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Texas Tech basketball: Top questions facing Red Raiders during the offseason

By Matthew Conner

AUSTIN, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 08: Kevin McCullar #15 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders plays defense against the Texas Longhorns at The Frank Erwin Center on February 08, 2020 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 08: Kevin McCullar #15 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders plays defense against the Texas Longhorns at The Frank Erwin Center on February 08, 2020 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /
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Guard Immanuel Quickley #5 of the Kentucky Wildcats has his shot attempt blocked by center Russel Tchewa #54 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders  (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
Guard Immanuel Quickley #5 of the Kentucky Wildcats has his shot attempt blocked by center Russel Tchewa #54 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders  (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

Will Beard bring more size to the roster?

It’s fair to suggest that the 2019-20 team’s greatest flaw was a lack of size in the post.  With the only regular member of the rotation being 6-foot-8 T.J. Holyfield, Tech was often exposed on the glass.

Now, Holyfield and Chris Clarke, the team’s two top rebounders, are out of eligibility unless the NCAA makes the unlikely decision to allow seniors to play one more year being as their careers were cut short by the coronavirus outbreak. That seems a long shot though as respected college basketball reporter John Rothstein recently tweeted that an extra year for winter sports athletes is “unlikely”.

Thus, the biggest priority for Beard is replacing the 11.1 rebounds per game that he got from the Holyfield and Clarke duo this season.  What’s more, that tandem also gave Tech 15.6 points per game, most of which came in the paint.

Being able to count on Ntambwe next season will be a significant piece of the puzzle.  A year ago, the 6-foot-8 forward averaged 11.8 points and 5.8 rebounds while primarily playing power forward for the Running Rebels.

Also, the Red Raiders have 7-foot Russell Tchewa set to be back for his sophomore year.  How he develops after averaging 1.7 points and 0.9 rebounds per game in very limited action this year will be critical and whether or not Beard believes that Tchewa is ready to play a much more significant role in his second year will be one of the evaluations that guides how the head coach puts together next year’s roster.

But regardless, it seems as if Tech is going to be in the grad transfer market for some extra size.  We recently discussed Beard’s pursuit of Kevin Marfo, a 6-foot-8 forward who led the NCAA in rebounding this season and who has recently entered the grad transfer portal.

It would be surprising if Beard doesn’t bring in at least one more forward to supplement his roster next season.  Even with 6-foot-7 Tyreke Smith set to return after missing all season with a broken foot, Beard can’t go into next season without upgrading his team’s ability to compete in the paint and how he does that will be worth paying attention to.

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