketball: Chris Beard delivers strong message to Longhorns

On3 imageby:Ashton Pollard09/23/21

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New Texas basketball coach Chris Beard is not mincing words when it comes to the Texas reputation and his expectations of his players. 

“You’ve got to embrace the hate,” Beard said. “I imagine it’s not easy to play for the Yankees, the Lakers or the Cowboys. And that’s what this deal is all about. This deal isn’t for everyday.”

The quote is of course referencing some of the blue bloods across sports, ones which fall into the “you either love them or you hate them” category. The University of Texas, with its rich history, large donor base and elite facilities, typically falls under this category as well, especially in a state where college sports and allegiances are so front-and-center and deep-seated.

Beard will look to begin a dynastic run this season at Texas like those of the aforementioned teams, and he is off to a good start after a successful first offseason.

Beard was seen as one of the best coaching hires in America last season after former Texas head coach Shaka Smart departed for Marquette. When Beard arrived in Austin, he had just four players to work with following the departure of nine others to the NBA Draft, the transfer portal or graduation. 

Beard made immediate use of the transfer portal himself, landing nine transfers in total and five of the top-25 available players according to Jeff Goodman, a basketball analyst at Stadium. Former Minnesota guard Marcus Carr and former UMass center Tre Mitchell, Goodman’s top-two transfers, are headed to Austin. They averaged 19.4 and 18.8 points per game last year, respectively. 

Last season’s leading scorer, Andrew Jones, returns after averaging 14.6 points per game. The junior will need to play a big role in helping to make the incredibly talented but largely new team mesh.

Beard was one of the top hires in college basketball this offseason

Beard, a Texas alum, went 112-55 over five seasons at Texas Tech and made the national championship in 2019. The Red Raiders fell to Virginia 85-77 in the title game. Beard was the AP National Coach of the Year for the 2018-2019 season.

Texas’ basketball season begins Nov. 9 against Houston Baptist, and they have a marquee non-conference game scheduled at Gonzaga on Nov. 13. After Smart failed to win a single NCAA tournament game during his tenure, Beard already has his sights set on a deep tournament run this season.