Tag: Mark Adams

Report: Grant McCasland emerges as the top target for Texas Tech job

Another Power Six program could be closing in on a head coach hire.

We could be closing in on another Power Six program filling their head coaching vacancy.

Per Jeff Goodman of Stadium, current North Texas head coach Grant McCasland has emerged as the top target to replace Mark Adams.

McCasland has a history in Lubbock after serving as director of operations for head coach James Dickey from 1999 to 2001. He is familiar with coaching in the Lone Star state after starting his coaching career with Midwestern State at the Division II level.

He led them to two DII Elite Eight appearances in two seasons. McCasland was 55-12 in two seasons. After spending six seasons as an assistant under Scott Drew at Baylor he made a one-year stop at Arkansas State before taking over the North Texas men’s basketball program in 2017.

Overall, McCasland is 205-89 as a head coach, including his 130-65 mark in six seasons with the Mean Green. The former Baylor guard has produced five 20-plus win seasons at UNT. On Tuesday night, McCasland and the Mean Green are set to take on Oklahoma State in the NIT.

We will continue to monitor the coaching carousel as it relates to college basketball and the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=42]

Report: Rick Pitino targeted for Texas Tech opening

Could Texas Tech actually go after Rick Pitino? That is certainly interesting.

The Big 12 could get a lot more interesting real soon.

Following a report that St. John’s is interested in speaking with Rick Pitino about their opening following the dismissal of Mike Anderson, another team could be joining the Pitino sweepstakes.

College basketball insider Jon Rothstein reports that the Texas Tech Red Raiders are also interested in speaking with the 70-year-old head coach. Pitino currently serves as the head coach of Iona, where he has been since 2020.

Pitino has worked as an assistant and head coach at the collegiate and NBA levels. Most notably he is remembered for his time with the Kentucky Wildcats, the Boston Celtics, and the Louisville Cardinals.

Pitino has coached two championship teams and seven Final Four teams. One title and two Final Four appearances were vacated by the NCAA due to his “pay for play” investigation. He would coach overseas before returning to the collegiate level with Iona.

Certainly replacing one head coach who resigned for racially insensitive comments for another that has a history of scandal and investigations would be interesting, to say the very least.

College Sports Wire will continue to monitor the coaching carousel and provide updates as they are made available.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=59]

[mm-video type=video id=01gv6htcf4xpcse2sjge playlist_id=01gq2fszf7mxxc88k4 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gv6htcf4xpcse2sjge/01gv6htcf4xpcse2sjge-4aaf45542d4e7804709e770331cfc3d9.jpg]

College basketball coaching carousel: Major programs with openings across the landscape

Breaking down the current job openings across college basketball and who could be on their way to fill them.

The annual NCAA Tournament is just a few days away from ‘Selection Sunday’ but that isn’t the only action going on across the college basketball landscape.

We are seeing plenty of openings for major programs. One program that has already filled their vacancy are the Syracuse Orange. On the same day it was announced that Hall of Fame head coach Jim Boeheim would step down, the school announced that Adrian Autry would take over.

Another notable name could be returning to college basketball as LSU Wire reports that Will Wade is closing in on a deal with McNeese. He was fired by the Tigers after it was revealed that he was hit with five Level I violations.

Thus far we have seen a total of six major programs in college basketball with vacancies yet to be filled. College Sports Wire breaks each one down along with who is seen as the top candidate.

Who could replace Mark Adams at Texas Tech? 10 names to consider

With the news that Mark Adams is out at Texas Tech, we put together a list of 10 names to consider as the next Red Raiders head coach.

On Wednesday night the Texas Tech Red Raiders men’s basketball head coaching job became vacant following the announcement that Mark Adams would resign.

This came off the heels of Adams’ suspension for racially insensitive comments to the team. Now with Adams stepping aside, this will put Tech back in the head coaching search. Adams was named head coach after Chris Beard left for the Texas Longhorns. Less than two years later, both teams could make huge changes.

Rodney Terry has done an outstanding job since being named interim head coach but John Calipari has been linked to the job. It remains to be seen how that will all play out. As far as Tech is concerned they can begin their search for the next head coach.

College Sports Wire has a list of potential candidates.

Mark Adams steps down at Texas Tech, Fardaws Aimaq to enter the transfer portal

Following his suspension, Texas Tech’s Mark Adams resigned.

On Wednesday, Hall of Fame head coach Jim Boeheim wasn’t the only head coach in the Power Five to step down from his post. Later that day, it was announced by Texas Tech that men’s head basketball coach Mark Adams would resign from his position.

The school announced the news on its team website. Adams was placed on suspension following an investigation into a racially insensitive comment made to the team. Corey Williams was named interim for their Big 12 tournament game against West Virginia.

“My lifelong goal was to help and be a positive influence on my players, and to be a part of the Texas Tech men’s basketball team,” Adams said. “However, both the University and I believe this incident has become a distraction for the Texas Tech men’s basketball team and the University, which I care about so deeply.”

The Red Raiders named Adams the head coach of the program prior to the 2021-22 season after Chris Beard left for the opening with the Texas Longhorns. That season, the Red Raiders made it all the way to the Sweet 16 before being eliminated. This past season, the team was a shell of their former selves. They lost four consecutive games to close the season to end the regular season at 16-16.

At one time it looked as though Texas Tech would make a run at the NCAA Tournament, but that appeared to be fool’s gold. The next head coach will need to rally the troops for next season. While the administration will now begin a search for the next head coach, the team is also expected to lose big man Fardaws Aimaq to the transfer portal. This was reported by Red Raider Sports on Wednesday night.

A lot is about to change as the team will welcome a new era of basketball at the United Supermarkets Arena by the time the 2023-24 season tips off.

[mm-video type=video id=01gtkyr3c6r7xay4vmvy playlist_id=01gq2fszf7mxxc88k4 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gtkyr3c6r7xay4vmvy/01gtkyr3c6r7xay4vmvy-c952906256f4f2251439d344282299db.jpg]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=59]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=42]

Texas fans, others react to Texas Tech basketball’s free fall

Lets look at how Twitter responded to Texas Tech’s blowout loss to West Virginia.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders are free falling. After an 0-8 start in conference play, the team fell to 10-10 overall on the season on Wednesday.

Tech lost some key contributors but I’m not sure anyone saw a drop off like this on the horizon.

The team isn’t bereft of talent, as Texas found out in a narrow comeback victory over their in-state basketball rival. Led by Kevin Obanor and Pop Isaacs, the Raiders have the requisite scoring ability to compete. Something is missing.

While the best coaches in the country are adept at diagnosing root causes for team struggles, Texas Tech head coach Mark Adams isn’t finding any winning solutions.

Lets look at how Twitter responded to Texas Tech’s blowout loss to West Virginia.

Iowa Hawkeyes’ Caitlin Clark wins Naismith Trophy fan vote

Iowa sophomore guard Caitlin Clark was the winner of the Naismith Trophy fan vote.

Iowa sophomore guard Caitlin Clark authored a historic season, averaging 27 points, eight rebounds and eight assists per game. As a result, Clark was named one of the finalists for the Naismith Trophy.

While the Naismith Trophy was awarded to South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston, Clark did win the fan vote. She joined Kansas men’s basketball junior guard Ochai Agbaji as players to win the Naismith Trophy fan vote this season. Texas Tech head men’s basketball coach Mark Adams and South Carolina head women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley were the two coaches that took home the most Naismith Trophy fan votes.

Clark was named the Big Ten Player of the Year and earned unanimous first team All-Big Ten honors for her standout sophomore season. She earned national player of the week honors four times this season: twice by the USBWA (Jan. 18 and March 1), by Naismith on Jan. 25 and by ESPN on Feb. 7.

Clark led the nation in points per game and finished with the most total points of any player with 863 this past season. She also led the nation in assists per game and total assists with 257.

Clark recorded back-to-back triple-doubles versus Nebraska on Jan. 16 and at Minnesota on Jan. 20. She became the 10th collegiate women’s basketball player to record back-to-back triple-doubles. On the season, Clark registered five triple-doubles.

Clark broke Iowa’s single-game assist record with 18 against Penn State on Jan. 25 and tied the Big Ten record for most assists against a Big Ten opponent. She also holds three women’s basketball arena scoring records: 39 points at Nebraska’s Pinnacle Bank Arena her freshman season, Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena with 44 points versus Evansville on Jan. 2 and Michigan’s Crisler Center with 46 points on Feb. 6.

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Josh on Twitter: @JoshOnREF

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Oklahoma vs. No. 14 Texas Tech: injury report, broadcast info for Friday

Everything you need to know as the Oklahoma Sooners get set for their semifinal matchup with No. 14 Texas Tech in the Big 12 tournament.

Oklahoma added a jolt to its NCAA Tournament hopes by upsetting No. 3 Baylor in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament, 72-67. Junior forward Jacob Groves led the way with 15 points and nine rebounds, while redshirt senior guard Marvin Johnson added 12 points off the bench.

Senior guard Umoja Gibson finished with 14 points and it was his driving and-one finish that put the Sooners in front 68-62 with 49 seconds remaining. Redshirt senior point guard Jordan Goldwire and junior forward Jalen Hill each scored 10 points apiece to also help pace OU.

“Really happy for the guys to stick with this and be resilient. When we lost Elijah Harkless, we found out like the day before I think it was the Iowa State game and it kind of took us by surprise. Now, we’ve regrouped. We’ve regrouped and we’ve won four in a row and we’re confident, we’re hot.

“That was a huge win for us. People kind of counted us out and we started one at a time, beating Oklahoma State, then West Virginia, then had to go to Kansas State on their senior night and now this. But it’s a testament to this group on how close they’re becoming and how resilient they’re becoming of blocking out all the outside noise and just trying to focus in on what we need to do to win games,” Oklahoma head men’s basketball coach Porter Moser said following the win over Baylor.

Meanwhile, No. 14 Texas Tech dominated Iowa State from start to finish in its 72-41 win over the Cyclones. Texas Tech junior guard Terrence Shannon Jr. led all scorers with 15 points. It sets up a third meeting between Oklahoma and Texas Tech. The two teams split their season series with OU winning in Norman on Feb. 9, 70-55, and Texas Tech capturing the second tilt in Lubbock on Feb. 22, 66-42.

How to watch

Date: Friday, March 11

Time: 8:30 p.m. CST

TV: ESPN2

Radio: 107.7 FM The Franchise

Stat leaders

Oklahoma:

  • Umoja Gibson: 12.4 points per game, 37.4 percent 3-point field goal shooting
  • Tanner Groves: 12.1 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game, 38.2 percent 3-point field goal shooting
  • Jordan Goldwire: 10.3 points per game, 3.5 assists per game
  • Jalen Hill: 8.9 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game

Texas Tech:

  • Bryson Williams: 13.8 points per game, 4.3 rebounds per game, 42.1 percent 3-point field goal shooting
  • Terrence Shannon Jr.: 10.6 points per game, 2.9 rebounds per game
  • Davion Warren: 10.1 points per game, 3.1 rebounds per game
  • Kevin McCullar: 10.0 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game
  • Kevin Obanor: 9.8 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game

Injury report

Oklahoma:

  • Elijah Harkless: Harkless suffered a season-ending injury during the Texas game on Feb. 15.

Texas Tech:

  • Ethan Duncan: Duncan’s status is listed as questionable with an undisclosed injury according to oddschecker.com.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

[listicle id=59690]

Auburn’s Bruce Pearl leads group of candidates for Naismith Coach of the Year

Bruce Pearl among an impressive group vying for the coach of the year award.

It has been quite the turnaround from last season for the Auburn Tigers. Under the guidance of head coach Bruce Pearl, the team went from 13-14 overall and 7-11 in SEC play to one of the top teams in the country.

This year Auburn is looked at as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a record of 24-3 and 12-2 in SEC action. The additions of Jabari Smith in recruiting as well as transfers Walker Kessler, KD Johnson, Zep Jasper, and Wendell Green Jr have allowed the turnaround to happen at a faster rate.

Pearl is getting a lot of recognition for his efforts. Viewed as the man to beat for the SEC Coach of the Year award, he is also in contention for national coach of the year honors. The Naismith Trophy recently released their watchlist of 15 coaches in college basketball.

Pearl won the SEC honors twice during his tenure at Tennessee and was also named Sporting News coach of the year. He has yet to get the distinction of being awarded the Naismith Trophy. This could be the year.

The candidate list for the NaismiethTrophy watch list.

2020 Tokyo Olympics to be postponed, according to IOC member

The 2020 Tokyo Games will be postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound.

[jwplayer 9BQFEC6i]

Now the Olympics?

The 2020 Tokyo Games will be postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to veteran International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound, although no official announcement has been made.

Pound, an influential member of the IOC, broke the news to USA Today Sports on Monday afternoon.

“On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided,” Pound said in a phone interview. “The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.”

Pound said the Games probably will be pushed back to next year. IOC officials reportedly will work out details over the next month and make an announcement soon.

“It will come in stages,” said Pound, a Canadian who is the longest-serving IOC member. “We will postpone this and begin to deal with all the ramifications of moving this, which are immense.”

IOC President Thomas Bach indicated Sunday that postponement was a possibility. However, neither the IOC nor Japanese Olympic officials have made such an announcement.

USA Today Sports asked IOC spokesperson Mark Adams to comment on Pound’s comments. He said: “It is the right of every IOC member to interpret the decision of the IOC executive board which was announced [Sunday].”

Bach said in a letter to the athletes that the IOC was considering alternative plans and a decision would be reached within a month. That included postponement but not cancellation, which Japanese officials have strongly opposed.

This would be the fourth time the Olympics have not been staged as scheduled. The 1916, 1940 and 1944 Games were canceled because of World War I and World War II.

The 2020 boxing competition was scheduled to take place between July 25 and Aug. 9. The number of weight classes for men was reduced from 10 to 8 while two divisions were added for the women, who were limited to three divisions in 2016.