Will Texas Tech Sports Ever Compete in the National Picture?

I'm leaving the answer to you sports fans out there. All I can speak on is the impact that I see Tech sports having on Lubbock and I do believe that's something we should protect and embrace.

Many moons ago Texas Tech captured a national championship in basketball. I think the effort was helped greatly by the fact that a standout star, Sheryl Swoopes grew up forty miles from here in Brownfield. What I'm saying is, I think to at least a small degree, we got lucky. That propelled the next eight or so years of the Marsha Sharp era to continuously compete at a high level. No one seems to mention her final half dozen years when most of that shine had worn off.

So Tech is now in a firing/hiring mode again for Lady Raiders basketball and it cuts to the core of what I've always said, it's hard to recruit people to come to Lubbock. I know you don't want to hear it, but Tech isn't the problem, Lubbock is. It's just too hard to get kids to commit to spending four to five years here. The colleges that perform well that are in smaller towns are few and far between.  That's just the players too. I think after the Mike Leach fiasco that many coaches will be a little gun shy about coming to town.

So we'll have a new Lady Raiders coach soon, and I think it will be the same old thing, a few years where they can use "rebuilding" as an excuse, followed by a few years of middling seasons, followed by a firing and starting all over.

We have got to find a way to make Lubbock itself more attractive for recruits whether it's fan support or available recreation here. Until that happens, the only champions Tech will ever have are the Meat Judging Team (13 National Championships!).

Note: Right after I published this, the #18 Red Raider Basketball team upended the #10 Jayhawks. I certainly hope everyone gets behind Tech roundball and proves me wrong. It would be huge for Tech and Lubbock if we make a serious run at it.