Texas basketball hires Chris Beard to replace Shaka Smart

After Shaka Smart departed for Marquette, Texas basketball turns to a familiar in-state face in Chris Beard to lead the program. 

Texas basketball had a major hole to fill after Shaka Smart departed Austin for Marquette and filled that hole well with Chris Beard’s hiring.

The former Texas Tech head coach was hired Thursday as the head coach of his alma mater after the Red Raiders fell to Arkansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Beard comes into Austin with an impressive resume. He put the Red Raiders on the map with four NCAA Tournament appearances for the past five years. In his second season, Texas Tech advanced as far as the Elite Eight. The following season, they appeared in the national championship, falling short to Virginia.

Prior to coaching in Lubbock, Beard led the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, to an upset win over Purdue in the NCAA Tournament in 2016 as a 12-seed. Over his career, Beard compiled a 208-84 coaching record and now will take that to Austin in hopes of bringing the same level of success to Texas that he had with his other stops.

Chris Beard brings winning experience and a level of discipline that can translate well to the Longhorns program.

It is known that wherever Beard has coached, success has gone hand in hand. The Texas Longhorns are hoping he can replicate the same level. At the same time, the ultimate prize of winning a national championship will take time.

Nevertheless, he’s been known to do well when it comes to the NCAA Tournament, a feat that the Longhorns have struggled with in the past few years. What Beard does and who he brings in remains to be seen. For now, he gets to stay in state and replace the red in his wardrobe with burnt orange.

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