Texas Tech Basketball Round-Up: Mooney Impresses At CP3; Beard Has Surgery

The Texas Tech basketball program continues a productive offseason as new guard Matt Mooney impresses at an elite camp and head coach Chris Beard finally adresses an in-season injury.

Matt Mooney Impressive At Chris Paul Camp

One of the new faces Texas Tech basketball fans will quickly come to know this season is graduate transfer guard Matt Mooney.  Recently, Mooney had a nice showing at the Chris Paul Elite Guard Camp.

Mooney was one of 15 college point guards invited to attend the three-day camp put on by NBA all-star Chris Paul.  The camp, which also featured 30 top high school players from around the nation, was an opportunity for Mooney to learn from former and current NBA coaches and at least one scout was impressed with the key Texas Tech offseason addition.

James Blackburn, a scout for Basketball Elite noted Mooney’s basketball I.Q., size and strength while referring to him as an underrated player.

“Underrated” is a great way to describe Mooney who had only one Division I offer (Air Force)  coming out of high school in the Chicago area.  After a year at Air Force, Mooney transferred to South Dakota for three years where he averaged 18.6 points per game over the past two seasons.

Now at Texas Tech, Mooney will be counted on heavily to fill the scoring void left by the graduation of Keenan Evans and Zhaire Smith.  That duo alone accounted for over 28 points per game in 2017 so the presence of Mooney will be a key factor in helping Texas Tech remain a factor in the rugged Big 12.

Chris Beard Finally Has Knee Surgery

In January, head coach Chris Beard tore his ACL during a game at Iowa State when he lost his footing on the sideline.  Saturday, he finally had surgery to repair the injury.

Beard coached through the pain for the remainder of the season, as most would expect, but when he continued to put off the needed procedure so that he could remain active on the recruiting trail, the injury took on a life of its own as it helped further endear Beard to Texas Tech fans.

"“There’s some things probably more important than my ACL. But eventually we’re gonna get it fixed.” he told the Avalanche-Journal in April."

Now that Beard has put the finishing touches on his roster and his coaching staff (he added two new assistants this summer), Beard finally found a lull in the calendar that allowed him to take care of the injury.  This is just another example of why Red Raider fans love their head coach as he did what he inevitably asks of his players as by playing through the pain for the benefit of the program.

Tech Makes Top-10 For In-State Big Man Drew Timme

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While Beard may be slowed after his surgery, Texas Tech continues to be active on the recruiting trail.  Recently, 6-foot-9 Richardson, Texas forward Drew Timme listed the Red Raiders in his top 10.

The No. 48 national prospect in the class of 2019 lists Tech, Texas A&M, Gonzaga, Purdue, Louisville, Arizona, Illinois, Alabama, Michigan State and Oklahoma as the schools he is focused on.  He also boasts offers from powerhouse programs such as Florida, Duke, Ohio State, Virginia and Kansas.

Timme is a throwback player who loves to mix it up in the post.  And his completive spirit and brash confidence on the court are quickly becoming his hallmarks.

Matt Norlander of CBSSports.com provides a closer look at Timme that is well worth the read.  And the following quote from the story should make any Red Raider fan keen on the idea of seeing Timme in the scarlet and black.

"“Even in games where he’s not seen as the best prospect on the floor, Timme still usually stands out as much or more than anyone. What he lacks in athleticism he makes up for in keenness and trash talk. Near the end of games, when opponents think they’ve got his moves and rhythms figured out, Timme will pull out a new technique and again show why he’s a farrago of ripening basketball ability.”"

4-Star Forward Samuell Williamson Has Tech In top-10

Another prized in-state recruit to watch is 4-star Rockwall, TX forward Samuell Williamson.  Averaging 12.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game during the Nike EYBL circuit, Williamson has quickly seen his stock rise.

Tech is joined in Williamson’s top-10 by Texas, Louisville, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Michigan, SMU, Ohio State, Baylor and Kansas.  In other words, if Tech doesn’t land this prospect, there’s a great chance the Red Raiders will have to face him in the Big 12.

Williamson is the No. 52 overall player and the No. 14 small forward in the nation and the No. 6 player in Texas.

7-Foot Center Receives Offer

Seven-foot-one 2019 center Rick Issanza of Scottsdale, AZ has received an offer from Texas Tech.  Though he plays high school basketball in Arizona, he lists Richardson, Texas has his hometown on his Twitter profile so there is a natural connection with Texas Tech being an in-state school.

Issanza also has offers from TCU and OU and he is likely to receive a ton more as players with his size are difficult to find.  Currently, ranked as a two-star prospect, Issanza has a lot of room to improve like current Texas Tech forward Malik Ondigo did at the time in his career.

The NCAA has voted to move the start of the college basketball season up to the first week of November meaning we are just a few weeks from the start of Texas Tech basketball’s fall camp.  Additionally, we are just 85 days from the first Texas Tech basketball game at home against Incarnate Word.

It will not be long before Texas Tech has an opportunity to improve upon last year’s historic season.  Here’s hoping Chris Beard’s knee is ready by then.