What’s Still Missing from the Texas Tech Basketball Roster
The 2024-25 Texas Tech basketball roster is taking shape, but what’s still missing from the transfer portal?
After a quiet start to the offseason, the Red Raiders have added some extremely useful pieces to the mix since the end of last season. So far, Tech has filled only three of the eight available scholarships, and each of those three should be key players next season.
The Red Raiders are building a strong roster for next season.
The first to commit was Kevin Overton, a 4-star shooting guard from Drake. Then, Grant McCasland landed a commitment from Federiko Federiko, a 3-star forward from Pitt. Most recently, Tech landed the services of Elijah Hawkins, a 4-star point guard from Minnesota. Each of these three players should be able to contribute right away next year, and it’s not a stretch to envision all three starting.
However, there’s more work to be done, and more scholarships to hand out. So, what’s still missing from the roster?
Size in the Paint
If we learned anything last year, it’s that it’s unwise to go into a season with only one true post player on the roster. That decision nearly undid the Red Raiders late in the season when Warren Washington suffered a foot injury.
When Washington went down, it left the Red Raiders undermanned in the post because the 7-footer was the only member of last season’s team to stand over 6-foot-8. In his place, 6-foot-7 Robert Jennings was asked to start for the final month of the season, and true freshman Eemeli Yalaho had to play an increased role after essentially being a spectator for most of the season.
Tech survived that stretch going 5-4 in the games between when Washington first went down and when he returned to play in the NCAA Tournament against NC State. However, life would have been far better with more size on the roster.
“Life in the Big 12 requires teams to have plenty of size in the paint, and Tech doesn’t have enough yet.” - Source
The Big 12 is a competitive conference that demands size in the paint.
Also, Tech learned in the loss to the Wolfpack that it wasn’t big enough as a team, even with Washington in the mix. NC State had three legitimate big men on its roster, and together they combined for 54 points and 17 rebounds as they had their way in the post against Tech.
The Red Raiders would be wise to use a scholarship on another player as close to seven feet as possible. It would also be great to see that player have some offensive game, given that Federiko averaged only 4.7 points per game last season.
NC State’s big men dominated in the post against Tech.
Were the season to begin today, the Red Raiders wouldn’t have enough size in the paint because Jennings has transferred to Oklahoma State, and Yalaho is still not ready to play a key role on a contending team. So, look to see if the Red Raiders can add more height via the portal. The only problem is that just about every team in the nation is also looking for elite players in the post.
The transfer portal is a competitive market for top talent.
The Red Raiders still have work to do to build a complete roster, but with the right additions, they could be a force to be reckoned with in the Big 12 next season.
