Texas Tech University Athletics
McCasland selected for Naismith Coach of the Year Watch List
February 21, 2025 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK – Taking Texas Tech from unranked into the Top 10 of the national polls has propelled Grant McCasland onto the 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Watch List presented by AXIA Time.
McCasland and the Red Raiders enter this weekend with a 20-6 overall record and are tied for third in the Big 12 standings with an 11-4 conference record. In his second season leading the program, McCasland is now 254-106 (70.6%) in his NCAA career, including his Texas Tech records of 43-17 overall (60 games – 71.7%), 22-11 in Big 12 games and 28-4 at home.
The Naismith Coach of the Year Watch List also includes: Greg Gard (Wisconsin), Dennis Gates (Missouri), Todd Golden (Florida), Penny Hardaway (Memphis), Tom Izzo (Michigan State), Pat Kelsey (Louisville), Dusty May (Michigan), Ben McCollum (Drake), Matt Painter (Purdue), Bruce Pearl (Auburn), Rick Pitino (St. John's), Richard Pitino (New Mexico), Kelvin Sampson (Houston) and Jon Scheyer (Duke). The Big 12 is represented by McCasland and Sampson on the 15-coach list.
Texas Tech hosts West Virginia at noon on Saturday and No. 5 Houston at 8 p.m. on Monday at United Supermarkets Arena in its next two games. McCasland has led the Red Raiders to a 13-2 home record coming into the pair of games. Excitement for the program has grown under his leadership with Tech owning the best average attendance in the state of Texas and the games against the Mountaineer and Cougars already having been announced as sell-outs to give the program four sell-outs this season. McCasland joins Bob Knight as the only two coaches in program history with 20-plus wins in their first two seasons after Knight's teams accomplished it in 2001-02 and 2002-03. The Red Raiders went 23-11 last season and made their 20th appearance in the NCAA Tournament with McCasland leading the team.
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