Chris Beard’s Meltdown

Chris Beard used to work for Bob Knight and as you probably remember, Knight had some periodic issues with referees and some spectacular ejections.

There was the chair toss and the run-in with Ted Valentine among many others. Toss in stuffing a cop in a trash can in Puerto Rico and he’s setting a standard that, thankfully, is had to meet. He never failed to make his point, uh, rigorously and intensely.

By contrast, Beard has, at least publicly, always come across as a pretty relaxed guy who is comfortable in his own skin. We’re sure in practice he’s very intense but part of his charm is that he never seems to go too nuts.

Well forget that theory.

Against West Virginia Tuesday, Beard got his credentials for the Ejection Hall of Fame because the Texas Tech coach just lost it.

He went after the officials in a big way and a couple of staffers, well-trained for the eventuality presumably, gently but firmly intervened to steer him away.

None of them could prevent him from sliding on the floor though and pretending to call a timeout, and that was it.

The coach was ejected from the game and into legend because people will be talking about this for years.

No doubt he’ll hear from the Big 12 shirts tomorrow.