Commentary: This time right time for McCasland

Texas Tech Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt never did get around to calling me to see who he should hire as Tech’s next basketball coach. Come to think of it, he also never did two years ago the last time Hocutt and a committee went searching for a basketball coach.

Had he either time, I would have told him to get Grant McCasland. He would not only be able and willing, but ready. He paid his dues and is ready for the big stage.

Two years ago, Tech was reeling from the gut punch of Chris Beard leaving for Texas. The coach who had taken the Red Raiders to the national championship game in 2019 departed for Texas, his alma mater, and the whole Tech world was fit to be tied.

Who would Tech hire?

I was quietly waving my hand among a small minority to look at the coach at the University of North Texas. All McCasland has ever done is win – and win big.

In short order, however, Hocutt tabbed top assistant Mark Adams, who famously in the South Plains “did not get on that plane” to Texas. It seemed to make almost everyone happy that a loyal assistant, a defensive mastermind, a Tech grad, would get the keys at age 65.

It was probably the right call at the time. The 2022 season bore that out, a 27-10 record and berth in the Sweet 16. Then the 2023 season was a disaster of Hindenburg proportions – on and off the court – and Adams resigned rather than be fired on March 8.

Only 24 months later, here we are again. Here I am, this time waving frantically to look at the coach in Denton who had only enhanced his reputation and resume in the two seasons since with a 56-14 record and winning the country’s oldest invitational postseason tournament.

This time, McCasland was hired as Tech’s 19th basketball coach. It became official on March 31, the day after leading North Texas to the National Invitation Tournament crown.

On Monday, he had his introductory press conference at the United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock. Hocutt said a search firm helped identify 35 candidates, of which the committee reached out to 23.

Norense Odiase was a starting forward on the 2019 national runner-up team. He was also part of the four-person search committee. Unplanned, he was asked to come to the podium at Monday’s press conference.

“This guy we got, like, he’s it,” Odiase said. “I mean, he’s it.”

McCasland did what most coaches do at these introductory press conferences. He thanked many and introduced his family and extended family, mentioning his father hasn’t missed a practice in several years.

He fired up the crowd by saying a team can’t have a divided heart, the toughest team wins, this will be the most intimidating arena in college basketball. No one wants to hear that we’re going to try hard on these occasions. He then dropped this little nugget.

“I wanted this press conference on this day, the Monday of the national championship basketball game,” McCasland said. “I believe we can win a national championship at Texas Tech.”

Scoff if you want. Tech was eight seconds away of winning one in 2019 under Beard. McCasland’s resume reads very much like Beard’s. This 46-year-old wasn’t born on third base and thought he hit a triple.

He started as director of basketball operations at Texas Tech more than 20 years ago, making $9,000 a year to pay for his master’s degree. He started on the low rung as a junior college assistant coach.

Then McCasland took off. He won a national junior college championship at Midland College in 2009 and had a 143-32 record there. In 2010 and 2011, as head coach at Midwestern, he brought his teams to Portales twice to play Eastern New Mexico. In his only two years, he took Midwestern to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight twice with a combined 55-12 record.

He then spent five seasons on the staff of Scott Drew at Baylor, his alma mater. Then he returned to head coaching, taking over at 11-win Arkansas State. In his only year, he won 20 games.

Then the springboard to Tech – the North Texas job in 2017. The Mean Green were 22-40 in the two years before McCasland arrived. In six seasons, UNT won 20 or more games five of six seasons with an overall mark of 135-65. His worst season was 18 wins. This season, it culminated with a 31-7 record and an NIT championship last week on ESPN.

Translation: a 353-121 record. That’s nearly a 75% winning mark over 14 seasons at four stops.

McCasland’s teams win with defense – North Texas led the country in fewest points allowed at 55.8. His teams grind out wins in that toughest-team-wins way. To give his offense some added juice, he likely will hire Ben McCollum, an offensive savant who has led Northwest Missouri State to four Division II national championships.

Now McCasland inherits the $31 million Womble, perhaps the top college basketball facility in the country, a fan base that averaged more than 13,000 in a losing season, and a competitive NIL resource.

Why shouldn’t he win – and win big in Lubbock – if he’s done so all his life? It’s as if this has been 20 years in the making.

“I wanted to find someone who is us,” Odiase said, “someone who understands the culture, the vision, the family, the community. Everything he is is everything we need in a coach.”

Jon Mark Beilue writes about regional sports for The Eastern New Mexico News.