5 Things We Know About Texas Tech Basketball On A Wednesday
- This Texas Tech roster, as constructed for 2022-23 is not an untalented collection of players. Texas Tech has had massive personnel turnover each of the last 5-7 years, and while it take some time for each roster to jell, the talent rises. This roster is no exception. The talent is there, even with some injuries/illness the last two weeks to perform better and not be an 0-4 team in Big 12 play.
- A year ago Head Coach Mark Adams hired Barrett Peery away from Portland State to run his offense. It was described as high-flying, attacking and aggressive. An offense that played off defensive pressure and that maximized the “No-Middle Defense” into points on the other end of the floor. We never saw that offense last year. Was Peery allowed to install his offense? Was he given that latitude? Who knows? And then, Peery was gone. Without much word from the program or Peery. . .
- Over the off-season, longtime South Plains College HC Steve Green was brought in to take over the offense. Green, a three-time national champion head coach and longtime friend of Texas Tech head coach Mark Adams, was going to energize the offense and bring in an up-tempo “Golden State” style attack. It would look like a Kansas Jayhawks style with pro-components. As we sit here in January, we’ve seen nothing from Texas Tech’s offense that resembles anything like what made Green a legend at SPC. Is he coaching the offense? Is Green allowed to do what he was brought in to do? There are many around the program who say that’s not the case. The on-court performance seems to validate those voices. IF Green isn’t in charge of the offense and his voice is drowned out, whose voice is being heard?
- After the 84-50 loss at Iowa State, an average to below average Big 12 team this year, Mark Adams said. “ This is my fault, and we’re going to make some changes. There’s going to be a difference in this team. We’re going to play the right way. I told this team three or four days ago that they’ve got to want to be coached and you’re going to have to put aside your own self interests. These guys now know that they need to put aside their own selfish aspirations and play as a team. We aren’t ever going to have this happen again. I can promise you that”.
This is called throwing players and coaches under the bus after a bad loss. You start off saying it’s “My fault”, the you list reasons why its not really your fault but the fault of selfish players and how they didn’t really listen to you. . . Hey! I told them, “they” didn’t listen…. That might work in November or December, but this is Big12 game four. You’ve had time to make an impact. . . - There is something fundamentally broken right now with Texas Tech Basketball. From on-court performance to off the floor accountability, to the communication from coach to coach communication of culture from the coaching staff to the players; something is broken. It has been rumored for weeks and months around the program that Mark Adams has lost this team, the culture as well as the trust of many major supporters, inside and outside the Texas Tech athletics department; and it’s now bubbling to the surface as what was once behind-the-scenes problems begin to express themselves on the court. The weak non-conference schedule hid the issue for the month of December. The directional schools are gone now and it’s the Big 12 each and every night this program has to deal with. This Texas Tech team has a culture flaw and it seems to stem from the top down and not from the team up; according to multiple sources around the program. From the trip to Maui to the trip to Ames, there’s been a constant refrain around the program: It has to do with inside the Locker Room issues and off the court problems much more than talent, effort and commitment from the players.
Can this change?
Magic 8 Ball says don’t count on it.
The Adams Family seems to have a lot of problems right now and counseling sessions don’t seem to be working. . .
Hyatt
