There are no wrong reactions to Chris Beard leaving for Texas

Today, and the coming days, will suck for Texas Tech basketball.

Besides Chris Beard leaving, which sucks on its own merits, the ramifications of his decision will likely torpedo the roster. Guys came to play for Chris Beard, not play at Texas Tech, so it can’t be held against them. As Kirby Hocutt said, “Frustration would be a kind word to summarize it.”

But how should you be feeling, and is there a wrong way to feel? The short answer is no, the longer answer is a bit more complicated. There are numerous ways to feel the below are just a couple.

Sad, but wishing him well

Chris Beard built Texas Tech into a national power in lightening speed. This was the best stretch in the program’s history, and definitely most the most fun. That stretch is likely going to come to an abrupt end unless Hocutt knocks this hire out of the universe.

So, it is fair to feel sad about what is lost but remember fondly what Beard did. This was his school calling, how could anyone turn it down? It is is perfectly valid to not want to tear up those memories by hating the man.

Depressed

Take that first paragraph from the previous mood and just repeat it here over and over. This is a sense of numbness and depression that is what a lot of Tech fans felt, especially as we settle in to this news. It’s hard to imagine the sun will ever rise again on Tech basketball. If this is you, get a big stiff drink and watch Tadlock’s boys do their stuff. You’ll feel at least a little better after that.

Pissed off (my mood)

I wanted to be in the first camp. I really did, I was bracing myself all week because I fully understand why he is leaving for Texas. Nobody could have stopped this, and Lord knows Kirby tried. But as some of the rumors about how this went down surfaced, and the program’s future takes hit after hit, and after how obnoxious Texas fans were, I ended up here.

Those rumors are awful, and explain why Mark Adams is not heading to Austin. I won’t repeat the details here because while the manner I heard it is credible, I was personally not there. The gist is Beard basically gave his coaches the chance to commit career suicide or head straight to Austin with him. That by itself made me mad. How Texas fans were so gleefully playing the big brother card and ignored the context behind Beard’s decision made me angrier.

The final straw was watching the team look like it is disintegrating, and the reality that some will head to Austin, something I guarantee Beard is counting on to handle Texas’ severe roster turnover. So while I can’t hate the man for his reasons, if you are like me you can’t wait until he has to come back to Lubbock.

And I truly hope he loses every single game for the rest of his career.

All these feelings are valid. We all know the line not to cross with how we react, but Chris Beard is paid a tremendous amount of money so he can live with hate if you’ve got it. If you can’t get too pissed, or would rather remember the good times fondly more than focus on the bad, no one’s blaming you.

Just remember, Horns Down and Guns UP ‘til the sun explodes.