Memphis hires Tubby Smith as new head coach

Memphis' coaching search was a short one. The school named Texas Tech's Tubby Smith its next head coach on Thursday, signing him to a deal worth $15.45 million over five years.

The move comes just six days after Josh Pastner left the program for Georgia Tech.

"He is the most accomplished coach the U of M has ever hired," president M. David Rudd said in a statement. "For the University of Memphis and our basketball program, Tubby Smith is simply the right guy at the right time."

Smith spent three seasons with Texas Tech, qualifying for the NCAA tournament for the first time this past season. The Tigers will be his sixth Division I program.

Smith, 64, has qualified for the NCAA tournament in 18 of 25 seasons, averaging 22.3 wins per year. He won a national championship with Kentucky in 1998. In taking over the Tigers, the Maryland native inherits a program that's battled mediocrity the last two seasons. Memphis has a 37-29 record since 2014, when it last made the NCAA tournament.