Texas Tech basketball: 4-Star PG Andre Curbelo picks up offer

The Texas Tech basketball program has extended a scholarship offer to 4-star PG Andre Curbelo.

Texas Tech basketball coach Chris Beard has proven that he and his coaching staff are more than willing to go anywhere in the world to find talent. Already having recruited to Lubbock international players like Davide Moretti from Italy and Andrae Savrasov from Russia, Beard now has targeted another international player, Andre Curbelo from Puerto Rico who has picked up an offer from Tech according to LuHi Basketball.

The 4-star point guard is playing his high school basketball in Long Island, New York making him similar to other Red Raider players who have come from overseas to play their high school ball in the United States. Former Red Raider Brandone Francis from the Dominican Republic, spent his prep career in Florida while 2019 signees Russell Tchewa (from Cameroon) and Clarence Nadolny (from France) also left their home countries to play high school ball in America.

At 6-feet, 155-pounds, Curbelo is a bit smaller than the recent guards the Red Raiders have targeted. However, there’s no denying that he is an excellent point guard.

Ranked the No. 59 player in the class of 2020 by 247Sports, he is the No. 8 point guard in the nation. In addition to Tech, he holds offers from TCU, Louisville, West Virginia, Indiana, St. John’s, Illinois, Florida, Georgetown, Rutgers, and others.

Averaging 16.2 points, 8.1 assists, 7.8 rebounds and 4.1 steals per game last year, he helped his Long Island Lutheran team to the New York state title and a top 25 national ranking. Additionally, this summer he has scored 16.7 points per game for the New York Jayhawks AAU team. Finally, in the FIBA U19 World Cup in Crete, Greece Curbelo averaged 11.5 points, 5.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds for the Puerto Rican national team.

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"“There might not be a more impressive passer in the class of 2020 than Curbelo,” writes 247Sports. “The native of Puerto Rico simply sees things on the court that most point guards don’t, and then not only does he see things, but he is also able to make the pass. Curbelo isn’t an elite athlete with elite burst, but he does have a major ability to get into the lane, and he is so adept at changing speeds that he keeps defenders off balance. He shoots it well enough to keep people honest, but it is his feel for the game and playmaking ability that stand out at the highest level. Curbelo is one of the more mature floor generals, and someone who should be a staple in a college backcourt for a long time to come.”"

It sounds like Curbelo is a more traditional point guard in the sense that he is a ball-handler and passer who isn’t a shoot-first player. He doesn’t have a college-ready 3-point shot as he made just 15 attempts from 3-point range in his high school season.

But almost every scout that has seen him play raves about his feel for the game and instincts on the court. A player with an exceptionally high basketball IQ, Curbelo might be exactly what Chris Beard wants in a floor general.

It sounds as if Curbelo will be taking his time when narrowing his list of schools. He recently told 247Sports that he is putting his recruitment on the back burner until he can return to Puerto Rico in August and discuss his options with his family and loved ones.

Tech currently has not received any commitment in the class of 2020. However, that could change in the upcoming weeks as players wrap up their summer circuit schedule and return to the normalcy of the school year.

The early signing period for college basketball recruits begins November 13. That means Beard will likely be busy hosting recruits this fall and trying to put together his second-straight top-25 signing class.

Next. Ranking Texas Tech's best all-time point guards. dark

Including Curbelo, the Red Raiders have extended offers to 13 top-100 players in the nation. It will be interesting to see which of these big fish Beard is able to bring on board.

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