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Texas Tech basketball: Surprises from the Red Raiders season-opener

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 05: Head Coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts to a call during the first half of the college basketball game against the Eastern Illinois Panthers at United Supermarkets Arena on November 05, 2019 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 05: Head Coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts to a call during the first half of the college basketball game against the Eastern Illinois Panthers at United Supermarkets Arena on November 05, 2019 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
(Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

Freshman Terrence Shannon Jr. gets the start over Chris Clarke

Since the moment guard/forward Chris Clarke transferred to Tech after three years at Virginia Tech, it was assumed that he’d be inserted into the starting lineup given that he’s one of only two seniors on the team.  What’s more, he was a fantastic player for the Hokies as he brought career averages of 9.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.03 steals to Lubbock.

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However, it was freshman Terrence Shannon Jr. who got the starting nod over Clarke.   He joined Ramsey, Holyfield, Davide Moretti, and Kyler Edwards in the starting five and he more than held his own.

In fact, he had arguably the best all-around game on the team aside from Holyfield.  Shannon displayed an uncanny knack for getting to the rim, especially with his dominant left hand.  That resulted in eight free throw attempts of which he made seven.

The 6-foot-7 athlete also proved to be amazingly versatile on the defensive end of the floor.  Though like all of the freshmen, he isn’t always certain where he needs to be on every defensive rotation, his over-the-top athleticism allows him to recover quickly while also guarding multiple spots on the court.

Meanwhile, Clarke was one of the first players off Beard’s bench.  He saw 19 minutes, only five fewer than Shannon, which was important because he is working his way back into competitive form after being suspended for the entirety of last season because of off-court issues.

Clarke looked a bit out of sorts at times, especially on offense where he scored just two points on 1-3 shooting.  It almost looked like the game speed was a bit more than he was ready for, which is not all that surprising given how long he’s been away from that type of action.

But the fact that he was passed up for a starting job by a true freshman is telling.  On one hand, it’s hard to know without being in the coaches’ meetings if this was a result of poor performance in practice or whether it was simply a strategic decision by Beard to have some experience to bring off his bench.

In the end, starting roles are only important for the pride of those that begin the game.  Far more critical is the lineup that closes games, which could still be Clarke given his experience in the A.C.C.  But when Shannon was introduced in the starting lineup rather than Clarke, quite a few eyebrows were raised in the U.S.A.

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