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Texas Tech Basketball:Joel Ntambwe’s waiver denied, what that means for Red Raiders

By Matthew Conner

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 28: Joel Ntambwe #24 of the UNLV Rebels is fouled as he drives against Deion Lavender #2 of the Valparaiso Crusaders during their game at the Thomas & Mack Center on November 28, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Crusaders defeated the Rebels 72-64. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 28: Joel Ntambwe #24 of the UNLV Rebels is fouled as he drives against Deion Lavender #2 of the Valparaiso Crusaders during their game at the Thomas & Mack Center on November 28, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Crusaders defeated the Rebels 72-64. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Jonathan Devich/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jonathan Devich/Getty Images) /

If Ntambwe is here for two more years, it could help Tech on the recruiting trail…massively

Don’t think that Joel Ntambwe is at Tech for any reason other than his basketball ability.  This roster is built to compete immediately and Beard wouldn’t waste a scholarship on a player he didn’t think could help.

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But one ancillary benefit of Ntambwe’s presence at Tech is that it opens the door for the Red Raiders to get in the mix for his younger brother, Jonathan Kuminga, the top player in the 2021 recruiting class.  Recently, Kuminga included Tech in his top 10 and that has to be in part because his brother is a Red Raider.

Look at the timelines for each brother and we can see how the ruling against Ntambwe might be beneficial on this front.  There are people that suggest Ntambwe has an NBA future.  In fact, he went through the draft evaluation process this offseason.

If he had played this year and excelled, he could have gone on to the draft this summer, over a full year before his brother were to be a freshman thus taking away Tech’s best shot at Kuminga.  But if Ntambwe plays next year and doesn’t go to the draft but instead decided to refine his game for another year, he could play as a junior in 2021-22, the year that Kuminga will start his college career.

Way back in 2017, Ntambwe spoke about his interesting in playing with his brother at the next level.

"Speaking to Zach Smart of PrepHoops.com , Ntambwe said of his little brother, “I’d love to be on the same court with him, whether on his team or against him because we would both want to put on a show. It would be special since we are family.”"

It’s too far away to know how the battle for Kuminga will play out.  Some think he might reclassify into the 2020 class, which he has since said he isn’t going to do.

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Regardless, the presence of his brother on the roster is an added bonus for the Red Raiders.  If Ntambwe and Kuminga decide to join forces in Lubbock, we might look back on Ntambwe’s redshirt year in 2019-20 as a minor setback that eventually led to a huge payoff the for Red Raiders.

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