Texas Tech basketball: Russel Tchewa has entered transfer portal
Thursday, 7-foot forward Russel Tchewa entered the transfer portal after just one year with the Texas Tech basketball program.
The crowded Texas Tech basketball roster saw one scholarship open up on Thursday when 7-footer Russel Techewa entered the transfer portal. We expected there to be some movement at the bottom of the roster given that the program is set to welcome five newcomers while seeing only two seniors depart but Tchewa was a player many hoped would remain.
A fan favorite despite playing only sparingly, the 260-pounder captured the fascination of the fan base because of his sheer size. As a true freshman, he appeared in only 23 total games averaging 1.7 points and 0.9 rebounds per game in 5.1 minutes. But there were two instances when he flashed some potential and became one of the most popular players on the team.
Against Kentucky, he blocked a shot before scoring on back-to-back possessions (including a 17-foot jumper) to give Tech a lead late in the first half. Later, when facing Kansas, he had another block before finishing a dunk over a defender to draw a foul and after he converted the 3-point play, Tech trailed by just one point after trailing by seven points just a couple of minutes earlier.
But at other times, Tchewa looked overwhelmed by the speed of the college game. Never certain where to be, especially on defense, he was never able to seem comfortable on the court and that led to moments of awkward timidity.
It’s fair to wonder whether his game would ever be a fit for what Chris Beard wants to do, especially on offense. Tchewa might function better in a system where he can post up on the block and operate with his back to the bucket rather than in Tech’s motion offense that asks every player to handle the ball, make good passes, and hit open mid-range jumpers.
On the other end of the floor, Tech asks even its big men to be agile enough to guard any player on the court and while Tchewa was far from being a statue, he didn’t seem to be the prototypical Beard big man.
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Interestingly, he becomes the third Texas Tech player to have played high school basketball at Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut to transfer out of Beard’s program. Two of them did so after just one year.
It began when Malik Ondigo, a 6-foot-11 forward, entered the portal after his sophomore season (2018-19) eventually ending up at rice. Last offseason also saw Putnam product Josh Mballa leave Lubbock for Buffalo where the 6-foot-8 forward had a nice season in 2019-20 by putting up 10.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.
Now, Tchewa makes it three Putnam players to have their stay in Lubbock end prematurely and it leaves Tech with a need for another big man. Right now, the only player on the roster over 6-foot-9 is recently committed JUCO product Esahia Nyiwe, an athletic 6-foot-10 forward who may remind Texas Tech fans of former forward Tariq Owens in the way that he plays above the rim.
Next. Big men that Tech could add in the transfer portal. dark
Many Red Raider fans are keeping a close eye on 7-foot-3 Purdue grad transfer Matt Haarms, who has Tech in his top 10 and who could make his decision any day now. But for now, we know that the first roster domino has fallen. It won’t be the last.