Texas Tech basketball: 5 questions as Red Raiders begin camp

Is Davide Moretti ready to be a team leader in all aspects?

For the past two years, guard Davide Moretti has been one of the program’s most important role players.  But even last year when he started and was second on the team in scoring at 11.5 points per game, he was not asked to be a leader.

With Jarrett Culver leading the team on the floor and guys like Norense Odiase setting the tone in the locker room, Moretti was allowed to settle into a support role and he thrived.

But this year, he’s the team’s most experienced player in the sense that he’s the one that’s been in the program the longest.   As the team’s only returning starter, he will be expected to pick up the slack on the court and set the tone on the practice floor or in the weight room.

This is a natural progression for players of Moretti’s caliber but it is fair to wonder if he has the game and the personality to be that type of figure for this year’s team.

Moretti is more of a spot-up shooter and distributor, which every team needs.  But when the game is at critical junctures, will he be able to lead the way by making plays the way Keenan Evans and Culver did the last two years?  He’s come up big in critical moments such as last year’s Elite 8 win over Gonzaga but now that he’ll be even more of a focal point in the offense, will he have what it takes to be the man with the game on the line?

Perhaps even more importantly, will he be able to lead vocally?  He comes across as a rather quiet guy, which is not unusual for players from overseas.  But as one of only a handful of players that have been in the program for multiple years, it will be important for him to show his teammates how to meet Beard’s expectations.

That’s where a guy like Odiase was so critical last year.  When he spoke, his teammates listened. Other guys on the team like walk-on Avery Benson are capable of leading by example, especially off the court, but your best players carry the most weight and have the most influence when they speak and that’s not going to be Benson’s place.

Tech has only three upperclassmen on this roster and Moretti is the only one that has played a full season for Beard.  It will be imperative for him to step into a leadership role this season which is going to push him as a player and as a person.