Lots of news coming out of the Texas Tech basketball program as sophomore guard Davide Moretti has a huge game playing for Team Italy and Chris Beard extends offers to some of the biggest recruits in the nation after hiring a new assistant coach.
Moretti Stars for Team Italy
Texas Tech sophomore guard Davide Moretti is expected to be a big factor for Chris Beard’s Red Raiders in 2018-19. After putting up 3.5 points per game and hitting 26 three-pointers last year, the native of Italy has reportedly added 20 pounds of muscle to his frame and expects to be better suited to handle the physical demands of life in the Big 12 in year-two.
But right now, Moretti is representing his native Italy in the FIBA U20 European Championships in Germany. And according to reports, he has been one of the stars of the event.
After opening the event with seven points, three assists and two steals in a 85-71 win over Sweeden, the 6-foot-3 guard exploded on Sunday. In a four-point loss to Serbia, Moretti led Italy with 29 points on 9-16 shooting.
That performance, which took place with Beard in attendance, drew plenty of praise from those on hand including European NCAA scout Bronek Wawrznczuk.
Amazing performance by Davide Moretti vs Serbia. Extremely talented player with great IQ, fully aware of his assets. Just short and underwhelming physically. Survives and excels anyway as he is way too polished for U20 stage and even for NCAA competition.
— Bronisław Wawrzyńczuk (@BWawrzynczuk) July 15, 2018
This is the second-consecutive summer that Moretti has spent with the Italian national team and that experience should be a huge boost for both he and Texas Tech.
"“As a returner, I think I have to be a leader — like to show the young guys how we do things here at Texas Tech,” he told the “Lubbock Avalanche-Journal”. “Coach (Beard) always asks me to be a vocal leader in practice and outside the court.”"
Moretti is expected to compete for the starting point guard spot left vacant by the graduation of All-Big 12 performer Keenan Evans. But to earn the job, he will have to fend off some tough competition including 3-star true freshman signee Kyler Edwards.
Beard Already Working On Future Recruiting Classes
While Chris Beard may be in Germany to support Moretti, he is always at work trying to put together future recruiting classes. Recently, several top high school prospects have reported offers from Texas Tech.
Maybe the biggest fish in Beard’s sights is 2019 4-star shooting guard P.J. Fuller. The Seattle native is the No. 52 player in his class and has offers from over 20 schools including Arizona, Miami, Florida, TCU, Florida State, Iowa State, Tennessee, Texas A&M and USC.
2019 guard PJ Fuller has been offered by Miami, Washington St, Texas Tech, & Iowa State@RedRaiderSports @CaneSport @cyclonereport https://t.co/A42CRicTkl
— Corey Evans (@coreyevans_10) July 13, 2018
Fuller averaged 17.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.2 steals per game last year as his team won its second-consecutive state title in Washington. Fuller’s head coach is former NBA star Brandon Roy and it’s certain that Fuller will want to follow in Roy’s footsteps by reaching that level. Thankfully, Chris Beard can point to the success of 2018 No. 16 overall pick Zhaire Smith as proof that he can put players in the league.
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Another 4-star prospect in the 2019 class to have an offer from Texas Tech is North Carolina forward Patrick Williams. The No. 57 ranked player in the 2019 class has offers from Arizona, Florida State, Illinois, Louisville, Maryland, N.C. State, Ohio State, Clemson, Oklahoma State and several other programs.
A rising star who posted 13.3 points per game on the Nike EYBL circuit this spring, Williams could push for a five-star ranking by the time his prep career is over. A versatile player on both ends of the court, Williams would be an ideal fit in Chris Beard’s “position-less” system.
Other players to receive offers from Texas Tech include 2019 forward mickey Pearson from Kentucky, 2020 power forward Isaiah Cottrell from Las Vegas and 2021 forward Jon Kuminga (a 6-foot-7, 195-pound high school freshman).
Tech Hires Cyprien As Assistant Coach
Last week, Chris Beard added a nice piece to his coaching staff when he hired Glenn Cyprien as an assistant coach. The New Orleans native has been coaching since 1987 and has experience as an assistant coach with eleven college programs including Oklahoma State from 2000-2004 where he worked under head coach Eddie Sutton, father of current Texas Tech assistant coach Sean Sutton.
One of the key roles Cyprien must fulfill is that of ace recruiter. This offseason, Beard lost his top two recruiters in Chris Ogden and Al Pinkins. Ogden was hired as the head coach at UT-Arlington while Pinkins took a position on the coaching staff at Florida.
Next: Rewatching 2017: Eastern Washington
Though the anticipation for the Texas Tech football season is starting to build, Red Raider basketball is also growing closer by the day. We expect the release of the full 2018-19 schedule in the upcoming weeks and of course, Wreck ‘Em Red will have full analysis of that and everything else basketball-related.