Red Raider Sports Magazine - October/November 2020 by Red Raider Club

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RedRaiderSports.com is a publication of TRI Productions Volume 26 Issue 2 Managing Editor Aaron Dickens

Cover Photo Artie Limmer

Photographers Elise Bressler

Elizabeth Hertel

Norvelle Kennedy Artie Limmer

Michaela Schumacher Michael Strong

Writers Matt Dowdy

Terry Greenberg Brandon Soliz

Ben Golan

Randy Rosetta

Red Raider Sports (USPS 0013-768) is published bimonthly in February, April, June, August, October and December. Annual Red Raider Club membership dues of $500 or higher include a one-year subscription to Red Raider Sports Magazine. Red Raider Sports is a publication of TRI Productions, P.O. Box 53604, Lubbock, TX 79453. Periodicals postage is paid in Lubbock, Texas. Address all editorial-related correspondence to Red Raider Sports, P.O. Box 53604, Lubbock, TX 79453. Red Raider Sports is not an official publication of Texas Tech University. Postmaster: Send address changes to Red Raider Sports, P.O. Box 53604, Lubbock, TX 79453. For subscription inquiries contact the Red Raider Club at 806.742.1196. Give old and new addresses and enclose latest mailing address label when writing about your subscription. ÂŠ2020 TRI Productions. All Rights Reserved.

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Red Raider Club

update

It doesn’t seem that long ago we were discussing the upcoming football season, and how

excited we were to gather again (socially-distanced style, of course) to cheer on our Red Raiders. We’re now midway through the football season and quickly approaching the start of both our men’s and women’s basketball seasons.

We are grateful to every one of you who has stepped up and continued to support our

athletes during these uncertain times. Because of you, our student-athletes will receive every resource they need to be successful both on and off the field.

We were blown away when, during the football re-seating process, we received more than

$1.2 million in donations from more than 870 Red Raider Club members.

Your continued gifts support the daily needs of our student-athletes, funding critical re-

sources like nutrition, leadership development and academic support. Our student-athletes value and need these resources to succeed, and it’s imperative to us, as a department, to provide every advantage possible to further their success. Our leader and Athletic Director, Kirby Hocutt, is committed to continuing to provide the best for our student athletes, even in these uncertain times, and you help make this possible.

I hope you will join us November 18th when we host our virtual Red Raider Club Bas-

ketball Tip-Off Event. You’ll hear from Coach Beard and Coach Gerlich and several studentathletes about the upcoming basketball season.

On October 30th we announced details regarding the 2020-2021 basketball season. In

an effort to ensure adequate levels of safety, Texas Tech is implementing a reduced capacity to approximately 25% at The United Supermarkets Arena. If you have any questions about the season or your individual tickets please do not hesitate to reach out to the Athletic Ticket Office or the Red Raider Club.

Andrea Tirey

Thank you, again, for your continued support of Texas Tech Athletics and the Red Raider

Club. We will see you soon!. Guns up!

Senior Associate Athletic Director — Development — 806.834.3270

Andrea

andrea.tirey@ttu.edu

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obert Taylor, CEO of The United Family, knew

the grocery company wanted to extend its naming rights for Texas Tech’s United Supermarkets Arena.

United’s existing deal still had more than a few

years left and the bulk of the money had been paid in the first few years.

Taylor also knew the university’s Athletic Depart-

ment had been hit hard financially by the coronavirus impact on college sports revenues.

So the company extended naming rights until 2035

and spread the payments to help Athletics get money when it’s vitally needed.

Texas Tech will receive $16 million over the course

of the extended agreement. United has now committed more than $30 million to Texas Tech Athletics since securing the original naming rights to the 15,000-seat arena in 1996.

And – including Athletics – United has now given or

committed more than $40 million to Texas Tech over the years.

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United We

Stand

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“Some people may ask ‘why didn’t you just wait until the end? Well, this allowed us to spread out our payments a little bit further – but we also got Tech more money now, when they really need it. We were earnest in talking about how we could make it work for both of us,” said Taylor. Kirby Hocutt, Director of Athletics, said: “Texas Tech and United Supermarkets go handin-hand, so we couldn’t be more excited to announce this naming rights extension. United Supermarkets Arena remains one of the premier basketball facilities in the country and that’s thanks in part to such a loyal and trusted partner in United. We can’t thank United enough for its continued support of this athletics program and our more than 400 student-athletes.” It’s the latest example of a successful and decades-long relationship touching almost every area whether it’s Texas Tech University, Health Sciences Center or its System. “I think everybody who lives in Lubbock and West Texas has a kinship to Texas Tech. It’s a good place to invest in,” said Taylor, adding the thanks goes to United’s “guests.” “They’re the ones who keep us in business and make it possible for us to do this.” Other Texas Tech voices echo Hocutt: •

“When some people have had to take a step back because of the pandemic’s economic impact, United stepped up like they always have to help us carry out our mission to support our student athletes,” said Andrea Tirey, Senior Associate Athletic Director/Development.

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•

Chris Beard, whose men’s basketball program has packed and rocked the arena with his nationally ranked program the past few seasons, said the facility “was a game changer years ago.” “In my opinion, Texas Tech wouldn’t be in the Big 12 today if it wasn’t for United stepping up and helping with this arena. What’s equally impressive is their continued support each time the naming rights come up to stay involved. We’re obviously blessed – not just Texas Tech basketball – but all of Texas Tech Athletics and Lubbock at United’s support. I know we’re so thankful with the relationship we have with United,” said Beard.

•

“What an incredible statement of generosity it is and support. It just tells you United loves Texas Tech and Texas Tech Athletics. It shouts that they believe in what we’re doing and want to be a part of it,” said Krista Gerlich, the new Lady Raider head coach and a member of the 1993 national title team.

A Successful Relationship When a bond election to build a replacement for Lubbock’s Municipal Coliseum failed in 1995, United – then owned by the Snell family – donated $10 million to kick off the campaign to build what was first called the United Spirit Arena. The company extended naming rights a few times since and the name eventually changed

to United Supermarkets Arena – although many people refer to it as the “USA.” United’s relationship with Texas Tech goes back to 1956, when it opened its first Lubbock store. “It’s hard to describe the level of commitment United has made to us,” said Jonathan Botros, Senior Associate Athletics Director/Finance & Administration. “They just continue to increase their commitment to us not just financially, but every time we need them.” As Botros talked in his South End Zone office at Jones AT&T Stadium – a United sign on the huge video board across the football field was visible above his shoulder. “There are very few revenue line items in our budget right now we can count on. Every week there is some risk football could be delayed, postponed or canceled. And that would have a trickle-down effect of millions of dollars from our TV revenue, from our conference ticket revenue. For us to be able to count on United’s support through 2035 is crucial,” he said. Shared values are another reason the relationship works well, he said. “United is a loved brand in West Texas and their values align closely with the values of Texas Tech Athletics. The service component of what they do aligns very closely with the service component we feel toward our student athletes,” said Botros. United is also fun and easy to work with, he added. Taylor and Beard came up with the idea for the Free Throw Frenzy for men’s basketball home games, said Botros. “That was just Robert and Coach Beard sitting around and talking about what would be fun,” he said. When the arena’s court was recently repainted, Athletics wanted to go from one large United logo to two smaller ones and have them match the red and black color theme – not United’s blue and red colors. “United trusts us and was willing to work with us on it. It’s fun to have a partner who’s willing to listen to us and we’re certainly willing to listen to them, see what’s important to them and make sure we align,” said Botros. For Lubbock-raised Botros and his mom, the relationship is also personal. “My mom’s from Sweden. And the way she cooks and her recipes are unique. She went to United one day to get a bottle of Spice Islands Old Hickory Smoked Salt she used regularly and it wasn’t on the shelf,” he said. His mom told someone she’d been buying it for years and wanted to know why they didn’t have it. “They told my mom they didn’t carry it anymore and she may have been the only person buying it. She was disappointed, but kind of moved on,” said Botros.

“A week or two later, someone knocks on her door and it’s a manager from United with a sixpack of the seasoning. He told her ‘sorry mam that we didn’t have this in stock for you, here you go and we’ll make sure we have it at this location for you,’” said Botros. “We don’t know how he knew where she lived, but that is cool ... talk about a customer for life,” he said. Whether it’s that story, philanthropy or Beard mentioning how he likes United breakfast burritos or Gerlich raving about Market Street’s chicken salad – “it’s the best” – everyone at Texas Tech has some connection with United. A History of Philanthropy Texas Tech fits with one of United’s two main goals for supporting its communities – education and fighting hunger, said Taylor. In addition to supporting Athletics, United has provided more than $5 million in scholarship endowments to Texas Tech University and the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, generating about 250 scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students over the past ten years. “The school really needs those scholarships ... it’s what enables so many people who wouldn’t get to go to school,” said Taylor. A lot of them are for graduate students, he said. “Most graduate students have so many other responsibilities and need some type of financial support,” he said. Part of that support was $2 million for endowed scholarships for graduate students because the Texas Legislature matched it. “We really got the benefit of $4 million. That was quite a few scholarships right there,” said Taylor. A few more examples of how United helps Texas Tech and not close to a complete list: •

•

Texas Tech flags fly in front of United stories on game days, play-by-play broadcasts are pumped into stores and many staff wear Texas Tech gear.

“And if Kirby calls or someone calls and says ‘we need a little support’ – doing remote ticket sales for instance – we’ll work with them,” said Taylor. “We can’t do it 100 percent of the time, but we’ll probably accommodate them 85 percent of the time.” A Red Raider for Life Taylor was born in Childress, 140 miles northeast of Lubbock, close to the Oklahoma border. Taylor jokes he wanted to move to Lubbock when he was two and brought his parents with him. While his dad got a distribution business started, with his mom doing the bookkeeping, the Taylors became Texas Tech fans and began a lifetime of favorite sports memories for the young man. When it was time for college after Monterey High School, Taylor’s choice was right in front of him. “My dad was determined I would go to college because he didn’t have that chance. Back then, not everybody would travel distances to go to college,” he said. The Taylors lived at 41st Street and Hartford Avenue and Taylor joked he “stepped across the street” to become a Red Raider. He learned much more than expected. “I thought I would just add four years to my education. But it changed my life. I’ve always

been a people person, but it taught me how important relationships are,” said Taylor. To this day, Taylor will turn to former mentors or classmates for advice, he said. Taylor joined his father in the family business, R.C. Taylor Wholesale. He took over the business and kept it growing. The name changed to R.C. Taylor Distributing and in 2007, he sold it to United – one of his largest customers – joining United’s leadership team as vice president of logistics. In 2010, he became CEO. At that time, United had about 50 stores. United just opened store number 95 in Pecos and has begun construction on a new Lubbock store at 114th and Slide Road. “We experienced some phenomenal growth,” he said. During all that time, Taylor felt compelled to give back to his alma mater so others could have his experience. “You don’t want the generations behind you to lose that opportunity,” he said, adding there are many barriers for some people to get higher education. “If we don’t support institutes of higher learning, then it’s going to be out of reach for some folks,” Taylor said. Besides United’s support, Taylor and his family are scholarship donors in Athletics, the graduate school and the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center School of Medicine. “I am the second biggest Tech fan in my house,” Taylor added, “Jan is the biggest fan,” speaking of his wife Jan Smith Taylor. “Jan and her parents, Ima and Preston Smith, were all Tech graduates and proud of it.”

Supporting Tech’s Institute for the Study of Addiction, Recovery, & Families, the Burkhart Center for Autism Education and Research and the Health Sciences Center School of Nursing.

• A $1 million gift to the School of Veterinary Medicine. • United is the “Official Supermarket” of Texas Tech Athletics in an agree ment through 2027. •

Brenda Garcia, United’s health and wellness manager, gives student athletes tours of a grocery store, shows them how to read labels when shopping to support their nutritional needs.

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Preston Smith, one of 13 children, worked his way through Tech during the height of the Depression. He went on to be Governor of Texas from 1969-1973 and knew the value of a college education. Gov. Smith is credited with making the Texas Tech Medical School a reality, in addition to several other university systems. Taylor shares the family commitment to Tech and he’s:

• Director of the Texas Tech Foundation.

• Member, Chancellor’s Council and serves on the Chancellor’s Advisory Board. •

Active with the Rawls College of Business where he’s a guest lecturer on entrepreneurship and a member of its Chief Executives’ Round Table and Advisory Council.

• Member, Texas Tech Alumni Association.

• Active with Delta Tau Delta Alumni Association and serves on the house corporation board. When asked to pick a favorite Texas Tech sports moment, Taylor offers his moments. “I could probably answer that a hundred different ways, but it’s hard to top going to California and Minnesota to watch the (men’s basketball team) run to the national championship game where we got so close,” he said of the historic 2019 season. “There was red and black everywhere. You would have thought we were the home team from somewhere right around Minnesota – but we were the furthest school from it,” he said. “Then there was the Crabtree catch (to beat then-No. 1 Texas in 2008), Zach Thomas intercepting the pass and scoring a touchdown (to beat then-No. 8 Texas A&M in 1995),” he said. But other football games also stand out. “We went to Arizona for the 2006 Insight Bowl game against Minnesota and were trailing 35-7 at halftime,” said Taylor. They were with friends and were getting hungry. The friends suggested leaving and going to dinner. “I said no – I’ll tell you what – we’ll leave whenever we get the ball and don’t score,” Taylor said he told them. Graham Harrell led what tied for the greatest comeback in bowl history to force overtime, where the Red Raiders won 44-41. He was in Austin with friends and Tech had not beaten Texas in the state capitol in awhile. The Red Raiders pulled off the win and famed Lubbock surgeon Robert Salem started yelling “I did it! I did it!” said Taylor. Taylor asked what he was talking about. “I lived long enough to see it!” he said Salem said.

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A Family Event “Jan and I haven’t missed many games in 45 years, and I can only think of one I attended without her. We were playing Houston and we had to shovel through about 18 inches of snow to get to our seats,” he said. When Taylor was in middle school, he was in the Cotton Bowl for a 1958 neutral site game against Texas A&M with his grandmother and sister while his parents were at a distributors convention in Dallas. The Red Raiders were still in the Border Conference, but on their way to joining the Southwest Conference. A&M was favored but Tech held a 15-14 lead when the Aggies lined up for a field goal with two minutes left. “E.J. Holub just went through the middle of their line. He wiped out everybody and blocked the kick. I mean, they didn’t have a chance,” he said about the Red Raider legend who died in 2019. “There were no cell phones or I would have called my dad, but he found out and announced it at the convention,” he said. Key Texas Tech Facility Even though the arena is best known nationally as the home of Texas Tech basketball, locally, it’s the site of college and high school graduations, concerts and other events. “It gives us a lot of advantages a lot of communities and schools don’t have,” said Taylor. It’s also the site of the best concert he’s ever seen – Paul McCartney playing Buddy Holly’s hometown in 2014.

But Taylor’s been attending concerts in Lubbock back when they were at the Municipal Coliseum. He bought a lime green sport coat at a used clothing store and put lime green shoelaces in his shoes to see Paul Revere and the Raiders and James Brown. “I had more fun at Tech,” he said. “I just didn’t realize how much I was also learning, too.” He’s also pleased how the university has taken care of the facility. “I think you go in there and somebody could probably convince you it was built the last year or two years ago because they’ve kept it up so well,” he said. Responsibility for that falls on Noel Sloan, the university’s Vice President for Administration and Finance and Chief Financial Officer. “United’s continued support and support at this level – especially in these challenging times – is so appreciated,” she said. “United Supermarkets Arena is a key venue for all our students from their first day on campus, to athletic and entertainment events and graduation,” she said. The spacious arena was used August 7-September 2 as a one-stop shop to process students and parents before this school year – allowing them to socially distance while learning about financial aid, student affairs – “all the student welcome things,” said Sloan. Students who started their Texas Tech career in the arena this fall in abnormal times, said Sloan, will hopefully end them in four years with a graduation where people can once again gather and feel safe.

ROAD-TRIPPING? South Plains Electric Cooperative believes the best way to learn about electric vehicles is to drive one. We’ll be able to share our knowledge and experience with our members as they look at driving electric. We also installed three public charging stations (Lubbock, Spur, Childress) to help build the network. We’re your source for power and information!

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Donor Spotlight

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Linda & Terry Fuller Derek and Sandra Zubeldia had an idea for a company. She’d been a pharmacy representative and was laid off. He had a lot of student loan debt. “So I cleared out my savings and Sandra cleared out her savings, we maxed out our credit cards and we started DTC Media Group in 2010 with about $4,000,” said Derek. The idea – take the concept of outdoor digital billboards and put them inside places where there was a captive audience, like doctor waiting rooms or restaurants. “Places where people were going to be spending an hour or two hours,” he said. They used capital from that company to start Zubeldia Energy Services two years later in their hometown of Pecos. “At the time, there was a big oil boom and we experienced a lot of success with that as well,” he said. They sold the first company in 2014 and have since focused on their energy company. Their successes have allowed them give back to Texas Tech, where Derek got an undergraduate degree in finance and a master’s in public administration and where Sandra got her MBA with an emphasis on entrepreneurship. They’ve also been generous with their hometown and many Christian organizations. They clearly credit God for their blessings. “We would not be here without God – without Christ being the center of our life,” said Sandra. “He opened doors we could never have opened, taken us places we never thought we’d be. I would lie if I told you I’m just that smart or Derek is just that great. We’ve relied on Him for everything since we started our companies.” Her husband added: “Some of the biggest contracts we’ve been fortunate to be part of are things we prayed about and feel God has just really, really helped put those deals together.” They also credit Texas Tech. “A lot of our success is from our education at Texas Tech,” said Derek. The couple has homes in Pecos and Lubbock and enjoy spending their fall weekends

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in Lubbock at Tech football games, where they have a suite at Jones AT&T Stadium. “Texas Tech is somewhere where we have a lot of great memories for us with friends and family going to football, basketball and baseball games,” said Derek. They love being on campus even if it’s just running with their dogs or driving through. “It’s a place where we really enjoying spending time – there’s something special about Texas Tech,” he said. Sandra added: “Texas Tech produces some really good people. I can’t say that about any of the other Big 12 school in Texas. I’ve seen some of the graduates that have come out of UT, A&M and Baylor. Texas Tech grads are risk takers, they go and dream and make things happen.” Derek told the story of being in a recent Permian Basin meeting with President Trump. “It was full of Texas Tech alumni ... representing the area and oil and gas industry and I was really proud of that,” he said. Humble Beginnings “I came from a lower-to-middle income family,” said Derek. “The neighborhood I grew up in was pretty rough. A lot of great people, but pretty rough.” Sandra’s mom was literally raised in a cave in Juarez, Mexico. “My grandmother, a single mom, didn’t have a place for them to stay so she dusted out a cave. They would eat and sleep in a cave,” said Sandra. Her mother – who got a GED and later went back to school to become a teacher – ended up in Pecos because that was where her father lived. They both grew up in Pecos before the oil boom. “There were some hard times – jobs were scarce,” said Derek. The couple didn’t meet until after high school, but he knew who she was. “Sandra was very popular. She was the homecoming queen, in student council, athletics,

voted most beautiful. Everybody knew who she was. She was Miss PHS,” he said. Sandra said, “Everybody knew you too, you were pretty popular,” Derek played football, baseball and did track at Pecos High. “But you were the star,” said her husband. Sandra’s mom taught Derek. Sandra went to Texas State for undergrad and Derek went to Texas Tech. Higher education was a priority for both – their fathers had only gone through the 9th grade. Texas Tech was on Derek’s radar because he had family members who went there. It was on Sandra’s radar ever since watching Sheryl Swoopes lead the Lady Raiders to the NCAA title in 1993, which left an impact on the girl from Pecos who played lots of different sports in high school, including basketball. “I remember watching that and I thought it was fascinating,” she said. A Tip About a Boom Sandra’s dad was a truck driver in the oil and gas industry and told his daughter and son-in-law about growing activity with oil shale. “That really sparked our attention and how we ended up getting involved. He was our first employee,” said Derek. “My dad was our first driver,” added Sandra. The company does water transport and well service. They’ve continued to do well financially even with the huge slowdown in the oil and gas industry earlier this year. “We’ve been very steady where we’ve seen a lot of people go out of business and a lot of people temporarily shut their doors. We were actually blessed enough to pick up more business. We had to lower some of our pricing but in doing that we were able to pick up more volume. It worked out okay,” he said. Giving Back “We have a local scholarship in our hometown and gear it toward kids who are interested in Tech and that’s how we feel we’re able to give

back besides donations to the Red Raider Club and our suite,” said Sandra. The couple said they’ve given more than $100,000 in scholarships in the past few years for kids from Pecos who go to Texas Tech. “We’re telling those kids if you want to go to Texas Tech we’d like to reward you,” she said. In addition, Derek said, “We really promote and market Texas Tech in the Permian Basin when we’re asked to speak” or they mentor, said Derek. A lot of their effort in Pecos is focused on helping children and people in need with dozens and dozens of organizations benefiting from their philanthropy. “Anything that will make a positive impact on the area,” he said. Derek and Sandra estimate they’ve given close to $2 million in West Texas to support their alma mater and hometown. There are Christian organizations the Zubeldias help – including Samaritan’s Purse, which invited them on a trip to Iraq to see the work they

do in the war-ravaged country. Then there’s the grocery store campaign. As Pecos grew from 9,000 people to more than 40,000 after the oil boom, the town needed a larger grocery store. “The store was being overrun and there were empty shelves,” said Derek. The city tried a few things to lure such a store – offering almost free land – but were not successful. Sandra called United Supermarkets and asked if they could have a van of food come once a week to Pecos to offer curbside service. “It became a hit and then it was twice a week,” said Derek. “The goal was to get a brickand-mortar store in Pecos.” The couple started meeting with United executives and even chatted up United CEO Robert Taylor at the 2019 Sweet Sixteen when the Red Raiders made their run to the national title game. “We had city folks meet United executives and they broke ground in January and the store will open on Nov. 11,” said Derek, becoming United’s 95th store.

Raider Power at the Super Bowl The Texas Tech sports fans have their

own favorite memories. For Derek, it was being in the stands as an undergrad in College Station when Wes Welker returned a punt for a touchdown to lead the Red Raiders to a win. For Sandra, it was men’s basketball’s run to the Final Four in Minneapolis. “We’re big baseball fans as well,” said Derek. And they were in Miami earlier this year for Super Bowl LIV (54 for those who don’t use Roman numerals on a daily basis) to watch Red Raider Patrick Mahomes rally the Kansas City Chiefs to the title. “We wore Texas Tech Mahomes jerseys,” said Derek, adding it was fun to hear “Raider Power” chants, which confused Chiefs fans, who wondered why people would be cheering for their AFC West rival Oakland Raiders (who have since moved to Las Vegas). RedRaiderSports.com

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Featuring

DISTINGUISHED LETTERWINNERS Carolyn Thompson & Rob Junell Her jersey waves from the rafters in United Supermarkets Arena. He’s waved a Texas Tech flag atop many of the world’s tallest mountains. Carolyn Thompson and Rob Junell played different sports at Texas Tech and have lived different lives since their time as Red Raiders – but now share a prestigious honor – the first Distinguished Letter Winner Award recipients. “Most of our awards honor Red Raiders for what they did during their playing careers, but we want to recognize what our Letter Winners have accomplished after leaving Texas Tech,” said Rodney Allison, director of the Double T Varsity Club.

This honors letter winners who:

• Completed their education at Texas Tech at least 10 years ago.

• Earned at least one varsity letter.

• Gained distinction in their respective careers and communities. • Brought honor to themselves and Texas Tech University through their contributions and activities. • Strive to live as a Fearless Champion for Life. The pair was honored at the recent football game against West Virginia. 18

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After Junell played linebacker on coach J.T. King’s Red Raiders more than 50 years ago, he served in the Army, became an attorney, won six terms in the Texas Legislature before becoming a United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas in 2003. Almost 40 years after Thompson finished her Lady Raider career, she still holds the record for most career points by a men’s or women’s basketball player with 2,655. She went into coaching and eventually became a principal with the Lubbock Independent School District. “I was really surprised when I visited with Rodney,” said Thompson about the honor. “I don’t consider myself distinguished but I am truly grateful.” Junell said: “I am speechless. I feel honored to receive this award and I’m proud to be a Red Raider.” Volleyball Plan Thompson, who grew up in nearby Hobbs, N.M., was recruited by Texas Tech to play volleyball, her favorite sport. “I didn’t like basketball. It was a lot of running and too physical,” said Thompson. Her brother was showing her the Texas Tech campus. She saw some friends she knew from New Mexico summer league hoops and joined them for a pickup game at the rec center. Lady Raider Coach Gay Benson asked

Thompson if she wanted to play basketball and her plans changed. Thompson benefited from coaching – eventually under Red Raider legend Marsha Sharp, who took over the program during Thompson’s career and led it for almost a quarter century. “I would rebound the ball and go back and like a running back,” Thompson said. Coaching “toned me down and helped me become a fundamentally sound basketball player.” When asked to recall a favorite game, Thompson mentioned playing No. 1 Texas for the Southwestern Conference Tournament title in 1984. “We wanted to beat UT so bad and I was basically running on adrenaline,” said Thompson, who scored “42 or 44 points” but the Lady Raiders fell, 83-73. “We competed. Just because you lose doesn’t mean who actually lose,” said Thompson, named the tourney’s most valuable player. After graduating, the professional Dallas Diamonds wanted Thompson to play for them or she could go overseas to continue playing, but decided to go into coaching, becoming the head coach at Lubbock’s Estacado High School at age 22. After almost a decade of coaching, she switched to administration. “I wanted to do more and make decisions that could help kids’ lives,” she said. Thompson also got back to playing volleyball in a Lubbock city league for almost 20 years.

When the Lady Raiders won the NCAA title in 1993, Thompson was “glued to the TV.” “It meant a lot. When they won it was like we won too,” she said. Thompson likes to attend Lady Raider and high school games. “I watch the kids of kids I coached at Estacado,” she said of the high school games. When she’s in the arena where her jersey hangs and her name is on the Ring of Honor, what goes through her mind? “I understand the accolades, but I prefer to be unknown when I walk into United Supermarkets Arena,” she said. It’s different when she gets around her Lady Raider teammates. “I’ll tell my teammates and brag to them about being acknowledged and they’ll say ‘what have they made up now to give you?’” Thompson joked about. She loves hanging out with her teammates. “It takes you back to the ‘80s when you were young and innocent and didn’t know any better,” she said, adding the relationships have endured because they were built on trust, respect, admiration – and a healthy dose of trash talk. Thompson said her teammates love to bring up the “pass me not shot.” “If they passed it to me, I would not pass it back out. It was a nice way of saying I was a ball hog,” Thompson said. “When we all get together, they all talk about how horrible I was as a basketball player. Coach Sharp would agree with them, but when they leave, she’d say ‘C.T. – you were the best.’” “No one called me Carolyn,” she said, adding even though her teammates still tease her, they tell others how much they liked playing with her. She’s impressed with the evolution of women’s basketball. “It’s become so much more ... the beauty of the game ... women are just as creative and talented as the men. You have women who can dunk. And women have so much more to look for in WNBA,” she said. When asked what she’s most proud of during her playing and professional career, Thompson quickly mentions her 20-year-old son Blair Conwright, a wide receiver at TCU, who went to Coronado High School in Lubbock. She goes to almost all his games, although she had to miss the Horned Frogs’ Oct. 24 game against Oklahoma to be in Lubbock for this honor. “I enjoy watching him from the background,” she said. And she enjoys helping her alma mater, speaking at events and to younger girls and helping her Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

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Reaching for the Heights Junell grew up in Lubbock and his dad took him to Texas Tech football and basketball games. He played football for James Odom and baseball for the legendary Bobby Moegle at Monterey High School. Junell went to the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell for two years, hoping to get into the U.S. Naval Academy. That didn’t happen – but he learned more about discipline and focus playing football at NMMI – before ending up at Texas Tech. “If I had this to do all over again, I would do the exact same thing going to Tech,” he said. His favorite game were two games – beating the University of Texas in back-to-back years. “We were never supposed to win and we did. Twice,” said the former linebacker. After beating the No. 8 Longhorns 19-13 in Austin his junior year, the team couldn’t land in Lubbock because excited fans were on the runway. “Students had come out to the airport and covered the runway. We had to circle a couple of times and fly to Amarillo to refuel. There were still 100 students waiting when we got back. It was quite an evening,” said Junell. It was only the second time in 17 tries the Red Raiders had beaten Texas. The next season, they beat the Longhorns 31-22 in Lubbock in front of the first home crowd of more than 50,000 fans. “Coach King was great because he gave me confidence in myself,” Junell said in a separate 2017 interview. “He was a great man and a great inspiration for all of us. He was a great

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role model. As I went into the military, then into law and now as a judge, Coach was an incredible role model for how he treated people and how he lived his exemplary life.” “One of the things you learn about football is you have to be ready. You have to be prepared. That’s a lot like life. You can’t as a lawyer just show up in court and say ‘here I am.’ You have to prepare for what's happening. Same thing as a judge, I prepare myself for the cases coming before my court so I do a good job. At Tech, I had outstanding coaches who weren’t just coaching football. They were coaching life.” Junell joined the Army after graduation as a second lieutenant after being in ROTC – or Reserve Officer Training Corps while in college. While based in Germany, he started hiking in the mountains. After the Army, Junell got a master’s degree from Arkansas, then his law degree from Texas Tech. A career in law followed, along with a dozen years as a Democratic state representative from the San Angelo area. In 2002, President George W. Bush nominated him to the federal bench and he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in February 2003. In 2015, he took senior status, allowing him to take a reduced traveling docket of cases. Along the way, he’s climbed mountains in every corner of the planet, going above 20,000 feet. His favorite ascent? “Sometimes, the easiest one to get back down,” he said. “I’m not sure I have an absolute favorite.”

Some of the best known are:

• Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa.

• Denali – formerly known as Mount McKinley – in Alaska. • Mount Whitney in California – the highest peak in the continental U.S.

• Mount Ranier in Washington State.

• Climbing in Nepal near Mt. Everest.

But attempting Everest is not an option. “That’s a special deal and out of my climbing lane,” said Junell. One climbing lane Junell knows well is Guadalupe Peak – the highest point in Texas in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park – tucked under the New Mexico border and a three-hour drive from his Midland home. He’s climbed the 8,751 peak 203 times – his latest time the day before he and Thompson were honored at the West Virginia game. Junell still runs and is on the ski patrol. He recently moved to Midland because of his wife Jayne’s job as a petroleum engineer. Before that, her job took them to Santa Fe. He and his first wife Beverly had three children and were married more than 40 years before she passed away from cancer. Since moving back to Midland, he’s close enough to come back for Texas Tech games but also keeps up with his Red Raiders by attending as many events as possible and by following along wherever he may be.

• • • • • • • •

Texas Tech Football Letter Winner. Graduated in 1969 with a bachelor’s in education from Texas Tech. Earned his law degree at Texas Tech in 1976. Graduate assistant football coach. Served in the United States Army. Elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1988. Nominated by President George W. Bush to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas in 2003. Received the Heritage Award from Texas Tech in 2007.

Carolyn Thompson’s Accomplishments

• • • • • • • • • •

Women’s Basketball Letter Winner 1981-1984. Three-time All-American and All-Southwest Conference player. Record holder for career points by a men’s or women’s basketball player at Tech with 2,655. First Lady Raider to have her jersey retired on Jan. 3, 1985. Became the girl’s head coach at Lubbock Estacado High School at age 22. Went into administration in 1993 as the assistant principal/ principal at Alderson Junior High. Principal of Matthews Alternative High School since 2010. Serves as numerous boards for businesses, the City of Lubbock and organizations. Inducted into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame in 2014. Inducted into the Texas Tech Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997 and The Texas Tech Basketball Ring of Honor in 2019.

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She’s Back! Krista Kirkland Gerlich Returns to Texas Tech

b y A L P I C K ETT Talk about a challenge. New Texas Tech women’s basketball coach Krista Gerlich was hired on Aug. 8, just weeks before the start of basketball practice and in the middle of pandemic. Just to add one more challenge to the job, it was uncertain at the time when or if the NCAA would allow basketball season to start. “That is a challenge,” Gerlich admitted. “We did the best we could. But catching kids off-guard is tough.” Gerlich was hired following the dismissal of previous coach Marlene Stollings. Following her introductory press conference, Gerlich immediately reached out to the Lady Raider players. “I called all returning players and incoming players,” she said. “I then met with each player to establish relationships, reassuring them, giving them my vision for the program and telling them we could move forward. But our first team meeting was a Zoom meeting.” Gerlich said the incoming freshmen had arrived on campus just a week before she was hired. “Their world was rocked,” she acknowledged. “Their parents had just left them off, and this (coaching change) was not what they envisioned. But the girls handled it well. We have made progress and now we’ve got our staff together.” Gerlich, of course, is a Texas Tech legend as a key member of the 1993 national champion Lady Raider team. She acknowledged that she might not have taken the job if it had been any place other than Texas Tech. “That is very true,” she said, “because of the set-up at UTA. We loved living the Metroplex and I had a good team coming back. But it means a lot to have the support of the community, the administration and West Texas. It gives you confidence. To hear from former teammates and former players and coaches is awesome and exciting. It helps with credibility.” Gerlich, a West Texas native who was a three-time all-state standout in high school at Sudan and Spearman, coached at Lockney and San Antonio Taft, before taking time off to start a family. She returned to coaching as an assistant to Marsha Sharp at Texas Tech during the 2003-04 season. Gerlich has been an enormously successful college head coach for the last 14 years, seven at West Texas A&M and seven at Texas-Arlington. She is UTA’s all-time winningest coach, accumulating 121 of her 289 career wins at the helm of the Lady Mavs program, including three 20-win seasons. Prior to that, she led West Texas A&M to a 168-53 overall record with three consecutive Lone Star Conference championships. Getting the job that late made it impossible to do much 22

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recruiting. Gerlich did land two transfers from Oklahoma State, although, at this writing, she is awaiting a ruling from the NCAA whether either will be eligible this season. The two players’ situations are different. Vivian Gray, who is from Argyle, is a grad transfer, but Gerlich said Gray transferred to Oklahoma State from Fort Lewis, so she has used up her five years to play four seasons. Gerlich’s daughter Bryn, who played her high school basketball at Colleyville Heritage, is an undergraduate with two years of eligibility remaining, so she has to clear NCAA and Big 12 intra-conference transfer rules to get a waiver to be able to play this season. Another challenge is the reshuffling of the schedule since the NCAA pushed the start date of the basketball season back a couple of weeks to Nov. 25. “We will still have seven non-conference games,” she said, “and we will start (Big 12) conference play right before Christmas.” Normally, the Lady Raiders would play 11 non-conference games. The Big 12 has also built in extra byes in case games have to be postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. “We have to have testing protocols, which is three times a week in the Big 12 once the season begins,” she explained. “Our opponents have to have the same testing.” Prior to the start of the season, Gerlich said 25 percent of the roster is tested randomly every other week. “Close contact (with someone who tests positive) can get you,” she continued. “You don’t have a lot of control on that. We have had that happen. We haven’t had a full practice consistently. The testing is good, and we have been pretty consistent. The scary thing is in-season. We are waiting on a ruling from the Big 12 about the minimum number of players you have to have to play a game.” Despite the daunting challenges of getting the job late, having to reshuffle the schedule and deal with a pandemic, Gerlich has attacked her return to Texas Tech with enthusiasm. “I can’t put into words how excited I am to be entrusted with rebuilding the Lady Raider basketball program, which is near and dear to my heart,” Gerlich said in her introductory press conference in August. “I believe that Texas Tech is a pot of gold for every sport, and that is illustrated by how well each program succeeds on a national level year in and year out. There is no reason that Lady Raider basketball can’t do that, too, because we have already seen it done. We know we have the support, and I am looking forward to bring that positive excitement and authentic love for the program back to my alma mater.”

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LL the

RIGHT MOVES Marcus Santos-Silva laughed when asked about his first impression of Lubbock when he arrived on the Texas Tech campus this summer. “There was a heat wave the first week I got here,” he said. “It was 113 degrees. I couldn’t go outside.” Obviously, it was a little “warm” for someone who grew up in Massachusetts. Santos-Silva will be the only senior on this year’s Red Raiders men’s basketball team. The 6-foot-7, 245-pounder is a graduate transfer from Virginia Commonwealth, where he played in 97 games over the last three years and led his team with 12.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game last season. “After the season ended and we were in quarantine, my parents and I sat down to talk about my future, whether to leave or stay (at VCU) for my senior season,” he said. “I was able to graduate (with a bachelor’s degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness) in three years, but I had one more year of eligibility. We decided it would be best for me to transfer, so I entered the transfer portal.” By doing that, other coaches could start calling Santos-Silva and he could play this season with immediate eligibility. He said he considered Penn State, Ole Miss, Maryland, Arizona State and Georgia before choosing Texas Tech. “It was an easy decision because coach (Chris) Beard is one of the best coaches in the country,” he emphasized. It may have been an easy decision for Santos-Silva, but he had to make it without even visiting the Lubbock campus. “We had a Zoom meeting and they sent me photos of the campus,” he said. “But that didn’t really matter. For me, it was all about basketball. I knew about Texas Tech the last couple of years. I remember watching Texas Tech on TV in the (2019) Final Four.” And what is his impression now that he is on the Tech campus, other than it is hot in the summer? “It is like what a campus looks like in the movies,” he stated. “The VCU campus was mixed in with the city (in Richmond, Va.). I was amazed how big the campus is here.” So the Tech campus has made a positive impression on Santos-Silva, but what about the impression he has made on the Red Raiders coaching staff? “Marcus is our guy,” said Beard during a press conference prior to the official start of practice this fall. “College basketball knows about his talent. He played for a championship program in VCU and a coaching staff that is really, really good. But it is the intangibles that we love. The guy’s a leader. He is unselfish. He is not entitled. He is just a special guy.”

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Even though Santos-Silva will only be at Texas Tech for one season, Beard said it is always special to have a senior on the roster. “I think the seniors in college basketball, there is a sacredness to them,’ Beard said. “In a game where the one-anddones, the NBA and a lot of this get the attention, I still think one of the best things about college basketball is that guy who stays there for four years, five years that improves that stands the test of time. Marcus is that.” Santos-Silva was the conference’s fourth-leading rebounder, while averaging 1.3 blocked shots and 1.1 steals per game for VCU, which finished 18-13 and 8-10 in the Atlantic 10 Conference during the 2019-20 season. He recorded 10 double-doubles. As a sophomore, Santos-Silva led VCU in scoring in 20 games and earned Atlantic 10 all-tournament honors following a 26-point, 22-rebound game against Rhode Island in the quarterfinals. What does Santos-Silva want Red Raider fans to know about his game? “I play with all heart, 100 percent all the time,” he said. Santos-Silva describes himself as positionless player, who said he can play inside or out. “I am working on a mid-range jump shot,” he added. It was his rebounding statistics, however, that was most appealing to Texas Tech, which finished in the middle of the pack among the Big 12 teams last season. Santos-Silva had 92 offensive rebounds a year ago. By comparison, T.J. Holyfield led the Red Raiders with 51 rebounds on the offensive glass last year. Asked for a highlight of his career at VCU, he replied, “When we won the regular season (conference) championship as a sophomore. We lost only two conference games. Just to see how happy my teammates were when we won the title was the highlight for me.” At Texas Tech, Santos-Silva joins an eclectic squad that includes players from France and Russia, as well as other transfers from Georgetown, Wichita State and UNLV. “These guys are brothers,” he stated. “The minute I arrived here, we have been clicking. It is fun to learn about their backgrounds.” Beard calls him “a future pro,” and Santos-Silva admits that is a goal. “Coach Beard says stay where your feet are,” he said. “That is in the future. I came here to win a Big 12 Conference title, make the Final Four and win a national championship. RedRaiderSports.com

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DYNAMICS b y A L P I C K ETT

When fans watch athletes on the field or on the court, they probably only consider the athlete’s performance that day. They don’t think about the fact that athletes are just like everyone else with issues they have to deal with away from the sport they play. Dr. Tyler Bradstreet, Texas Tech’s Director of Clinical and Sport Psychology who has been full-time with the athletics department since 2018, helps Tech athletes deal with those issues. “I wear two hats,” Bradstreet explained during a recent interview on the Tech Talk radio program in Lubbock. “From a mental health perspective, I oversee the mental and behavioral health services within Sports Medicine, where we really try to take an integrated approach to healthcare, both the physical and mental health piece. From the mental performance aspect, I work with all of the teams to make sure they are mentally prepared and have the right tools in their tool box to be able to overcome adversity and be strong so that when they go out of the field they can perform at a really high level.” The mental health of athletes has been in the news recently. For example, when Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott talked about having depression following his brother’s suicide, some criticized him for talking about it openly. There can be a stigma attached to mental health issues, and some even claim it is seen as a sign of weakness. But Bradstreet says it is beneficial when professional athletes like Prescott talk about it. “It makes my job so much easier,” Bradstreet said. “I talk all the time in my clinic about how important mental health is. But at the end of the day, it is so much better when it comes from a professional athlete. It gives it so much more weight from their perspective that we can talk about this. Any time we have a Dak Prescott or a Kevin Love or a Demar DeRozan or anyone at the professional level that is using their platform to talk about this stuff, it just opens the door for student-athletes to come into our clinic or work on their own to continue to grow personally and clinically.” This has obviously been a stressful year for collegiate athletes across the country, including at Texas Tech. It began last spring with the cancellation of the Big 12 men’s and women’s basketball tournament, followed by the cancellation of the NCAA basketball tournaments and then all spring sports. Schools locked down. Student-athletes switched to online learning and were prevented from working out at

of a pandemic

university facilities. When things finally opened back up for individual workouts in the summer, there was still uncertainty surrounding what the football, volleyball, basketball and other sports seasons would look like. Some college football teams are still having to cancel games because of a spike in COVID-19 within their programs. Bradstreet said the state of uncertainty is tough for student-athletes. “It really changes the dynamic, especially for athletes at the professional and collegiate level, to try to work toward their goals,” he stated. “We try to help people manage their frustration and anxiety. How can you modify your behavior in terms of training? And, of course, we pushed the mental health aspect when they couldn’t get in the gym or on the field.” Bradstreet said he works with athletes at Texas Tech both during their season as well as their offseason. “It depends on the team and it depends on the coach’s perspective,” he explains. “If there is a mental health issue getting in the way of an athlete’s performance, we want to address that to give them all the tools possible during the sports season from a sports psychology perspective. But I will say in general if you are a golfer and you are thinking about changing up your swing, you probably don’t want to do that in the middle of the season. You want to do that in the offseason. If you want to implement a number of sports psychology skills, you probably want to do that in the offseason. But if there is something you are really struggling with, we want to give you the tools to address that in the moment. It depends on what the athlete needs, and we want to make sure we are approaching it appropriately.” Sports psychology has been around for a long time, although it is fairly new in terms of being used consistently, according Bradstreet. “There have been a lot of changes in the last 10 to 15 years, he said. “Before that it was very off-and-on, very temporary. As we look across Power Five programs now, it has become more of the rule rather than the exception. At Texas Tech, we have done a really good job of emphasizing both the physical and mental health aspect for our student-athletes. You get the instruction from your coaches on the field and the strength and conditioning daily, but, on a day-to-day basis, what are you doing to make sure you mental preparation to perform at a high level? One thing I have always appreciated about Texas Tech is they have always emphasized this. It is part of the day-to-day regimen at Texas Tech.”

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Jarett Culver

Nancy Lieberman Charities teamed up with Texas Tech University and The Culver Foundation to give the City of Lubbock a brand new Dream Court honoring the memory of former player, Andre Emmett. The new Dream Court, located in Duran Park at 26th Street and Kewanee Avenue, will serve as a safe play space for youth in the community to interact with friends, family and local law enforcement. A dedication ceremony was held on the court on Friday, October 23rd. Regina Oliver, Andre Emett’s mother (pictured above), said to those in attendance, “My heart is forever grateful to see yet another “Dream Court” built in honor of my son – he’d call it “another tat”. Texas Tech (Coach Beard), Jarrett Culver, & the FANS, I thank you immensely for the donation and continued support you have shown to my family and most of all to Andre. To Nancy Lieberman, Dre’s friend, mentor, someone he admired and respected, you continue to outdo yourself again and again. Thank you for coming up with the inspiration to build these courts across the country for our youth and future generations to come. To Texas Tech, Nancy Lieberman, Jarrett Culver and the city of Lubbock with gratitude, from the deepest part of my heart, I thank you, my family thanks you and most of all, the community thanks you!” Mayor Dan Pope

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Coach Chris Beard

Nancy Lieberman

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RED RAIDER

NOTEBOOK b y B RA N D O N S O L I Z

New Season Prep

The seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic hit home for the Texas Tech Red Raider men’s basketball program in March, when the team was told to leave the court right before its first game of the Big 12 Conference Tournament hosted in Kansas City. Head coach Chris Beard’s group was focused on the Texas Longhorns that day – March 12 – when sports shut down across the country. Now, seven long months later, the Red Raiders are focused on a new season that, because of the pandemic, will be unlike any in college basketball history. There will likely be many changes made to the fan experience to accommodate COVID-19 prevention policies, but little will be different about what Texas Tech does on the court. Beard has been impressed with what his team has brought to the table so far this offseason. “I really think, not to put a lot of pressure on these guys but in a truth-teller culture, I think this could be one of our best offensive teams. We got a lot of talent – ball handling, shooting, drivers. We got back-to-the-basket guys this year. We got offensive rebounders this year. I think if this talent can work together, we can be really good on both sides of the ball.” The Red Raiders will need five or six double-digit scorers each game, Beard said, in order to compete for another Big 12 title. The defense will be there, which Beard expects to be strong based on the talent and athleticism on the roster. Watch out for the Red Raiders in 2020-21.

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Positionless Basketball

Volleyball Adapts

Krista Gerlich begins her tenure as the Lady Raider head coach with the Texas Tech women’s basketball program still looking to fully turn the corner after a disappointing decade. There is always a lot on a new coach’s plate, from recruiting to fan outreach to coaching and everything in-between, but Gerlich is keeping her focus squarely on her players while also looking toward the future. “This team that we’re coaching right now is the most important priority that we have,” Gerlich said, “but as we know recruiting never stops. We’ve got to continue to do that. My staff has done a fabulous job of staying in the recruiting world and in the recruiting race while we’re trying to get to know our players and just implement our program and our philosophy.” Gerlich said she has a bunch of “tweeners” on the roster, which fits her philosophy. “That’s like kids that can go between a guard and a post so power forwards more less, but they all have guard skills,” Gerlich said. “I think that nucleus is really tough because we can play them inside, we can play them outside. When we play them all together it’s kind of a positionless basketball.”

The coronavirus pandemic forced all major fall sports to radically change the way they schedule games. Volleyball was no different. The Big 12 implemented an all-league schedule and, in order to play as close to a full season as possible, set up double-headers in place of its typical home-and-away rotation for conference games. Texas Tech volleyball coach Tony Graystone said the layout turned out to be a positive. “Anytime you lose a match you don’t want to sit on it for too long,” Graystone said. “So, this format, I think, benefits the team that loses the first match a little bit more, honestly. If you win the first match, you’re ready to be done with that team and move on to somebody else but if you lose you want another crack at them right away. I think that’s good for the most part.” Graystone said he has been impressed with what he has seen from his team so far this season. “If you don't adapt and get better and make quick adjustments then you're going to get rolled the next time out and so we're learning really quickly how to kind of turn things around fast and put things aside and focus on the next one,” Graystone said. “You know, and so again, I've kind of been a fan of this format since we started with it. This has been a pretty cool challenge for us as coaches, but it's been good to see how we've handled it too and I'm having a good time with it this year.”

Recruiting Breakdown

The NCAA shut-down in-person recruiting in March and extended that moratorium in the months that followed. That means that many football prospects that sign with a program in December or February will have not had a chance to take any of their official visits. For the Red Raider football program, those NCAA-mandated visit restrictions will likely result in a smaller class than normal. “This is going to be a smaller class than last year,” head coach Matt Wells said. “We have guys that are on our team right now counting in this signing class so we’re not going to sigh the full complement of 25 scholarships. Those numbers in terms of like high school players will be lower … We’re going to continue to sign (transfer players) where we feel like they can come in and be immediate impact players either as starters or impact depth guys. We’re still trying to fill holes in terms of numbers with depth.”

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