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Texas Tech basketball: Wildcards on the 2019-20 Red Raider roster

By Matthew Conner

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 08: The Texas Tech Red Raiders stand for the national anthem prior to the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four National Championship game against the Virginia Cavaliers at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 08: The Texas Tech Red Raiders stand for the national anthem prior to the 2019 NCAA men's Final Four National Championship game against the Virginia Cavaliers at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 08, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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Is 7-foot freshman Russell Tchewa ready for big minutes?

It is as tough to project the future of 7-footers in basketball as it is to project what 300-pound high school linemen will become in football.  Humans that large are so rare, their physique so unique and prone to injury, that no one really knows how they will develop as they mature.

For this year’s team to be as good as we hope it will be, Tech needs 7-foot true freshman Russell Tchewa to play significant minutes.  After all, he’s the only player on the roster over 6-foot-8.

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Life in the Big 12 can be rugged in the post.  This year alone, Tech will have to battle Kansas’ 7-foot monster Udoka Azubuike and 6-foot-11 Derrick Culver of West Virginia.  The Mountaineers, in fact, will have as many as four players 6-foot-10 or taller to throw at opponents.

Tech doesn’t have that luxury this year.  That’s why Tchewa is going to have to play, whether he’s ready or not.

A mid-level 3-star prospect when he signed, he was the No. 71 center in the nation last year.  He held offers from no other schools because he committed to the Red Raiders in October of last year.

"Brian Snow of 247Sports has the following scouting report: “A 7-footer with broad shoulders and long arms, he has all of the physical traits to be a high-level player. However, he has a long way to go with his offensive game. Needs to continue to get stronger and get more experience with his game. If the skills can catch up to the physical profile, he is someone who could project as a defense-first center who scores opportunistically.”"

In the Bahamas this year, Tchewa looked much more nimble and athletic than some scouting reports suggested he might be.  Still, he’s about as far from a finished product as Beard has on this roster.

The ceiling for Techewa is high.  But Tech can’t wait three years for him to reach his full potential.  This is a player who brings something to the court that no other player on the team can and if he is ready to handle critical minutes in the Big 12, it will do wonders for the Red Raiders this season.

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