Texas Tech basketball: Grad transfers that could land in Lubbock
Yanni Wetzell – Forward; Vanderbilt
Texas Tech could also fill their need for an experienced big man by turning to another SEC transfer. 6-foot-10, 240-pound Yanni Wetzell has entered the transfer portal after a coaching change at Vanderbilt and according to multiple reports, he was in Lubbock last month for a visit.
Texas Tech coach Chris Beard, coaching staff, players taking in baseball game. Appears Vanderbilt graduate transfer forward Yanni Wetzell is also here. Wetzell (6-10, 240 pounds), who is from New Zealand, averaged 5.9 points, 3.8 rebounds. Also played for St. Mary’s in D-II.
— Carlos Silva Jr. (@cmsilvajr) April 28, 2019
The native of New Zealand has some experience in Texas after playing two years at Division II St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. In his lone season at Vanderbilt, he averaged 5.9 points and 3.8 assists while starting ten of 32 games.
Wetzell is much more of a traditional stay at home center than Tariq Owens. He does not have the type of athleticism that we came to love from Owens, but finding another player capable of doing what Owens did on the court seems virtually impossible.
Next. The impact of Beard's new deal. dark
Still, Wetzell could be a nice option to help Tech battle bulky big men such as Kansas’ Udoka Azubuke and West Virginia’s Derek Culver. It appears that Wetzell is also considering San Diego St., where he reportedly visited this past weekend. It would be interesting to see how the Texas Tech defense looks with a more stay-at-home defensive anchor in the middle but there’s no doubt that we would have complete trust in Chris Beard and Mark Adam’s ability to make such a scenario work.