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Texas Tech basketball: What the addition of Joel Ntambwe means for the program

By Matthew Conner

RENO, NEVADA - FEBRUARY 27: Tre'Shawn Thurman #0 of the Nevada Wolf Pack watches as Joel Ntambwe #24 of the UNLV Rebels takes a jump shot during the game between the Nevada Wolf Pack and the UNLV Rebels at Lawlor Events Center on February 27, 2019 in Reno, Nevada. (Photo by Jonathan Devich/Getty Images)
RENO, NEVADA - FEBRUARY 27: Tre'Shawn Thurman #0 of the Nevada Wolf Pack watches as Joel Ntambwe #24 of the UNLV Rebels takes a jump shot during the game between the Nevada Wolf Pack and the UNLV Rebels at Lawlor Events Center on February 27, 2019 in Reno, Nevada. (Photo by Jonathan Devich/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
(Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /

The core of the basketball program is extremely young

Chris Beard loves experienced players and having age on his roster has always seemed like a priority.  He has relied heavily on such seniors as Odiase, Francis, Mooney and Owens this past year as well as Keenan Evans, Justin Gray and Niem Stevenson in 2017-18.

And that’s why he has added Holyfield and Clarke to pair with juniors Moretti and Deshawn Corprew to give his roster some grizzled veterans.  But even with those players in the mix, the core of this team is extremely young.

This year, we can expect sophomore Kyler Edwards to assume an increased role after a strong NCAA Tournament showing.  Many think he could be in for the same type of improvement that Davide Moretti showed in his second season on campus.

And at least five freshmen will be part of the rotation in 2019-20 as Ramsey, Smith, Tchewa, Savrasov and McCullar are all expected to play important minutes all season.  And Shannon and Nadolny are talented enough to be in the conversation for playing time as well.  Plus, Ntambwe will be only a sophomore when he steps foot on the court in the fall of 2020.

In other words, the core of this team is in place and for the next two seasons, it looks to be extremely young, albeit extremely talented.  None of the 2019 freshmen signees are considered one-and-done NBA prospects (but of course, neither was Zhaire Smith) so this is a roster that Red Raider fans should become familiar with because many of these names are going to be around for quite some time.  And with three years of eligibility remaining, Joel Ntambwe is another face that could be part this program for a significant amount of time.

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