Texas Tech basketball: Jahmi’us Ramsey goes off in the Bahamas
T.J. Holyfield is better than he’s shown thus far
One of the key offseason additions to the roster was grad transfer T.J. Holyfield. But the native of Albuquerque who has spent his entire career at Stephen F. Austin has not played in a real game since the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament when the Lumberjacks lost to the Red Raiders in Dallas.
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Working his way back from a right shoulder injury that sidelined him all of last season, Holyfield has shown considerable rust thus far in the Bahamas. That’s why this foreign tour is as important to him as any player on the team because it allows him to find his game legs again in a low-pressure situation.
Thursday, he had just two points on 1/5 shooting while grabbing only one rebound. But his playing time increased from 14:47 in game-one to 23:11 in game-two.
Stats may not be as important to Holyfield as the time he simply spends on the court going up and down, absorbing contact, and remembering what it was that made him such an effective player prior to the injury.
In 2018, he averaged 12.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. A two-time All-Southland Conference honoree, the 6-foot-8 forward has 1,081 points, 595 rebounds and 134 blocked shots in his career thus far and figures to be a key factor for the Red Raiders this year.
In fact, he is Tech’s only veteran post presence. The other big men on the roster are the true freshmen Tchewa and Smith meaning that Holyfield is going to have to carry a huge portion of the load on the blocks this season.
Next. Takeaways from Tech's first game in the Bahamas. dark
By looking at what he has done thus far in the Bahamas, it might not seem like Holyfield is living up to the hype that surrounded his commitment this summer. However, as he continues to work his way back into basketball form this week, keep in mind that his main goal is just to remember what it’s like to play games against someone other than your teammates again.