Let’s Get This Party Started

Austin McNabb
Nov 2 · 3 min read
Texas Tech head basketball coach Chris Beard is gearing up for another season fresh off a national championship appearance and an Elite Eight berth the year before.

I usually don’t get that excited about Texas Tech basketball starting. And when I attended the school, it was refreshing for something new when the team would start it’s late-season fade but not for winning purposes.

But this year after a national championship appearance and an Elite Eight berth the year before that, I’m officially more ecstatic about hoops than the gridiron, something pretty uncommon for any Red Raider fan with a school in the landscapes of West Texas.

National media still shows more respect for Kansas because of all the recruits they get that come…and go, reasons for why Tech has an advantage after ending the Jayhawks’ 14 straight regular season Big 12 conference titles in March. Some of it is because they lost five players, four of them starters. Those being center Norense Odiase, power forward Tariq Owens, and guards Brandone Francis, Matt Mooney and Jarrett Culver, Tech’s leading scorer who declared for the NBA draft, going №5 overall.

But even if that makes people doubt, head coach Chris Beard is reloading with a mix of recruits and transfers, the latter being a staple of his.

Starting with the frontcourt, SFA grad transfer TJ Holyfield brings three-point shooting and defensive versatility, the former being 41.2 percent but missed all of last season due to injury. Freshman Tyreek Smith comes in at 6'8", being the best dunker and shot and will more than likely be a bench player. UNLV transfer Joel Ntambwe averaged 11.8 points and 5.5 rebounds but might have to sit out due to NCAA transfer rules. Beard, however, is seeking a waiver that might make him eligible for the second semester when conference play starts. Small forward Terrence Shannon Jr., a four-star prospect from Chicago, should see some valuable minutes as a pivotal bench player.

In the backcourt, the only returning starter, junior point guard Davide Moretti became the first player in Big 12 history last year to shoot 50 percent from the floor, 50 percent from three-point range and 90 percent from the free-throw line in league games. Another returning player is sophomore Kyler Edwards, who could be Moretti’s backcourt mate as he shot 44.9 percent on threes last season.

Jahmius Ramsey, a high-ranked four-star recruit out of Duncanville, Texas, and the Big 12’s top signee, according to Rival.com, could be the next Culver. Chris Clarke, a transfer from Virginia Tech who sat out last season due to suspension, averaged 14.7 points and 10.4 rebounds in three seasons with the Hokies. A player from last season’s run, junior Deshawn Corprew, a solid three-and-D bench player, was dismissed from the team after Title IX allegations.

While there’s certainly going to be mystery putting all these pieces together, I think it’s fair to not judge Tech as some one-year wonder (two years if you count the year before) so easily. If Beard continues to stay as he signed that six-year, $27 million contract in April, making him the third-highest paid coach in the nation, then Raider Power will be a force for years to come.

You know he is going to instill this Tech squad with tough, grinding defense after being the best in the nation last year. I see another run coming, keeping Kansas from the Big 12 title again and another March Madness run that’ll result in another Final Four appearance……or maybe more. I still can’t help but think of Culver leaving De’Andre Hunter wide open for that game-tying three-pointer in the national championship game, which ended up sending the game into overtime where Tech lost.

You have to take advantage of winning a championship when the opportunities come your way, but like they say, there’s always next year. North Carolina in 2017 is proof you can come up just seconds away from winning it all and come back to win it all the next, but that’s pretty difficult when you have to beat out 63 other teams in a race.

Either way, here’s to hoping for another great Tech basketball season. As football is disappointing again, it’s always good to have something to look forward to. Heck, I might take my wife to Lubbock for the first time for a basketball game this year instead of football. The action starts Tuesday against Eastern Illinois. Guns up!

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I love Jesus, dancing and in this blog, sports.

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