MINNEAPOLIS -- Chris Beard might as well be known as the king of making things work.
It's an approach the Associated Press Coach of the Year took when he embarked on a major rebuild at Texas Tech three years ago. In that short span, Beard turned the Red Raiders into a Big 12 powerhouse embarking on its first Final Four one year after losing six of their eight leading scorers from a team that made it to the Elite Eight.
At the core of Beard's way of getting things done is a no-frills approach to maximize opportunities -- a type of resourcefulness he has used as much in recruiting talent to build his programs as he did rising on his own through the ranks of college coaching.