The bench: Zhaire Smith, Jahmi’us Ramsey, John Roberson, Alan Voskuil, Jordan Tolbert, Zach Smith, Toddrick Gotcher
You could take the DFW team’s bench and make a heck of a run towards a Big 12 title. Led by the two one-and-done Red Raiders, this is a group that would check all the boxes.
First of all, this bench would have off the charts athleticism and versatility thanks to Zhaire Smith and Zach Smith. Zhaire could have become a starter on this team had he hung around for his entire career but he became the first Texas Tech freshman to head to the NBA when he parlayed his 11.3-point, 5-rebound, 1.8-assist 2017-18 season into the No. 16 overall pick by the Phoenix Suns, who then traded him to Philadelphia on draft night.
Meanwhile, Zach did hang around for four years. During that time, he averaged 8.8 points and 6.4 rebounds. What’s more, had he not been injured for two months of his senior year, he would have set the program record for blocks.
There would also be plenty of 3-point shooting on this bench. Alan Voskuil was a career 44.1% 3-point shooter. That’s the best in Tech history for a player who spent more than one season in Lubbock.
Jahmi’us Ramsey would be another weapon from deep. In his only year with Tech, he shot 42.6% from distance on his way to 15 points per game, the most ever by a Red Raider freshman.
Providing more size and productivity in the post would be Jordan Tolbert. In three seasons with Tech, the 6-foot-7 Fort Worth product averaged 10.7 points and 5.7 points per game. He and Ramsey are the only two freshmen to ever lead Tech in scoring for a season.
At backup PG would be Plano’s John Roberson. In addition to scoring 13.7 points per game, he is Tech’s all-time leader in assists with 636.
Finally, this roster would bring the versatile and rugged Toddrick Gotcher off the bench. Despite being just 6-foot-4, the Garland native was strong enough to defend larger guards and forwards. What’s more, he was a true leader who set the tone both on and off the court. For his career, he averaged 7 points and 2.7 rebounds, numbers that don’t jump off the page but every good team needs someone to do the dirty work and Gotcher had no problem doing that for the Red Raiders.