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Texas Tech basketball lands 4-star JUCO transfer Khalid Thomas

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TX - JANUARY 31: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts to play on the court during the first half of the game against the Texas Longhorrns on January 31, 2018 at United Supermarket Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - JANUARY 31: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts to play on the court during the first half of the game against the Texas Longhorrns on January 31, 2018 at United Supermarket Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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The Texas Tech basketball team received a commitment from 4-star JUCO forward Khalid Thomas  on Monday, the first 2019 prospect to commit to the Red Raiders.

After missing out on some highly-regarded 2019 prospects in recent weeks, Texas Tech basketball head coach Chris Beard has added his first piece to the current recruiting class.  Monday, JUCO forward Khalid Thomas announced his commitment to the Red Raiders after taking his official visit to Lubbock this weekend.

The 6-foot-9 native of Portland, Oregon is currently staring at the College of Southern Idaho where he put up 14.7 points and 6.5 rebounds last season.  The 4-star prospect chose Texas Tech over offers from Arizona, Baylor, Florida State, Louisville, Oregon, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.

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Thomas is a skilled offensive player who is a strong jump shooter, something that will make him a perfect fit in Chris Beard’s system.  In fact, he hit 41% of his three-point attempts last year, meaning he can stretch the floor better than most traditional forwards of his size. He should pair nicely with 2018 signee Khavon Moore, who is also 6-foot-9 and highly skilled with the basketball, to form a matchup nightmare for opposing teams.

Thomas, who has three years left to play two, is arguably the top JUCO prospect in the nation.  In leading his team to the JUCO national title game last year, Thomas had 10 games of at least 20 points.

His season high was a 32-point outburst against Elite Prep in which he drained seven shots from beyond the three-point arc.  He is expected to be a significant offensive contributor as soon as he steps on campus, especially given that Texas Tech will lose seniors Matt Mooney, Norsense Odiase, Tariq Owens and Brandone Francis following this season.

Additionally, many believe that sophomore forward Jarrett Culver, the team’s leading returning scorer, could leave school for the NBA next summer if he is as impressive this year as he was in his freshman season.

Therefore, Thomas could pair with 4-star San Antonio guard Kevin McCullar to lead the offense in the 2019-2020 season.  McCullar is technically a 2018 signee despite still being in high school.  He plans to enroll at Texas Tech for the spring semester and red shirt as he develops in the weight room and on the practice court.

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Though the 2018-19 season is still weeks away from tip-off, the future of the Texas Tech basketball program beyond this season is starting to take shape.  That future became much brighter with the addition of Khalid Thomas.

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