UNLV shouldn't hold a grudge over Chris Beard's abrupt departure
At his introductory news conference at UNLV seven days ago, Chris Beard described coaching the Rebels as "the opportunity of a lifetime."
The 43-year-old coach surely sincerely believed that at the time after working his way from the junior college ranks, to Division II, to a low-major Division I job before finally breaking through.
Everything changed for Beard on Wednesday, however, when Memphis began its whirlwind pursuit of Texas Tech coach Tubby Smith. By Thursday morning, Smith accepted the Memphis job. By Thursday afternoon, Texas Tech officials were en route to Las Vegas to meet with Beard. And by nightfall, Beard had less than 24 hours to decide whether to stay at UNLV or take a job he coveted more than almost any other.
Beard accepted an offer to become Texas Tech's next coach on Friday, a decision that certainly has not endeared him to the school he is jilting. Many UNLV fans are furious that Beard is leaving less than three weeks after he accepted the job, especially since they hold him partially responsible for gutting the roster, running off last year's assistants and leaving the next coach with a total rebuild.
UNLV athletic director Tina Kunzer-Murphy fanned the flames on Friday afternoon with a statement calling Beard's move "unprecedented" and "extremely disappointing." Kunzer-Murphy added that UNLV will look to hire someone "who really wants to be here and who will honor his commitments."
There's no doubt Beard is putting UNLV in a tough spot having to endure a second coaching search with the spring signing period already underway, but is it really fair to blame him for leaving? How many of us would make a similar move if presented with an opportunity to earn more money, to snag a job that's a better fit and most importantly to move closer to our family?
Beard's interest in the Texas Tech job stems from his longstanding ties to the program. He grew up in Texas, spent 10 years as an assistant coach with the Red Raiders from 2001-2011 and has three daughters who all live nearby. If any coach in America could call a largely tradition-bereft basketball program in Lubbock his dream job, it's Beard.
The Texas Tech job is especially appealing right now because of the team Smith is leaving behind. The Red Raiders could return all but two key players from a largely starless team that reached the NCAA tournament last month.
Beard's decision surely couldn't have been easy because while Texas Tech plays in a better conference and has the better team next year, UNLV is the superior job in the long run.
With its rich tradition, sparkling new practice facility and location minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, UNLV has natural advantages Texas Tech can't offer. At worst, it's one of the two best jobs in the Mountain West and perhaps a Top 25 job nationally.
The right coach can annually land top recruits and make frequent NCAA tournament runs at UNLV. That's not as easy at Texas Tech with Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma and a handful of other programs of higher stature in front of you in the Big 12 pecking order.
For a coach to choose Texas Tech over UNLV would typically be a mild surprise. For a coach to choose the Red Raiders over the Rebels even though he knows he'll be damaging his reputation by doing so? That's proof the Texas Tech program means a lot to him.
Although Texas Tech will pay UNLV a $1 million buyout for taking Beard, that will be little consolation to a Rebels program already in turmoil. Transfers and early draft declarations could leave UNLV with as many as 11 vacant scholarships for next season, a daunting prospect that could force the Rebels to move quickly to replace Beard.
One option for UNLV could be to offer the job to New Mexico State coach Marvin Menzies, a finalist for the position who withdrew from consideration just before Beard was hired. Or Kunzer-Murphy could reopen the search entirely.
USA Today is reporting that fired Sacramento Kings coach George Karl has interest in the position. CBS analyst Doug Gottlieb, former UNLV assistants Ryan Miller and Stacey Augmon and Colorado State coach Larry Eustachy were among those believed to be interested during the initial search.
Whoever UNLV hires, it will be the Rebels' fourth coach since January, the culmination of a nightmare stretch in which the program has missed three straight NCAA tournaments, fallen from national relevance and become synonymous with dysfunction and underachievement. Kunzer-Murphy began her coaching search with delusional visions of luring Rick Pitino to Las Vegas and now shes' been jilted by the former Arkansas-Little Rock coach.
Beard makes a convenient scapegoat, but blaming him for leaving isn't entirely fair.
Yes, his timing is horrible. Yes, he's leaving UNLV in an unenviable position. But ultimately he's going to Texas Tech because he believes that's best for him and his family. He's leaving a better job for one that's a better fit.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
