Softball
Softball Set to Host Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic. The softball team is set to host the Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic starting Thursday night, starting at 6:00 pm against Georgia Southern, then playing Boise state on Friday and will both teams again in a double-header on Saturday and then finishing with Boise State on Sunday. The site says that McHaney was the driving force behind women’s athletics at Texas Tech and this is something that I did not know:
Jeannine McHaney, long considered the driving force behind women’s athletics at Texas Tech, is the namesake of this weekend’s tournament which has become an annual tradition at Rocky Johnson Field. McHaney joined the Texas Tech faculty in 1966 in a number of roles as she was a professor in the physical education department in addition to serving as the university’s director of women’s intramural sports and the school’s first volleyball coach, a position she held for nine seasons.
Following the establishment of the Women’s Athletic Department in 1975, McHaney was selected as the program’s first athletics director until the men’s and women’s departments eventually combined. She remained a top athletics administrator throughout the next two decades until her passing in 1994. Each year, a student-athlete from each women’s program is selected as a Jeannine McHaney Scholar with one of those eventually being crowned the McHaney Scholar Student-Athlete of the Year. The award winner exemplifies the standards established by McHaney in the areas of academic achievement and athletic excellence as well as service to the community and the university.
Track & Field
Outdoor Season to Start. The Texas Tech track & field teams will start their outdoor season at the TCU Invitational, March 17th through the 18th.
Tennis
Basketball
Official Site Blog. I completely forgot to post this yesterday, but the official site has a blog of sorts for the trip to Raleigh, North Carolina. Lots of great photos there (I’ve noticed that the players have hats that are not flat bill, which may mean I’m not an uncool as the flat bill people). Enjoy the moment.
Rebuilding the Red Raiders. LAJ’s Krista Pirtle writes about how Tubby Smith re-built Texas Tech. It’s worth your time to read the whole thing, but here’s a bit:
Overall, Smith has led five different teams to the NCAA Tournament and is one of only two coaches (Oklahoma’s Lon Kruger) to do so.
“To be able to do that tells me that we have a philosophy, you know, that we’ve done things the right way,” Smith said. “I’m really honored to be able to serve all those great institutions Tulsa, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota and now Texas Tech.”
Butler Can Shoot. LAJ’s Krista Pirtle writes that Butler being able to shoot so well is a problem for Texas Tech:
“I actually played with Kellen Dunham on a mission trip in the Philippines,” senior guard Toddrick Gotcher said. “They can shoot the ball. Roosevelt (Jones) can handle the ball and get to the lane whenever he wants. We know we have a tough game in front of us.”
Jones is a 6-foot-4, 225 pound guard who does just about everything for the Bulldogs. He averages 14.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists per game while shooting 48 percent from the floor.
Between Dunham and Jones with 16.1 points per game is sophomore Kelan Martin. The 6-foot-6 forward has put together eight double-doubles this season alone as he also averages 6.8 rebounds per contest.
“We tried to recruit Kelan Martin out of Louisville, went in his home, when I was in Minnesota,” Texas Tech coach Tubby Smith said. “I knew he’d be the next outstanding player. And certainly he’s shown that.”
Football
Q&A with Hocutt. CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodds did a Q&A with Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt about his new role as the College Football Playoff chair:
CBS Sports: What made you want to take on the responsibility?
Hocutt: “I always loved the game of football and [have] been involved in it. I started playing tackle football in the second grade. I had the fortune of playing five years in college with one of best coaches I think in our history, Bill Snyder. To have a chance to serve on the community was tremendous. To have an opportunity to serve on the chair was a great honor. To me, it’s giving back and contributing to the game that’s a big part of my life.”
CBS Sports: How do you see your new role?
Hocutt: “I believe the changes for me will be handling the media obligations. Obviously, that will be the focal point. It’s leading and setting agenda for our meetings and as the chairperson. I will not have conference assignments. All the committee members are assigned two leagues if we keep it like it was last year.”
The rest of the nation is going to find out that Hocutt does a good job of saying things but not saying much at all in terms of painting himself in a corner.