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Back when Krista Gerlich donned the scarlet and black, there was no sweating on Selection Sunday.
It's not that an NCAA Tournament bid was a formality for the Texas Tech women's basketball team. It was the standard. The bare minimum.
It was soothing to return to that feeling of certainty this week.
Gerlich and her Lady Raiders earned that stress-free position, the gathering of hundreds of fans that came with it.
There was a sense of familiarity when Texas Tech's spot in the bracket flashed across the screen. After 12 fruitless seasons, the Lady Raiders were dancing again.
If Gerlich's vision for the program comes to fruition, that will be the standard again. The bare minimum.
"Long time coming," the coach said with a beaming smile. "It's crazy that it's been 13 years since this program has danced, but it was absolutely my mission when I got the job to be able to get us back here. I'm so excited that this day is here. It has been a long, hard road, but we got the right kids at the right time and the right staff to buy into what we were doing. I'm just so proud of this group.
"As I told the team beforehand, this is not a destination; it's not just getting to the tournament. This needs to be an annual thing, like it used to be. It needs to be an expectation, and not just get in the tournament, but advance and win in the tournament."
Texas Tech women's basketball: Complete coverage of the Lady Raiders from the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
More: Texas Tech vs Villanova game time set for tournament opener
It's fitting Gerlich is at the head of the drought-busting. Few, if any, have embodied the rugged determination that defined the Lady Raiders of that golden era. It was Gerlich who poured into the program and brought Tech its first national championship in any sport. She helped make the Lady Raiders a national name. The type of program that was revered by young hoopers, especially in West Texas.
"When you are a Lady Raider, and especially obviously when we played back in the day and were very successful, that really meant something," Gerlich said. "Even in the recruiting world, you walk into a room with a double-T on your chest, and it meant something."
The coach conceded that it was a harsh reality: the Tech logo had lost its shine when she took over in 2020.
"I think the hardest thing for me when I got here is that the brand wasn't respected anymore for Lady Raider basketball," Gerlich said. "When I walked into people's rooms with a double-T on my chest, it didn't mean a lot because of where the program was. … Being able to just get the respect back for the red and black and for the Lady Raider brand was really important."
It was to be expected that it would take time to restore that "credibility." Even with failed attempts before Gerlich, some fans seemingly became restless when the revival didn't happen as quickly or to the scale they'd hoped.
Gerlich had Tech athletics director Kirby Hocutt in her corner, though.
"He knew, when we interviewed, really, about what the plan was and how long it was going to take," Gerlich said. "It's a process. It's absolutely a process. Last year, it's people that are behind keyboards that have questions; it's not the people that are in the arena."
Gerlich was encouraged by the Lady Raiders' late push last season that included two Big 12 tournament wins and a run to the WBIT quarterfinals. The process was advancing.
Yet, the program still didn't have the strongest reputation in the recruiting world. How did Gerlich land the transfers who pushed the team forward?
She leaned on those with West Texas roots, just like her.
"To be able to build it back up, you had to get some people that understand Lubbock, that understand West Texas," Gerlich said, "and that understand Lady Raider basketball and what the history is about. I'm gonna give the credit to them. When we brought in transfers, they sold that."
Bailey Maupin said it was an easy pitch. Top-flight facilities with the support of a rabid fan base? What reason is there not to come?
There's no better salesperson than Maupin to deliver that message. The only player who has spent the past four seasons with Tech, the Gruver native followed Gerlich's footsteps in the West Texas hero arc. Maupin has been through the ups and downs, and she said an NCAA Tournament berth is the perfect ending to her college career.
As proud as she is, though, Maupin couldn't be happier that it's Gerlich at the helm, leading a path back to relevance.
"I think she deserves all the things that she's getting," Maupin said, "all the awards. I think there's probably not enough awards to give her for what she's done for this program and what she's done for Texas Tech University's women's basketball over the past couple of years.
"I know she's not satisfied yet, either. That's kind of the thing in March is don't be satisfied."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Krista Gerlich leads Texas Tech women's basketball back to March Madness
Continue reading...
It's not that an NCAA Tournament bid was a formality for the Texas Tech women's basketball team. It was the standard. The bare minimum.
It was soothing to return to that feeling of certainty this week.
Gerlich and her Lady Raiders earned that stress-free position, the gathering of hundreds of fans that came with it.
There was a sense of familiarity when Texas Tech's spot in the bracket flashed across the screen. After 12 fruitless seasons, the Lady Raiders were dancing again.
If Gerlich's vision for the program comes to fruition, that will be the standard again. The bare minimum.
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"Long time coming," the coach said with a beaming smile. "It's crazy that it's been 13 years since this program has danced, but it was absolutely my mission when I got the job to be able to get us back here. I'm so excited that this day is here. It has been a long, hard road, but we got the right kids at the right time and the right staff to buy into what we were doing. I'm just so proud of this group.
"As I told the team beforehand, this is not a destination; it's not just getting to the tournament. This needs to be an annual thing, like it used to be. It needs to be an expectation, and not just get in the tournament, but advance and win in the tournament."
Texas Tech women's basketball: Complete coverage of the Lady Raiders from the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
More: Texas Tech vs Villanova game time set for tournament opener
It's fitting Gerlich is at the head of the drought-busting. Few, if any, have embodied the rugged determination that defined the Lady Raiders of that golden era. It was Gerlich who poured into the program and brought Tech its first national championship in any sport. She helped make the Lady Raiders a national name. The type of program that was revered by young hoopers, especially in West Texas.
"When you are a Lady Raider, and especially obviously when we played back in the day and were very successful, that really meant something," Gerlich said. "Even in the recruiting world, you walk into a room with a double-T on your chest, and it meant something."
The coach conceded that it was a harsh reality: the Tech logo had lost its shine when she took over in 2020.
"I think the hardest thing for me when I got here is that the brand wasn't respected anymore for Lady Raider basketball," Gerlich said. "When I walked into people's rooms with a double-T on my chest, it didn't mean a lot because of where the program was. … Being able to just get the respect back for the red and black and for the Lady Raider brand was really important."
It was to be expected that it would take time to restore that "credibility." Even with failed attempts before Gerlich, some fans seemingly became restless when the revival didn't happen as quickly or to the scale they'd hoped.
Gerlich had Tech athletics director Kirby Hocutt in her corner, though.
"He knew, when we interviewed, really, about what the plan was and how long it was going to take," Gerlich said. "It's a process. It's absolutely a process. Last year, it's people that are behind keyboards that have questions; it's not the people that are in the arena."
You must be registered for see images
Gerlich was encouraged by the Lady Raiders' late push last season that included two Big 12 tournament wins and a run to the WBIT quarterfinals. The process was advancing.
Yet, the program still didn't have the strongest reputation in the recruiting world. How did Gerlich land the transfers who pushed the team forward?
She leaned on those with West Texas roots, just like her.
"To be able to build it back up, you had to get some people that understand Lubbock, that understand West Texas," Gerlich said, "and that understand Lady Raider basketball and what the history is about. I'm gonna give the credit to them. When we brought in transfers, they sold that."
Bailey Maupin said it was an easy pitch. Top-flight facilities with the support of a rabid fan base? What reason is there not to come?
There's no better salesperson than Maupin to deliver that message. The only player who has spent the past four seasons with Tech, the Gruver native followed Gerlich's footsteps in the West Texas hero arc. Maupin has been through the ups and downs, and she said an NCAA Tournament berth is the perfect ending to her college career.
As proud as she is, though, Maupin couldn't be happier that it's Gerlich at the helm, leading a path back to relevance.
"I think she deserves all the things that she's getting," Maupin said, "all the awards. I think there's probably not enough awards to give her for what she's done for this program and what she's done for Texas Tech University's women's basketball over the past couple of years.
"I know she's not satisfied yet, either. That's kind of the thing in March is don't be satisfied."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Krista Gerlich leads Texas Tech women's basketball back to March Madness
Continue reading...
