LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Grant McCasland said it has a been a remarkable journey to becoming head coach at Texas Tech from his days working as the program's director of basketball operations while getting his master's degree at the school.
McCasland was introduced as the new coach on the Lubbock campus on Monday, three days after being named to the position. He got a six-year contract worth $18.15 million that goes through the 2028-2029 season
It was while working for Texas Tech coach James Dickey from 1999-2001 that he also met his wife, who was a soccer player at the school.
“I think when you look back at the journey, it’s pretty remarkable. A lot of things pointed to Texas Tech that is beautiful that you can’t really explain. I would say unexpected is an understatement, the love that we have for West Texas,” McCasland said. “This is where we want to be with all our hearts."
Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt said the search committee evaluated more than 35 candidates and interacted in some manner with 23 of those after Mark Adams resigned last month.
The introduction of Texas Tech's new coach came on the same day the season's NCAA championship game was played. The Red Raiders, who lost to Virginia in overtime in the title game four years ago, are coming off a 16-16 record this season.
The 46-year-old McCasland wrapped up his six seasons with North Texas on Thursday night, when the Mean Green won the NIT championship. They were 31-7 this season and 135-65 overall during his time that included three Conference USA championships and leading the nation in scoring defense the past two seasons.
“I believe we can win a national championship at Texas Tech University,” McCasland said. “Believing, giving, and competing is what we will do every day here at Texas Tech. This is the toughest environment in all of college basketball. We believe that the toughest team wins."
McCasland earned his undergraduate degree from Baylor, where he was listed as a 5-foot-9 walk-on player who got into 47 games over four seasons, from 1995-99. He later was an assistant coach for the Bears from 2011-16 under coach Scott Drew.
Before North Texas, McCasland was 20-12 in his only season at Arkansas State, which followed his time on Baylor’s staff.
McCasland was 27 when he got his first head coaching job in 2004, at Midland College in Texas, which he led to the 2007 junior college national championship. He went 56-12 at Midwestern State from 2009-11 with back-to-back NCAA Division II tournament regional final appearances.
“I think the biggest thing that I’ve learned is that there’s a competitiveness that’s required first and foremost, to win," he said. “I think when you first step into those locker rooms, every time they better believe that you’re going to win a championship, and that you can say it. It’s another thing to walk in there and have that expectation every day. That’s what we do.”
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