Sutton possesses 22 years of collegiate coaching experience and has either coached or played with 24 NBA players over his career. He has been a part of 13 NCAA Tournaments, seven NCAA Sweet 16s, five NITs, three NCAA Elite Eights and two NCAA Final Fours as a student-athlete and coach.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to join Chris Beard’s staff at Texas Tech,” Sutton said. “Chris has been a loyal friend and someone that I’ve had tremendous respect for through the years in the coaching profession. I have always admired his passion for basketball, his integrity, his relentless work ethic and his devotion to his players. Chris is a very gifted coach, an excellent recruiter and one of the most competitive people I’ve ever been around. I’m excited about the opportunity to work under his leadership, be a part of his outstanding coaching staff and rejoining the Big 12 conference which is the one of the premier leagues in the country. I appreciate the warm reception that I have received from everyone associated in the Texas Tech basketball family. I’m looking forward to starting practice next week. I’m motivated to contribute everything I can to insure a great season and a spot for this team in the NCAA Tournament. I’m anxious to get to know all the great Red Raider fans and seeing a packed United Supermarkets Arena this season.”
Sutton has piled up 469 victories during his coaching career. He turned in a 39-29 mark as Oklahoma State’s head coach during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons with both teams securing NIT bids. The Cowboys racked up 11 seasons of 20 or more wins during Sutton’s 15-year tenure as an assistant coach, associate head coach and head coach. He was designated the national recruiter of the year by Rivals.com in 2005 and twice had the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class.
Oklahoma State reached the pinnacle of college basketball with trips to the 1995 and 2004 NCAA Final Four. The Cowboys amassed a program single-season tying 31 wins in 2003-04 and are the last program other than Kansas to win the Big 12 regular season. OSU also won consecutive Big 12 Tournament titles in 2004 and 2005 along with a Big 8 Tournament championship in 1995.
Sutton spent the last six seasons as an assistant coach at Oral Roberts. The Golden Eagles registered a pair of 20-win seasons and four postseason berths. ORU turned in a program-record 27 wins and won the Summit League regular season title in 2011-12 during Sutton’s first season as an assistant coach.
Sutton’s playing career was highlighted by a 52-16 record, back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16 appearances and a pair of All-Big 8 Honorable Mention selections in 1990-91 and 1991-92 at Oklahoma State. His 167 assists as a senior are ninth on OSU’s single-season list and his 4.5 assists per game average sits in ninth place in program history. Sutton’s 44.4 three-point percentage is a program record. He played his first two seasons at Kentucky where the Wildcats won the 1987-88 SEC regular season and tournament titles en route to a NCAA Sweet 16 appearance.
The Sutton family has combined for 1,171 victories between Hall of Fame father, Eddie, along with brother, Scott and Sean. The trio is the most successful father-son basketball combination in NCAA history.
Sutton graduated from Oklahoma State in 1992 with a degree in social studies. He and his wife, the former Trena Winters, have three sons: Hunter, Spencer and Sean Parker.
Texas Tech ranked 26th in the nation for the largest average attendance increase between the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons. More season tickets have already been sold for 2017-18 than all of last season. Fans are encouraged to purchase season tickets now to reserve the best available seats.
Tickets are on-sale and feature an affordable season ticket package that starts at $99. Season tickets can be purchased in person at the Texas Tech Athletics Ticket Office located on the East Side of Jones AT&T Stadium, online at www.TexasTech.com or over the phone at (806) 742-8324. Single-game and mini-plan ticket information will be announced by the Texas Tech Athletics Ticket Office at a later date.
Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the men’s basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets by liking TexasTechMBB on Facebook along with following @TexasTechMBB on Twitter and Instagram.
Sutton’s Coaching Experience
Season, School, Position
1992-93, Ole Miss, Assistant Coach
1993-2006, Oklahoma State, Assistant Coach
2006-08, Oklahoma State, Head Coach
2011-17, Oral Roberts, Assistant Coach
2017, Texas Tech, Advisor to the Head Coach
