FORT WORTH, Texas -- Billy Tubbs said Monday this will be his last season coaching at TCU, though it is unlikely it will be his last in college basketball.

Hours before beginning his 28th season as a head coach and eighth with the Horned Frogs, Tubbs said he was making the announcement now to end speculation that he felt was distracting to the program.

"This is a good time for me to move on and for TCU," Tubbs said before his team beat Czech-Select 146-70 in an exhibition game. "The question of my tenure hasn't allowed us to produce as I think we should."

TCU athletic director Eric Hyman did not attend Tubbs' news conference. In a statement, he said: "Billy Tubbs has been a major force in college basketball and a master teacher of the game."

While Tubbs at his news conference made it sound as if he may or may not coach again, he told ESPN.com's Andy Katz he intends to coach again.

"I'm still fired up to coach," Tubbs said. "I can see myself coaching. I don't see myself not coaching for quite some time. I'm not burned out. I'm not even close at this point. I like to build programs and going to Conference USA recharged and energized me. But the commitment to basketball hasn't been there and the new people have gone in another direction the last three years. I'm a happy person today and I'll be a happy person tomorrow."

Hyman said the school's new affiliation in Conference USA should help in finding Tubbs' replacement.

"Timing is important when building athletic programs and, for TCU, it is now time to face and shape a new era in college basketball," he said.

Tubbs' seven previous TCU teams have all posted a winning record. In 1998, the Horned Frogs had the best season in school history, going 27-6, including 14-0 in WAC play, and reached the NCAA tournament for the first time in 11 years.

TCU made the preseason poll for the first time the following season. Although the Horned Frogs won 21 games, they were snubbed by the NCAA because of a weak non-conference schedule. They went 18-14 and 20-9 the last two seasons and didn't play in the postseason.

Tubbs is 140-80 at TCU, making him the second-winningest coach in school history.

Tubbs is best known for the 14 years he spent at Oklahoma, where he guided the Sooners into the NCAA tournament nine times.

His 1988 team, led by future NBA players Stacey King, Harvey Grant and Mookie Blaylock, went 37-5 and lost to Kansas in the finals. Befitting the up-tempo style that was his trademark, that squad averaged 102.9 points per game, second-best in NCAA history.

He has a career record of 579-282.