NCAA Basketball rewind: Most impactful coaching hires after 2016 season

1. Chris Beard (Texas Tech)

There have been good years and bad years for Texas Tech, though it had been mostly on the bad side in recent years. Before exiting for Memphis, Tubby Smith had just led the Red Raiders to their first NCAA Tournament in nearly a decade, but there was still major work to be done for the program. Not only did Texas Tech make the perfect hire but they even found someone they were very familiar with.

Chris Beard was a well-traveled coach, who had had successful stints at a number of smaller colleges over the years. Among that, he also spent a full decade as an assistant at Texas Tech, serving on the staffs of Bobby and Pat Knight. His most recent work had been an impressive 30-win season in his only year at Little Rock, leading the Trojans to a surprise Tourney win over Purdue. After a very brief stint leading UNLV, Beard took over at Texas Tech and the rest is history.

Few expected the great impact Beard would have on Texas Tech and college basketball. In just his second season, he led the Red Raiders to their first Elite Eight appearance in program history. The following year, they greatly exceeded that, marching all the way to the national championship game, losing in overtime to Virginia. Texas Tech became a national power under Beard’s guidance. He departed for rival Texas this past offseason, but it’s impossible not to laud Beard’s profound impact at Texas Tech.

We’ve completed our look through the best coaching hires from way back in 2016; which of these hires do you think were the best for these schools?