Texas Tech has started its search for a men’s basketball coach.
Former head coach Mark Adams stepped down amid a suspension stemming from alleged “inappropriate, unacceptable, and insensitive” comments he made toward a player.
The university and coach announced the decision shortly after the Red Raiders lost to West Virginia in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament.
“Mark Adams has stepped down as head coach of the Texas Tech men’s basketball program,” the university revealed in an official statement on the team’s website. “This follows the University’s suspension of Adams and its inquiry related to his interactions with his players and staff.”
Adams was suspended on Sunday after trying to motivate a player to be more accepting of the coaching he was receiving when he quoted a Bible verse referencing sensitive subject matter.
That player reported the incident to athletic director Kirby Hocutt, who issued a written reprimand and promptly suspended the coach to open a “more thorough inquiry of Adams’ interactions with his players and staff.”
“My lifelong goal was to help and be a positive influence on my players, and to be a part of the Texas Tech men’s basketball team,” Adams said in the statement. “However, both the University and I believe this incident has become a distraction for the Texas Tech men’s basketball team and the University, which I care about so deeply.”
After the inquiry, Hocutt deemed it an “unintentional” and “isolated incident.”
The school said Adams apologized to the team.
Adams was in his second year as head coach at Texas Tech after replacing Chris Beard, who left for the same position at Texas. The Red Raiders went 43-26 under his watch but only won five Big 12 games this season.
The former head coach was under contract through 2027, and the school is searching for his replacement.
ESPN reports North Texas’ Grant McCasland and Oral Roberts’ Paul Mills as some of the top candidates for his replacement.
Texas Tech has had issues with coaches’ treatment of players before, including an incident from earlier this season when Adams allegedly “spit” on a player and a 2009 incident that cost the late Mike Leach his job in Lubbock.
