Grant McCasland taps Wyoming coach Jeff Linder to Texas Tech basketball staff
The Texas Tech basketball team has a new lead assistant coach, someone Grant McCasland is very familiar with.
McCasland and Tech announced the hiring of Jeff Linder on Tuesday. Linder spent the last four years as the head coach at Wyoming, leading the Cowboys to the NCAA Tournament's First Four in 2022.
Wyoming's NCAA Tournament bid came in Linder's second year at the helm and was the program's first tournament appearance since 2015. It was also the first time Wyoming earned an at-large bid into March Madness since 2002. The team's 24 regular-season wins during the 2021-22 campaign were the most for Wyoming in 70 years.
Linder was announced as Wyoming's head coach on March 17, 2020 after spending the previous four years at Northern Colorado, where he posted a record of 80-50. He also spent time at Boise State, San Francisco and Weber State, where he recruited Damian Lillard, and Colorado.
Prior to his Division I coaching career, Linder spent two years serving under McCasland at Midland Junior College, which included the program's appearance in the JUCO Elite Eight during the 2005-06 campaign.
Linder is expected to take over the role left by Dave Smart, who left to become the head coach at Pacific after one year on McCasland's staff at Texas Tech. Clay Wilson, another assistant during the Red Raiders' 2023-24 campaign, joined Smart out West.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Wyoming coach Jeff Linder joins Texas Tech basketball staff
