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Texas Tech basketball: These six newcomers will be critical in 2018-19

By Matthew Conner

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 17: Raider Red is seen before the Texas Tech Red Raiders take on the Butler Bulldogs in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PNC Arena on March 17, 2016 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 17: Raider Red is seen before the Texas Tech Red Raiders take on the Butler Bulldogs in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PNC Arena on March 17, 2016 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Matt Mooney: Guard 6-foot-3, 200-pounds

The biggest hole on the Texas Tech basketball roster following last season was in the backcourt.  The graduation of Keenan Evans and Niem Stevenson and the loss of Zhaire Smith to the NBA Draft left Beard looking for a way to replace 36.4 points per game from last year’s guard positions.

Enter graduate transfer Matt Mooney.  After averaging 18.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game for South Dakota last season, the sharp-shooting guard was considered by most to be one of the top five graduate transfers available in the offseason.

Fortunately, Beard was able to convince the Chicago native to come to Lubbock despite heavy interest from his hometown university, Northwestern.  Perhaps Mooney, who has been at three different schools (Air Force, South Dakota and Texas Tech) in his collegiate career, saw a bit of a kindred soul in the well-traveled Red Raider head coach.

Most expect Mooney to be an immediate starter because of his ability to score from anywhere on the floor.  Averaging 18.6 points per game in each of his last two seasons, Mooney has hit 36% of his shots from three-point range in his career.  Coincidentally, he hit 76 shots from deep in each of his final two seasons at South Dakota.

That skill will be important in Lubbock as Texas Tech has to replace 135 made threes from a year ago.  Of the returning players on the roster, Jarrett Culver had the most made threes last year with 55.  Brandone Francis is second with 33 and Davide Morreti is third with 26 meaning there is a need for another long-range shooter.

But Mooney is more than just a three-point shooter.  He is a career 45% shooter overall hitting almost 52% of hit two-point attempts.

A first-team All-Conference honoree last year in the Summit League, Mooney also earned Lou Henson All-American honors as one of the top national players from a mid-major program.  He had 31 games in double-digits last year including five 30-point outbursts.

Mooney has been one of the best small-school players in the nation throughout his career. Now, he will get his opportunity to shine in one of the best conferences in the country.

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