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Texas Tech basketball: Red Raiders reportedly pursuing NCAA’s top rebounder

By Matthew Conner

PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 10: Kevin Marfo #45 of the Quinnipiac Bobcats in action against Jermaine Samuels #23 of the Villanova Wildcats during a game at Wells Fargo Center on November 10, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 10: Kevin Marfo #45 of the Quinnipiac Bobcats in action against Jermaine Samuels #23 of the Villanova Wildcats during a game at Wells Fargo Center on November 10, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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Scouting Marfo

When Marfo signed with George Washington out of high school, he was rated the No. 190 player in the class of 2016 and the No. 46 power forward in the nation by 247Sports.  He held offers from only a handful of teams such as Boston College, G.W., Albany, Monmouth, Providence, Vermont, and Wagner.  In other words, the New Jersey native was rather overlooked.

As a freshman with George Washington, he appeared in 23 games and averaged 2.8 rebounds and 2.7 points per game while playing just 8.9 minutes per contest.  After that season, he transferred to Quinnipiac of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

After sitting out for a year per NCAA transfer rules, Marfo had a decent 2018-19 season.  Playing in 25 games and making eleven starts, he pulled down 7.5 rebounds and scored 5.4 points per game.

But in 2019-20, he became one of the most dominant mid-major big men in the game.  He started 29 of 31 games and logged just over 28 minutes per contest.

In every game this year, he grabbed at least 10 rebounds.  What’s more, he had 17 double-doubles as his scoring output almost doubled from last season.

It is worth considering that his rebounding numbers dip severely against major conference teams.  His 13 rebounds at Miami (FL) this season are his only double-digit rebounding game against a major conference foe.  In all, he’s averaged 5.6 rebounds per game in six outings against teams from one of the top six leagues in the nation.

Also worth noting is the fact that Marfo averaged a career-high 1.2 blocks per game this season.  Previously, he had never averaged more than 0.5 per game in any season.

This is a player who would be more out of the mold of Norense Odiase rather than T.J. Holyfield.  A true brawler down low, he isn’t the type of modern-day pick-and-pop offensive player who will be looking to score from outside the lane.

In fact, this season he attempted just three shots from behind the arc, making only one.  Those are the only three attempts he has had from three-point range in his college career.

While the jump shot is not a huge part of his arsenal, the free-throw line is.  This year, he attempted 175 free throws (making 71%).  That’s 71 more trips to the line than Tech’s leader in attempts, Terrence Shannon Jr., shot this year.

Credit Marfo’s improvement in that aspect of the game.  After shooting just 53.6% as a freshman and 63.2% last year, he hit at a career-high rate this season.

Life in the Big 12 requires teams to have muscle and intimidation inside despite the fact that the game continues to trend towards big men that want to play farther and farther away from the bucket.  Keep in mind that the two teams that sat atop the Big 12 standings, Kansas and Baylor, had a pair of big men in Udoka Azubuike and Freddie Gillespie respectively who played the role of the post player that likes to mix it up in the paint and adding Marfo could give Tech a similar presence next season, which is something that this roster was missing in 2019-20.

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