McCasland adds Jeff Linder to Tech coaching staff

LUBBOCK – Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland has announced the hiring of Jeff Linder who joins the men’s basketball staff as an assistant coach after earning 143 victories as the head coach at Wyoming and Northern Colorado over the last eight seasons.

Linder arrives in Lubbock following four seasons in Laramie where he led the Cowboys to a 63-59 overall record. He posted an impressive 80-50 record in four seasons as the head coach at Northern Colorado where he was named the Big Sky Coach of the Year during the 2018-19 season. His tenure at Wyoming was highlighted by a 25-9 record in 2021-22 and an at-large bid to the 2022 NCAA Tournament. The Cowboys were ranked as high as No. 22 during that season and he was one of 15 coaches in the nation named to the Werner Naismith Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.

Linder was an assistant coach for two seasons under McCasland at Midland College, including the 2005-06 season when the Chaps went 26-10 and advanced to the NJCAA Elite Eight. Midland was 53-16 during the two season when it was led by the pairing of McCasland and Linder.

Linder was named head coach at for the first time at Northern Colorado where he led the Bears to 15 conference wins for a program record during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. He led Northern Colorado to the most wins during a three-year stretch in program history, with 69 victories, including going 26-12 in the 2017-18 season and 22-9 in 2019-20.

Prior to his time as a head coach, Linder spent six seasons at Boise State with the final three years serving as associate head coach of the Broncos. Linder helped guide Boise State to two NCAA tournament appearances and the team’s first Mountain West Conference Championship. Boise State won 20-or-more games in five of Linder’s six seasons in Idaho, including in 2014-15 when the Broncos tied the school record for wins with a 25-9 record.

Linder began his coaching career as the assistant director of men’s basketball operations at Colorado under head coach Ricardo Patton. After one season at CU, Linder was hired as an assistant coach on David Moe’s staff at Emporia State, where he spent three seasons. Emporia State went 22-5 during his final campaign and earned the third seed in the NCAA Division II Tournament. He also spent time as an assistant coach at San Francisco and Weber State. Linder helped Weber State to a 36-26 overall record, and in 2006-07 the Wildcats won the Big Sky Conference regular-season and tournament titles and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Linder also recruited Damian Lillard to Weber State, who was selected sixth-overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2012 NBA Draft.

A Lafayette, Colorado native, he began his collegiate playing career at Mesa State before transferring to Western State Colorado where he played three seasons under coach Bob Hofman. As a Mountaineer, Linder was a three-time All-Rocky Mountain Conference selection.

Linder joins McCasland’s coaching staff that includes Matt Braeuer, Achoki Moikobu and Luke Barnwell who helped lead the Red Raiders to a 23-11 overall record and trip to the 2024 NCAA Tournament last season. Tech went 11-7 in Big 12 play to finish tied for third in the conference standings and were 15-2 at home in McCasland’s first season leading the program.

 

–TECH–

Release provided by Wes Bloomquist Texas Tech Athletics

More about: