Texas Tech is promoting associate head coach Mark Adams to replace Chris Beard, athletic director Kirby Hocutt confirmed Monday night on social media.
A news conference introducing Adams as the Red Raiders' new head coach is set for Tuesday, according to Hocutt.
Red Raider Nation - your Head Men's Basketball Coach, Mark Adams. Press conference tomorrow. #WreckEm pic.twitter.com/Bk32ArxxQk
— Kirby Hocutt (@kirbyhocutt) April 6, 2021
Beard left Texas Tech for Texas last week after five seasons in Lubbock.
Shortly after Beard's departure was announced, Adams emerged as a prime candidate to replace him as head coach. Considered one of the elite defensive minds in college basketball, Adams had been an assistant under Beard since 2015 while they were at Arkansas-Little Rock. Texas Tech's defense ranked 20th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency this past season after ranking in the top 10 the previous three seasons.
Adams, a Texas Tech alum, has head-coaching experience at five schools: Clarendon College, Wayland Baptist, West Texas A&M, Texas-Pan American and Howard College.
Bucks assistant Darvin Ham also spoke to Texas Tech about the vacancy at his alma mater, but ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday that he decided to stay with Milwaukee and continue to pursue a head-coaching position in the NBA.