The Texas Tech Red Raiders are coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance in its first season under head coach Grant McCasland.
His second offseason in Lubbock turned out to be a bit more difficult that his first. Among the losses were his top two scorers, including one who transferred to Creighton.
In the wake of that, the Red Raiders got younger, bigger and held onto other key pieces that should allow them to contend in the Big 12 next season.
In this edition of Portal Thoughts we take a look at what Texas Tech lost, what it gained and what it has left to do.
Texas Tech’s Losses (2)
Texas Tech only had two players that ran out of eligibility after the season. Guard Joe Toussaint — who transferred to Texas Tech from Big 12 rival West Virginia — averaged 12.2 points, second on the team to guard Pop Isaacs. He also led the Red Raiders with 146 assists and 47 steals.
Forward Warren Washington was a super senior who missed part of the year due to a foot injury. He returned for the Red Raiders’ NCAA Tournament appearance. He averaged 9.7 points and 7.4 rebounds.
Texas Tech’s Transfer Losses (5)
Most significant was the departure of guard Pop Isaacs, who led the Red Raiders with 15.8 points and was one of their top 3-point shooters. He’s off to Creighton to play his junior season.
Two other guards left for mid-majors. Lamar Washington will seek more playing time at Pacific, while D’Maurian Williams will play for High Point after two years with Texas Tech in which he was unable to gain a true foothold in the rotation.
Two forwards opted to transfer. The Red Raiders will see Robert Jennings again after he transferred to Oklahoma State to play for first-year coach Steve Lutz. KyeRon Lindsey, who transferred into Texas Tech more than a year ago, will play for former Iowa State head coach Steve Prohm at Murray State next season.
Texas Tech’s Transfer Gains (4)
Tech went out and signed a class of players that put together substantive seasons at their last schools, most notably guards Elijah Hawkins and Kevin Overton, along with forward Jadyn Toppin.
Hawkins averaged 9.5 points and 7.5 assists last season for Minnesota and projects as the starting point guard. Overton averaged 11.3 points last season for Drake as he was named to the All-Missouri Valley Freshman team. He’ll see his old coach, Darian DeVries, when the Red Raiders play West Virginia.
Toppin was the Mountain West Freshman of the Year after he averaged 12.4 points and 9.1 rebounds for the Lobos.
The last transfer is Pitt forward Fede Federiko, who averaged 4.7 points and 5.1 rebounds. He has NCAA Tournament experience and one year of eligibility remaining.
Texas Tech’s Recruiting Gains (3)
The Red Raiders benefited from the firing of former Michigan coach Juwan Howard. How? After his dismissal, one of his top recruits, guard Christian Anderson, opened his recruitment back up and he committed to Texas Tech. The four-star guard played for Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, one of the nation’s top prep schools.
Forward Leon Horner III played for Dynamic Prep in Irving, Texas, and is reclassifying for 2024. Jazz Henderson Jr. is from Faith Family Academy in Oak Cliff, Texas, and led that team to three straight state titles. But he’s a preferred walk-on. Both would benefit from a redshirt.
Set to Return (6)
Guard Darrion Williams is the leading returning scorer after he averaged 11.4 points and shot 45.8 percent from the 3-point line. He enters next season as one of the Big 12’s best shooters from distance. Another guard, Chance McMillian, was a valuable piece off the bench and averaged 10.8 points. He shot nearly 39 percent from the 3-point line.
Guard Kerwin Walton started 26 out of 33 games and averaged 8.5 points. As good as Williams was from the 3-point line, Walton shot 47.8 percent and made as many (65) as Williams.
The Red Raiders will get forward Devan Cambridge back on a waiver after he suffered a season-ending injury eight games into the season. The forward averaged 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds.
Guard Jack Francis and forward Eemeli Yalaho will vie for what playing time remains.
What’s Left?
The roster feels locked, though if Henderson is a preferred walk-on, as the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal noted, there should be one more scholarship lurking out there. The transfer market is thinning, but Texas Tech could use a little more size if there is a player that makes sense.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
