Former UNT players happy for Grant McCasland, coaches for move to Texas Tech
Soon after changing out of his Bleed Green uniform, Kai Huntsberry took to the United Supermarkets Arena stands to chat with his former North Texas coaches.
Huntsberry spent one year playing under Grant McCasland, Matt Braeuer and Achoki Moikobu, but the trio made quite an impression. When McCasland left UNT for Texas Tech and brought Braeuer and Moikobu, there were no hard feelings.
"They're great people," Huntsberry said Wednesday after a 94-78 win over Rise & Grind to open the Lubbock Region of The Basketball Tournament. "I loved playing for them."
It helps how McCasland handled the situation.
Speculation about McCasland's departure to Tech came during the Mean Green's run to the National Invitation Tournament championship. As most coaches do, McCasland told his players to ignore the outside chatter and focus on the task at hand.
"We were just worried about winning," said Huntsberry, the 2022-23 Conference USA Newcomer of the Year. "That was our main thing was just our goal is to win. All that other extra stuff, he just told us to block out the noise, which we did.
"We just wanted to win, and we ended up winning and we're grateful. But Coach ended up having to leave and we all were happy for him. We're all really happy for everybody to leave and do their thing. We just had to focus on what we had to do."
Huntsberry said even if UNT players knew of McCasland's plans, there was zero indication their coach had one foot out the door.
"Just locked in," Huntsberry said. "Not worried about nothing else besides us. That's the type of guy he is. When he sees something, and the whole coaching staff, when they're doing something, they're all in and that's something that any player would ask for."
Bleed Green features five of McCasland's former UNT players, Huntsberry the most recent. Other former standouts include James Reese, who played for the Mean Green from 2019-21.
"Coach Mac is a guy who's all about the small details," Reese said. "Great mind. He's gonna put you in some great positions to win. As a player, that's all you can ask for is to be put in position to win, coached hard, shown love, and that's what he do."
Reese said McCasland likes things done a certain way, with an emphasis on staying locked in, just as he did during the NIT.
"His ways work," Reese said. "He's proven that they work. If you just lock in, dial in, try to do it as best as you can, it'll work out."
Huntsberry said several players McCasland was recruiting to Tech reached out trying to get a sense of the Red Raiders coach. That included Chance McMillian and Darrion Williams, whom Huntsberry has known since Williams was a high school sophomore.
The reviews seem to have been good. Both players transferred to Tech.
"It was cool to have those guys come out and commit to a lot of coaches that I trust and believe in," Huntsberry said. "And I trust and believe in those guys too. I can't wait to see what they do."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Former UNT players happy for Grant McCasland, coaches for move to Texas Tech
