Texas Tech Basketball Linked To Wichita State Transfer
The Texas Tech basketball team has been linked to Austin Reaves, a forward who has announced his intention to transfer from Wichita State.
One can’t help but feel like Texas Tech is linked to almost every available college basketball player these days. Certainly, Chris Beard and the Red Raiders are a hot commodity in the minds of players and the media alike following an Elite 8 season.
Now a new name is being connected to Texas Tech. Austin Reaves, a 6-foot-5 forward is leaving Wichita State and of course, Texas Tech is one of the programs rumored to be on his short list.
Oklahoma, Northern Iowa, Michigan, Purdue, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas State and Texas Tech are at the top of the list for Austin Reaves.
— Nicholas Mason (@_ARHoops) April 23, 2018
Reaves, a native of Arkansas, just completed his sophomore season meaning he will have to sit out the 2018-19 season before having two more years of eligibility remaining. This is significant because it means he is not a candidate to fill the holes Texas Tech has to fill for the upcoming season.
Reaves averaged 8.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 21.5 minutes per game last season for the Shockers. But it is his deadly shooting from deep that really stands out.
Reaves hit on 42.5% of his attempts from three making him a weapon to be coveted in today’s world of college basketball where three-point shooting is more important than ever. Last season, Zhaire Smith led Texas Tech by shooting 45% from deep.
However, Reaves knocked down 54 threes last season while Smith had just 1/3 that total with 18. Reaves’ field goals from deep would have been second on the Red Raiders behind the 55 made by freshman Jarrett Culver. The difference though, is that it took Culver 144 attempts to reach that total, 17 more than Reaves.
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Reaves is not the only undergraduate transfer Texas Tech has been associated with in recent weeks. Anthony Tarke, a forward from NJIT who averaged over 15 points per game last season received an offer from Tech in late March.
It will be interesting to see how Beard shapes his roster next offseason. He could be tasked with replacing five members of the team after the upcoming season.
Brandone Francis, Norense Odiase, Tariq Owens and Josh Webster will all be seniors this season. Plus, Texas Tech is considered a favorite to land South Dakota grad transfer Matt Mooney.
The world of modern day college basketball has become a study in turnover. The prevalence of player transfers has made it common for programs to have to annually replace 40-50% of the roster.
That is where Texas Tech is in great shape with Chris Beard. Unlike his predecessor Tubby Smith, who had just one player committed to the 2017 class when he bolted for Memphis, Beard and his staff are relentless grinders on the recruiting trail.
Next: Davide Moretti Season In Review
Therefore, it will be the new normal for Texas Tech to be linked to dozens of high school recruits and college transfers every offseason. And that is one of the reasons that following Texas Tech basketball is more exciting than ever, even in the offseason.