Land Grant: Texas Tech chooses UNT’s McCasland to lead men’s basketball program
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A new era has begun.
Following the March 8 resignation of Mark Adams, in the midst of a suspension and inquiry related to his interactions with his players and staff, the Texas Tech men’s basketball program has found a new leader looking to mend those relationships.
More: Suspended head coach Mark Adams steps down following Texas Tech's first-round loss to West Virginia
North Texas head coach Grant McCasland, a former director of basketball operations at Tech from 1999-2001, is expected to be named the head coach of the Red Raiders, an official with knowledge of the situation confirmed Thursday with The Avalanche-Journal.
"I want to thank President Lawrence Schovanec and Athletics Director Kirby Hocutt, and the committee for the opportunity to coach at Texas Tech," McCasland said in a Texas Tech release. "The commitment and vision for Texas Tech has no limits and we look forward to loving our team everyday with a greater purpose. We will strive daily for excellence in every aspect of our program, do things the right way, winning championships that values relationships throughout. Our family looks forward to joining the Red Raider nation and can't wait to get started in Lubbock."
His contract is expected to be six years and total $18 million, per CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, who cited sources. Norlander also disclosed Mean Green associate head coach Ross Hodge is expected to replace McCasland in Denton.
Going into the National Invitation Tournament championship game, McCasland was 353-121 in 14 seasons as a head coach at Midland College (2004-09), Midwestern State (2009-11), Arkansas State (2016-17) and North Texas (2017-13). His teams' average season record during that span is 25-9.
McCasland also was a Baylor assistant from 2011-16 on teams that made the NCAA Tournament four times, finishing in the Elite Eight once and in the Sweet 16 once.
One of McCasland's mantras is the "toughest team always wins." That mentality, coupled with a defense-first approach, is what endeared the Red Raiders to West Texas during Chris Beard's and Adams' NCAA Tournament runs from 2018 to 2022.
It worked seven days ago as the Mean Green defeated Oklahoma State 65-59 in overtime in a National Invitation Tournament quarterfinal game in Stillwater. Texas Tech dropped both games to the Cowboys this season and have not won a game inside Gallagher-Iba Arena since 2019.
Late Thursday night, North Texas defeated Alabama-Birmingham 68-61 in the NIT championship game. It marked the first NIT title for the Mean Green, who ended with a program-best 31-8 overall record.
The 46-year-old turned the Mean Green into a force at the mid-major level, amassing 20-win campaigns in five of his first six seasons in Denton. That included a program-defining victory over Purdue in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2021.
After a deep run in the NIT, McCasland inherits a young and talented Texas Tech squad searching for its identity with question marks about which players will return. The only known is Kevin Obanor, a senior who exhausted all of his eligibility.
Utah Valley transfer Fardaws Aimaq announced he would enter his name into the NCAA transfer portal and was followed by Robert Jennings II. Elijah Fisher and KJ Allen also officially entered their names.
McCasland, during his playing days ,was a 5-foot-8 guard from Irving who made the Baylor team as a walk-on.
More: Texas Tech seeks new head coach; candidates include names at UNT, Xavier, more
He won an NJCAA championship at Midland. He coached in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference against Adams, then coaching at Howard College, and Steve Green, then coaching at South Plains College.
While serving as the Tech basketball program's director of operations under then-head coach James Dickey, McCasland earned his master's degree and met his wife, CeCe, a former Texas Tech soccer player.
McCasland or the school hiring him owes North Texas a buyout of $750,000 if he leaves before July 1, 2023. The buyout was $1.5 million, but the contract shows that amount is reduced by 50 percent if Wren Baker is no longer the UNT athletics director or employed by UNT. West Virginia hired Baker in late November to be its athletics director.
The buyout is due in 60 days.
Baker hired McCasland in 2017.
Earlier in March, Texas Tech agreed to pay Adams a settlement of $3.9 million, less taxes and withholdings, plus a $200,000 retention bonus.
More: Texas Tech, Adams agree to $4.1 million settlement
Tech agreed to pay the settlement within 30 days.
Had Tech sought to fire Adams without cause, the buyout amount on his contract would have been about $7.5 million.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Land Grant: Texas Tech chooses UNT’s Grant McCasland to lead men’s basketball program
