Graduate Transfer Tariq Owens Commits To Texas Tech
Texas Tech has picked up a commitment from St. Johns graduate transfer Tariq Owens helping to fill the void left by the graduation of Zach Smith and the possible loss of Zhaire Smith to the NBA Draft.
Monday, Texas Tech received a verbal commitment from 6-foot-11 graduate transfer Tariq Owens. The senior-to-be will make Lubbock his third home in college following time at Tennessee and St. Johns.
It was at Tennessee where Owens developed a relationship with Texas Tech assistant coach Al Pinkins, who was on the Volunteer coaching staff at the time. Now, that relationship will carry over to Texas Tech.
"“I’m big on relationships, always have been. When I was at Tennessee I did a lot of work with coach Pinkins. We did a lot of extra work together. He was always someone I could relate to and just talk to. I know how he is and what kind of guys he is and from talking to coach Beard and building a relationship, I got a really good feel for him.” Owens told 247Sports.com."
Owens will fill a big need for a Texas Tech team trying to replace the production of big men Tommy Hamilton and Zach Smith next season. Additionally, Tech is faced with the prospect of losing Zhaire Smith to the NBA Draft after the true freshman entered the draft last week without hiring an agent thus retaining his college eligibility.
What makes Tariq Owens such a great fit for Texas Tech is what he offers defensively. The lanky athletic big man used his 7-foot-plus wing-span to block 2.8 shots and grab 5.9 rebounds per game last season. Additionally, he scored 8.7 points per game in 33 contests.
Out of high school, Owens was a top-100 recruit and a 4-star prospect. The Maryland native spent only one season at Rocky Top before leaving for St. Johns. Now, after earning his degree at St. Johns, he will be eligible to play immediately in Lubbock and will compete with Norsene Odiase and Malik Ondigo for playing time at the center position.
Owens and his father were on campus this past weekend to see the school and meet with the coaching staff. He apparently liked what he saw, complimenting the identity of the program Chris Beard has built on the South Plains.
"“I got to see a lot from the standpoint of their team’s work ethic,” Owens said. “I saw their whole team in the gym at some point. I was with the coaches, just passing through the gym seeing different guys working out and the culture and how they work and that’s something I want to be apart of.”"
Tomorrow, we will have an in-depth look at what type of player Owens is an how he fits in Chris Beard’s system. But for now know that he is a slashing type of player that is active and athletic though still not refined in all aspects of the game. He knows what he does well though, and that is his focus.
"“Definitely, defensively,” he said when asked how he can help the Red Raiders. “I think they have some of the same concepts we had at St. John’s. I think I can help them. I’m going to work with them and develop and work on shooting more consistency and attacking the rim from the three-point line in and get stronger.”"
Adding Tariq Owens was a huge key for Chris Beard and his staff this offseason. His presence on the roster solidifies what was shaping up to be one of the weakest sports on the court, post defense and allows Beard the luxury of developing sophomore-to-be Malik Ondigo at a manageable pace instead of throwing him into the fire as a full-time player next year.
Owens’ commitment was likely just the first development of the offseason for Beard and Texas Tech. The team has been linked to a number of additional graduate transfers and Beard continues to mine the JUCO and high school ranks for reinforcements.
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It appears that the offseason is going to be exciting for Texas Tech basketball fans. With Chris Beard at the helm, we’ve come to expect little else.