The MBCA is excited to announce the return to an in-person clinic, hosted for the first time at Mizzou Arena on the campus on the University of Missouri.
Newly named Texas Longhorn head coach Chris Beard will headline the 2021 clinic. He has moved the ranks coaching junior college, Division II, Division I, as both an assistant and head coach having success at each level.
You can sign up to see Beard and a solid line up of speakers by following this link: https://mo.nhsbca.org/events/2021-clinic
A Texas Longhorn who led the Texas Tech program to the 2019 NCAA Championship Game and the 2018 Elite Eight, Chris Beard was named the 25th Head Basketball Coach at The University of Texas on April 2, 2021.
In 11 seasons as a collegiate head coach, Beard has compiled a 252-103 (.710) overall record and advanced to four NCAA Tournaments. In addition to his five seasons at Texas Tech, Beard has also led five other programs, serving as head coach at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (2015-16), Angelo State University (2013-15), McMurry University (2012-13), Seminole State College (2000-01) and Fort Scott Community College (1999-2000).
Beard inherited a program at Texas Tech that was coming off five losing seasons in the six years prior to his arrival, and he went on to guide the Red Raiders to five straight winning seasons and an overall record of 112-55 (.671), including an impressive 9-3 mark in NCAA Tournament contests. Texas Tech advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history in 2018 and returned the following season with a trip to the 2019 National Championship Game, which included a school-best 31 victories. After the 2020 tournament was canceled due to COVID-19, the Red Raiders advanced to the 2021 NCAA Tournament Second Round.
The 2019 Associated Press National Coach of the Year and two-time Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year (2018 and 2019), Beard led Texas Tech to a 74-13 mark in home games at the United Supermarkets Arena, including a 33-12 record in Big 12 contests. Keenan Evans (2018 consensus second team) and Jarrett Culver (2019 consensus second team) each earned All-America honors under Beard’s guidance, and Texas Tech produced a total of 13 All-Big 12 selections and 21 Academic All-Big 12 honorees during the past five years.
During the recently completed 2020-21 season, Beard led the Red Raiders to an 18-11 mark (9-8 Big 12) and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round. Texas Tech earned a 65-53 win over Utah State in the NCAA First Round before falling to Arkansas, 68-66. The Red Raiders were ranked in The AP Top 25 throughout the entire season for the first time in program history, reaching as high as No. 7 in February and sitting at No. 21 in the final poll. Texas Tech led the Big 12 in scoring defense (63.2 ppg) and held 13 of its 29 opponents below 60 points.
During the shortened 2019-20 season (COVID-19), Texas Tech posted an 18-13 record and tied for third in the Big 12 with a 9-9 league mark. The Red Raiders defeated No. 1 Louisville 70-57 at the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden and registered an 88-42 home win against TCU, marking the largest margin of victory (46 points) in Big 12 play in program history.
Beard led the 2018-19 team to a 31-7 record and a national runner-up finish, setting a school single-season mark for most victories. The Big 12 Conference co-champions (14-4), the Red Raiders defeated Northern Kentucky and Buffalo in the first and second rounds in Tulsa. Texas Tech followed with wins against Michigan and Gonzaga in Anaheim to reach the Final Four for the first time in program history. The Red Raiders knocked off Michigan State 61-51 in the national semifinals and took Virginia to overtime in the National Championship Game before falling 85-77.
Beard was tabbed National Coach of the Year by The Associated Press, the Big 12 Coach of the Year, the USBWA District VII Coach of the Year and the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) Coach of the Year.
The 2017-18 Red Raiders posted a 27-10 mark and advanced to the program’s first NCAA Elite Eight. Beard led his team to NCAA tourney wins over Stephen F. Austin and Florida in the first and second rounds in Dallas. The Red Raiders followed with a 78-65 victory against No. 2 seed Purdue in the Sweet 16 before falling to eventual National Champion Villanova in the Elite Eight. Texas Tech finished second in the Big 12 Conference with an 11-7 record and earned a No. 6 ranking in the final USA Today/Coaches Top 25 poll. The Red Raiders were ranked in the top 15 of The AP poll for the final 10 weeks of the regular season, including six weeks in the Top 10.
Beard was selected as the Big 12 Co-Coach of the Year, the NABC District 8 Coach of the Year, the USBWA District VII Coach of the Year and the John McClendon National Coach of the Year.
In his first season as head coach at Texas Tech (2016-17), Beard led the Red Raiders to an 18-14 record including a 16-3 mark in home games. Texas Tech registered three wins against AP ranked opponents, defeating No. 4 Baylor (84-78), No. 7 West Virginia (77-76 ot) and No. 25 Kansas State (66-65). Evans (third team) and Zach Smith (honorable mention) claimed All-Big 12 honors.
Prior to his five-year run as head coach at Texas Tech, Beard served as head coach at Little Rock for one season (2015-16) and led the Trojans to a 30-5 mark and a trip to the NCAA Tournament Second Round. Little Rock won the Sun Belt Conference regular season and tournament titles, and the 30 victories set a school single-season record for most wins. In the NCAA Tournament, Little Rock overcame a 14-point deficit in the final five minutes to win an 85-83 double-overtime thriller against fifth-seed No. 12 Purdue in the first round.
The 30-5 mark was a 15-game improvement from a 13-18 campaign during the previous year. The 15-game improvement tied for the top turnaround in NCAA Division I that season, and his 30 wins tied for the sixth-most victories by a first-year Division I head coach. Little Rock’s 27 wins and .871 winning percentage in the regular season were both tops in the country. The Trojans claimed road wins against San Diego State, Tulsa and DePaul en route to a 10-0 start to the year, tying a program record for most wins to begin a season. Bears claimed Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year and NABC District 24 Coach of the Year honors.
Beard spent two seasons as head coach at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas. Prior to Beard’s arrival, the Rams had posted three consecutive losing seasons, including a 9-17 mark in 2012-13. In Beard’s first season (2013-14), Angelo State registered a 19-9 overall record. The Rams followed with a 28-6 mark in 2014-15 and made the program’s first NCAA Division II Sweet 16 appearance. The 28 victories marked a school single-season record, and Angelo State concluded the year with a No. 19 national ranking. Beard garnered Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year and NABC South Central Region Coach of the Year accolades.
He led McMurry University (Abilene, Texas) to a 19-10 mark during the school’s first season as a NCAA Division II member in 2012-13. He also spent one season (2011-12) as head coach of the South Carolina Warriors (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) of the American Basketball Association (ABA). Beard paced the Warriors to a 31-2 mark and the Mid-Atlantic Championship, advancing to the ABA finals in the franchise’s first year.
A 25-year veteran of collegiate coaching, Beard spent 10 seasons at Texas Tech (2001-02 through 2010-11), working seven seasons as an assistant coach under Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight and three years as an associate head coach under Pat Knight. During those 10 years, the Red Raiders recorded a total of 188 wins and made four NCAA Tournament and a pair of postseason NIT appearances. Texas Tech advanced to the 2005 NCAA Sweet 16, defeating UCLA and No. 11 Gonzaga in the first and second rounds.
Beard was the head coach at Seminole State College (Seminole, Okla.) for one season in 2000-01, guiding the team to a 25-6 mark and a No. 14 national ranking in the final NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) Division I poll. He also spent one year as head coach at Fort Scott Community College (Fort Scott, Kan.) in 1999-2000, leading the squad to a 19-12 record and a NJCAA Division I Regional appearance.
Beard began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of the Incarnate Word (San Antonio, Texas) in 1995-96. He spent one year (1996-97) as an assistant coach under Shanon Hays at Abilene Christian University and two seasons (1997-98 and 1998-99) as an assistant coach under Vic Trilli at the University of North Texas.
Beard earned his Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology from The University of Texas in 1995. During his undergraduate time at Texas, he worked as a student assistant under head coach Tom Penders. Beard received his master’s degree in education from Abilene Christian University in 1998.
nt here…
