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I want to apologize…

Maybe y’all can just forgive and forget. I know a lot has happened.

We didn’t really mean to force anyone to take the vax. There weren’t really any victims when we let the US burn during the floyd riots. We didn’t really mean to weaponize the DOJ, please don’t do it to us. We didn’t mean to raid the treasury and destroy small business. We didn’t really mean to attempt turning your kids against you and invading female spaces with trans ideology. We’re sorry. We didn’t mean to inflame and inspire a bunch of psychos into attempting to take Trump’s life.

We’re really good people, just like y’all.

Not going to say which Starbucks I work at, but if you recognize me say hi!

Tech head coaching history

Many here have questioned Tech's history of football mediocrity. After some reflection, the reason is simple. We have a history of hiring mediocre to bad coaches, with a couple of exceptions.

I have been a Tech fan since the early 1960s and have witnessed a life-long parade of average to bad coaching hires. Tech presidents, athletic councils, big money donors and athletic directors have all contributed to our lack of making smart hires.

Here is the list and my personal grades:

JT King ... C
Jim Carlen ... B+
Steve Sloan ...C+
Rex Dockery ... C-
Jerry Moore ... D-
Spike Dykes...C+
Mike Leach... B
Tommy Tuberville... C-
Kliff Kingsbury... D+
Matt Wells... F
Joey McGuire... C (Final grade to be decided)

You can argue about my grades but I feel they are reasonably accurate. The point here is that besides Carlen and Leach, Tech has failed to hire anyone who has taken Tech to the next level. Even those two never won a league championship.

It remains to be seen how McGuire turns out. His current Tech record is 20-14, but between the narrow wins and results from the last two games, it's really difficult to say we are trending upward. The prospects of winning at least eight games this year seems completely out of reach. Nobody can blame the lack of support or the facilities, and we don't have to play Texas and Oklahoma anymore.

If Joey can't win big with the current scenario, then his C grade will be his ceiling. The final grade could be worse.

Choosing a new head coach can be an inexact science, but we have a history of hiring coaches without much if any (college) head coaching experience, and McGuire falls into this same category. Perhaps this is the reason for our lack of success over the last 63 years.

I'm 74 and frankly, I'm tired of waiting for the cavalry to come to the rescue.

We will be fueled by CHOCOLATE MILK

We will be even more physically imposing moving forward as Texas Tech is now the only program in the country with the state of the art Udderly Cold milk dispensing system. Think of it like beer on tap but instead it'll be providing our athletes white, chocolate and strawberry milk. This thing is what the Jetsons would use to get their milk with lines running through the ceiling, the walls and keeping the milk a perfect 35 degrees.

I work for an organization that works on behalf of over 900 dairy farm families, and those dairy farmers are the ones who provided the opportunity (funding) to donate this $20k machine to help further elevate our program in unique ways. I was able to meet Coach McGuire in Austin a couple of months ago and started the process of getting this thing into the Sports Performance Center. His entire staff is literally the best in the country, but a special shoutout to Antonio Huffman for his help bringing this together, and then providing an incredible day getting a "VIP" experience at the facilities and then at this Wednesday's practice (we look GOOD)!

For this obsessive Red Raider alum, it was beyond amazing to be able to help bring this to the program and get the opportunity to look inside of what coach is building. It was also incredible to see every single person in every part of every facility be "recruit ready" to talk about their roles/facilities. If they were like that with someone like me, I 100% understand yet another reason we are recruiting in a way we never have before.

WRECK 'EM and have a nice cold glass of chocolate milk today fellas!

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I want to say a word for a victim of this bloody election year…

A casualty of the Left’s oppressive, overreaching and tyrannical regime in New York State, our bushy little buddy, yes…. Peanuts the Squirrel.

A friend to all, Peanuts was known for his perky personality, creative tail waving and lively chatter. He’d share his last pecan with those in need. He did no harm to others, aside from barking at and tormenting a dog from a just out-of-reach tree branch. He fell victim to the tyranny of leftist control freaks. Let us never forget our little arboreal rodent amigo!


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JUSTICE FOR PEANUTS!!!!!

  • Poll
Would you meet the President if they are not your party?


Last night some friends and I were watching Tuesday night football and a conversation came up would you meet the President if they were not your political party. I said yes since having the chance to talk to the most powerful man in the world is something that would be extremely cool. I remember seeing Obama when I toured the White House and meeting W in 1999 at a friend's house in Austin. But a majority of people said no they would only see the person they voted for/would vote for. So curious what RRS thinks

HOOPS: Last night was very promising, here are my thoughts on Texas Tech's season opener win over B-CU...

Very, very nice. Let me start by saying, or really it might even go without saying, but there is not much to legitimately take away from this game without Elijah Hawkins and Christian Anderson present.

Let’s start with what I really liked from last night.

Coming into the year, I asked the question of whether or not Darrion Williams would be able to elevate himself into a different kind of scorer. A lot of times last season, I thought he let the game come to him, which is fine, but I always wanted to see more. Considering the talent he has, I always felt he had that extra little gear in him. Case in point, he was much more aggressive last night and was taking it to the defense, rather than purely letting them dictate what his next move was.

I thought his willingness to shoot the ball off the dribble is something that will bode well for him moving forward. This team is full of weapons but it is also going to need that player who is going to step up in the big moments like we have seen around here in the past few seasons. Darrion Williams can be that player if he stays in that attack mentality.

I was fairly satisfied with the offense overall, more so that guys were able to create looks for themselves on a regular basis. I wouldn’t say it was a phenomenal night as far as sharing the basketball went, 15 assists and 12 turnovers, but considering the absences, it was a solid night. Relying on Chance McMillian to be a primary ball handler is not something that I think can win you many games in the Big 12, but that will hopefully not be the predicament you're in by that time.

Obviously, this team can shoot the crap out of the ball and that was evident. Kerwin Walton might be the most revolutionary thing to come out of the McCasland era. When you think about what he was in his first season to what he is now, it is wild.

Rebounding was a strong point of this team last night, not something I expected but definitely a welcomed sight. I thought with this Bethune-Cookman team that they were going to be very active on the glass like they were active early on defensively, but Tech did a great job of fighting on the glass.

A stat that might go overlooked? The rebound differential was 22-7 at halftime in favor of the Red Raiders, and BCU had ZERO offensive rebounds to that point. The second half was really on cruise control and the rebound numbers might not look as dominant in the final box score, but man Tech got after it in the first half.

JT Toppin was as advertised. Soft touch around the rim and he was much like Darrion, aggressive around the basket and showed that effort to make something for himself.

Overall, there’s not really anything to nitpick on on the offensive side of the court because everybody played pretty well and the game blew wide open down the stretch of the first half. There’s not much else to say in this regard, I thought everybody played to their strengths on that side.

Defensively, as several of us pointed out in the game thread, was clearly where this team has a long way to go. What’s comforting, at least, is Grant McCasland is not afraid to admit that. He said it before the season and last night after the game, defense is just not this team’s strength.

Really my biggest issue with the team defensively last night was how they handled ball screens. What I remember from last season was an intentionality behind defending ball screens, not very much switching action going on because that team was not capable of doing so.

With actions where the player guarding the screener was a guard like Kerwin Walton or Kevin Overton, you could notice some switching going on. Whenever it came to JT Toppin or Fede Federiko guarding the screens, this was an entirely different case.

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So in this case, 1 would be a guard and 2 was Toppin or Federiko. One of two things was happening here.

A) the person guarding the screener would hedge the screen and then be forced into trying to recover on the screener/roller, which didn’t bite Tech as much as I think it would’ve against a better team.
OR B) the guard in the PNR was quick enough to split the hedge with the roller already going to the basket, forcing the help side defender to step up and make a decision. This happened on a couple different occasions that I noticed. One in particular was where Kerwin Walton was the help defender and he stood no chance down low with the guard driving and Jesus Carralero Martin got a layup.

This was really the thing that stood out to me the most on the defensive end of the floor and I am curious to see if this is still how Grant and staff opts to play ball screens like this from here on out.

He seemed fairly confident in Elijah Hawkins and Christian Anderson’s capabilities on the defensive end of the floor, but I really wonder how much of a difference that makes when it’s really the screener’s defender that is getting the short end of the stick when it comes to defending ball screens.

Just my two cents here with all of this, we go again Friday and it is TBD what the status of the absentees looks like. Until then, building the continuity with these guys is still something that will pay dividends down the line.

OT: Real Estate Tax Question

I bought house with land about 5 years ago for a little north of $700k in rural Collin County. I have a company offering to buy 1.5 acres of the land for almost $200k.

I’d rather not sell; however, that may be too much to pass up.

If I were to pull the trigger would I be responsible for the 15% capital gains tax, or would it be a non taxable event since the sale does not exceed what we paid for the home? I figure we’ll have to pay now, but curious if any experts had any insight.

HOOPS: McCasland pleased with early results from Red Raiders after strong showing against Bethune-Cookman

Here's the highlights from our convo with Grant post-game.

Opening Statement (i had technical difficulties so i missed the first sentence or two):
"So cool, I don't think going into the season, anybody had any doubts on our ability to shoot the ball, just whether you can share it and make the right play and get the right actions. I love our team. You know, being short handed at the point guard spot. I thought Chance and Darrion were unbelievable just at handling pressure and making the right play. Six assists, one turnover, five assists, one turnover. We were a little lackadaisical in transition on a few possessions, but for the most part, took care of the basketball. You know, the biggest question for us is just depth, when we get those guys back, in our ability to guard the ball and play more physical, and obviously finish the game the right way. But we've got a lot of things to improve on, but a great start to the season and a great crowd."

How much has Chance operated as a PG and how did that change the flow of the offense?
"I mean, you can see, he can really shoot. People go under ball screens, and he's made the game really simple. He's been a great starter for the offense. We played our last scrimmage against St Mary's, and he played the entire time, he and Darrion. So we did get an opportunity to see it, because with those guys out, kind of day to day, and us taking it with a cautious approach, they did get the opportunity to play the last week that way. Man, he's just such a willing teammate to do whatever it takes. I mean, anybody that knows Chance knows his heart is just like 'coach, tell me what you want me to do, and I'll do it.' He's just a tremendous leader for us. He's a guy that every day, shows up, is super competitive and cares a lot about what we're doing."

What was it like having Devan (Cambridge) back?
"It's awesome. I love seeing Devan play. You can tell he's got some flow and feel, it's like the ball handling that goes with the pace, you know? I mean, once he gets that synced back up, it's hard to replicate what games are like. I mean, you try to in practices, and I think we've done that with Devan. Different teams do different things, and you saw him get a little more sped up when he got in there offensively. But I think when he gets his legs under him, and he gets more flow and feel, I mean, he'll just keep making strides to keep getting better, but his athleticism really makes a difference on the defensive end."

The defense struggled to start but when Devan & JT were on the floor, things kind of got a little bit more active...
"Give Federiko credit, because I thought Fede's physicality, his anticipation, his experience in knowing what teams are trying to do. I thought he was in the right place at the right time when we made that run in the middle of the first half to stretch the lead. Fede was out there. We've got some size and athleticism there that we can work with. Just got to continue to make some significant improvements in our ability to play hard and scheme and understand what teams are trying to do while being physical at the same time."

Could you explain a bit more about the ball screen coverages defensively?
"I think the real advantage of this group, as we get depth back, is putting people on their heels. And I think we've got smaller guards at different lineups, and the more we can keep them out of the paint and get them on their heels, is really the advantage. It's not necessarily completely an advantage with this group, the way we're playing right now, but I think in the long run, it's going to prove beneficial for us."

Was the defensive presence in the second half just about Fede?

" think you got to understand that Federiko as got such great experience of playing in games, and he's got a real rim presence at the same time and and I think everybody else is still growing in this. There's also a mindset that this group has to have. And if you said, what are these guys strengths? I wouldn't say any of their strengths are as defenders. Chance and Kerwin are some of the best shooters in the world, Darrion Williams is as versatile as it is in the world, but we don't have guys that are really putting pressure on the ball. I mean, you saw JT around the basket. I mean, he's hard to guard. I mean he can score. I mean, I think we've just got a team full of guys that their strengths are scoring and then like, what's going to be our anchor? That's where I can see, and he didn't play great tonight, but he's a great player. Kevin Overton has really been good in the other scrimmages. He struggled a little bit offensively. I think you could feel this first game in the USA. He wanted to play well. But I just think we've got to have more grit to us defensively as a group. And honestly, it's not our strength, and that's what I'm challenging our team with every day. How can we believe that this is the way? Like, there is no other way, like, this is the way that we win championships, is to compete and scrap defensively, and we'll get there, for sure, but adding Christian and Elijah back really gives us a lift, because those guys have guarded the ball all their life, and it's where they're most naturally comfortable, is getting after it up there, and they've got a nuance and a savvy to them. Having them will really benefit us, and we struggled in the middle of the floor with those ball screens. That's where kind of the point of attack got us initially, and those guys are improving, but I think we've got some reinforcements that I think will prove to help us in long run."

How proud of the rebounding effort we're you tonight?
"Yeah, I think they had seven rebounds at the half into offensive rebounds, and that's been a point of emphasis. You could tell our guys believe in it. It got a little sloppy at the end of the game and gave up some extra opportunities, but there's been a point of emphasis, and you can tell our guys believe in it."

Did you expect a three-point performance like that?

"I think there's an expectation that if we continue to share the ball, and we can loosen the game up in transition, but it'll always be inside out. That's the way you win championships. And I thought JT's ability to pass and D5 was really doing a great job moving it to the next action and scoring in the paint. I think the key to it is, can you play inside out, and then that opens up. I mean, JT was attracting a lot of attention, and when that happens, it opens up transition. And I thought our ability is to share the ball really proved to get the right shots, and when we got the right ones, we're gonna make them."

Paid Basketball Parking - Bus lot

So got an email today that after tonight’s game all parking in the S-1 (Bus Lot) lot will have to be paid to park and ride the bus. This is ridiculous that we get an email week of the games starting should have been part of the ticket process this will be a major cluster F#&$. So single game parking is $12.00 and season pass is $153.00 . I asked if there is any free parking this year now and was told no I think tech S%$# the bed . That parking lot was a huge benefit and believe this will cause a lot of no shows for non conference matchups like Bethune Cookman…
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