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Texas Tech basketball: Andrei Savrasov enters transfer portal

By Matthew Conner

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - JANUARY 29: Forward Andrei Savrasov of the Texas Tech Red Raiders shoots the ball while wearing a shirt honoring the late Kobe Bryant during warmups before the college basketball game against the West Virginia Mountaineers on January 29, 2020 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - JANUARY 29: Forward Andrei Savrasov of the Texas Tech Red Raiders shoots the ball while wearing a shirt honoring the late Kobe Bryant during warmups before the college basketball game against the West Virginia Mountaineers on January 29, 2020 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
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The 2020-21 Texas Tech basketball roster took another important step towards coming into focus on Thursday when we learned that forward Andrei Savrasov has entered the transfer portal.

With no live sports to consume our interest, Texas Tech basketball fans have made trying to figure out the 2020-21 roster a full-time obsession.  That picture became a bit clearer on Thursday when it was reported that forward Andrei Savrasov entered the transfer portal to bring the number of players in the mix for one of the 13 scholarships available for next season to 14.  The move was reported on Twitter by Verbal Commits.

As a redshirt freshman this past season, the Russian national who enrolled at Tech in January of 2019, averaged just 1.1 points per game in 21 appearances.  Averaging a mere 4.7 minutes per game, he saw less time on the court than any other player on the roster making his decision to seek other opportunities less than surprising.

The 6-foot-7 forward had only three games in which he made more than one shot from the field.  Against both Creighton and TCU, he sank two three-pointers and at Iowa State, he came up with five points on 2-2 shooting.

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Possessing a textbook jump shot, he has a skill that can translate to the college game.  However, he often appeared to be overwhelmed by the speed and physicality of the Big 12 and when he did play, he simply was not able to look like the player that some had reported seeing in practices.

After Savrasov enrolled at Tech for the spring 2019 semester, he redshirted to spend time developing in the weight room and to become acclimated to the Texas Tech system.  During that semester, he was rumored to be surprisingly effective during practices and scrimmages giving some the thought that he might be a steal on the recruiting trail.  Unfortunately, that didn’t turn out to be the case.

Had Savrasov decided to remain a Red Raider, he would have been buried even further from the court next year than he was in his first year on campus.  With Kevin McCullar and Terrence Shannon Jr. both set to return for their sophomore seasons, the return of redshirt freshman Tyreek Smith from a foot injury that cost him all of this past season, and incoming freshmen Micah Peavy and Chibuzo Agbo Jr. all playing the same position, it would have been tough to imagine Savrasov being able to carve out a role for himself.

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Tech still has to open up at least one spot in order to have a scholarship for all of the players that are currently set to be on next year’s roster.  What’s more, the possible return of Jahmi’us Ramsey should he not like what he learns about his NBA Draft stock could mean that Chris Beard will have to open up at least two more spots.  But we have at least gained a bit more clarity about what the next edition of the Texas Tech basketball program will look like.

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