Beard discusses competition, facilities and his offense

If you've ever heard a coach talk about his roster, you've almost certainly heard the phrase "It's not about the X's and O's, it's about the Jimmies and Joes," and first year Texas Tech men's basketball coach Chris Beard spent some time with the local media on Wednesday to discuss both his returning and newcoming players.

It's a roster that's almost an even fifty-fifty split with nine returners and seven newcomers, and Beard's main goal was to up the competition level from day one with said newcomers. He and his staff feel like they did that, and he's ready to see how it shakes out over the next few months.

“Competition is everything to us. Our players know that. We don’t shy away from that in recruiting. The first thing we tell players is that if you want to go someplace where your spot is already inked out for you when you show up, then this isn’t the place. Our whole environment is based on competition. We compete daily, in the classroom, so the returning players wanted help, and the new players wanted to go somewhere that we have a chance to win. But, certainly with the rotations and stuff, we’ve had teams that have played as many as 10 players before, maybe 11 depending on talent. We’ve had teams that preferred seven or eight, so that’ll be based on our players. We’d like everybody to play that can contribute.”

And with a mix of both new and old on the roster, Beard is echoing that in the team's style of play. Defensively, he wants to keep things similar by playing great defense just like Tubby Smith's squad did a year ago at Tech, but he's adding his own flavor on the offensive end.

The Red Raiders will roll out a unique brand of motion offense melded with some European pick and roll concepts, something he feels will give them a scoring edge like that of the team that plays in Jones AT&T Stadium down the way.

“It’s a unique style of play, and it’s something the players have enjoyed this summer, and I think it gives us an advantage. I think to compete in the best league in college basketball in my opinion, you’ve got to have something that makes you unique that gives you a chance, and I think Texas Tech football is one of the great examples of playing wide open, the spread years before anyone else was doing it really gave our program a chance to compete with other styles. Basketball-wise, I think we have to do things to. We’re not going to be a team that just rolls the ball out there and goes and beats you. But, I think with things like a commitment to defense, an offense that shares the ball and has balance, a competitive spirit in our team, all these things are important and are going to give us a chance to compete.”

And speaking of a chance to compete, much has been made of the Texas Tech basketball facilities and where they sit on the totem pole in the Big 12. While United Supermarkets Arena is a top notch gameday facility, many believe the program's practice facilities may be lagging behind.

Beard feels like his staff can certainly make do with what they have right now, but he also believes in the vision of athletic director Kirby Hocutt to make improvements.

“Just tell me what we do have and we’ll find a way to win. Kirby has been great. He’s probably the number one reason I took the job, a chance to work with him, somebody with his kind of leadership and passion for not only basketball but all sports at Tech. I think the future is very bright. We have the best facility, I think, in college basketball here on game night. We do need to address some practice issues and stuff like that, but that’s in the works. On almost a day-to-day basis I hear things about the future of basketball, and not just with the facilities but the whole program,” he said. “I know that, in due time, basketball will take the necessary steps, too. The locker rooms have been completely redone since I was here five or six years ago, and they’re top notch. So, in my eyes, we have a full commitment for anything we need to compete at this level we were given or at least have a plan for the future on how to get there.”