Texas Tech coach Chris Beard sacrifices beer, candy and desserts. But not Pop-Tarts
Texas Tech’s basketball team’s Final Four run has featured a common theme: sacrifice.
The players gave up their cell phones, for example, during the season that coincided with a big winning streak.
“I feel like it’s good for us. I mean, you don’t have nothing to do,” Texas Tech star Jarrett Culver told reporters on the eve of Saturday’s Final Four game against Michigan State. “You can’t be on your phone. You’re not on social media you don’t have your phone. Can’t talk to nobody. So it kind of force you to get rest and get the sleep you need. I feel like it helps us. Once we went on that run, we just kind of stuck with it as a tradition.”
The coaches also make sacrifices.
In coach Chris Beard’s case, that meant no beer, desserts or candy since the first day of practice.
“I haven’t had any ice cream, candy, cake, beer,” Beard said.
However, Beard’s loaded up on a different food item: Pop-Tarts. The reasoning is that it’s a breakfast food, not a dessert despite how sweet they taste.
“Did you know a Pop-Tart is not a dessert? It’s a breakfast. I’ve eaten a lot of Pop-Tarts, man, since October,” Beard said.
Beard said some players gave up Netflix after 9 p.m., others gave up social media or fried food.
“It hasn’t been easy. We make sacrifices every year,” Beard said. “Team, players, before we start official practice, we pick this up. LeBron James eliminates social media in the playoffs. I want to say Tom Brady enjoys a beer from time to time too. He gives it up in an NFL season. It’s just the idea of elite people making sacrifices and having discipline. ... You basically have to sacrifice something. In our culture, if you say you’re going to do it, you’d better do it, or you’re about to get roasted.”
This story was originally published April 6, 2019 at 2:17 PM with the headline "Texas Tech coach Chris Beard sacrifices beer, candy and desserts. But not Pop-Tarts."
