Texas Tech basketball: Three newcomers we can’t wait to see in action
Chris Beard has become a wizard when it comes to the way he puts together his roster. That’s because almost every offseason since his arrival has seen massive turnover as he constantly reworks the ingredients in order to find what he hopes is a championship mix.
That means that every year, Red Raider fans have some new faces that we have to get to know. Long gone are the days when the program would add only two or three newcomers per offseason as was often the case during the Bob Knight and James Dickey eras.
In fact, since the offseason prior to the 2017-18 season, Beard has brought 27 new faces to town. That’s an average of 6.7 per year.
This year is no exception as the Red Raiders have welcomed seven additions. Four of those are true freshmen while three are transfers. But interestingly, only one of those transfers, Marcus Santos-Silva, is a grad transfer, a market that Beard has mined rather heavily and successfully in the last two offseasons.
We can expect to see six of those additions in action this year with all four of the freshmen and Santos-Silva virtually guaranteed to have some type of role in Beard’s rotation. However, we aren’t sure which transfer guard, Mac McClung or Jamarius Burton, will be part of this year’s plan.
If Beard and Burton have their way, Butron will redshirt this year. That has been his intention since he transferred in from Wichita State. However, he has applied for and was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility.
But if he wants to sit out the season, why would he apply for a waiver? He did so to help his team in case McClung, the Georgetown transfer is not granted his own waiver.
Tech has constructed this roster with the belief that the dynamic guard will eventually be allowed to play in 2020-21. But as of right now, he’s still waiting for that good news and until then, Burton will be looked at as an insurance policy in case the NCAA rules against McClung.
So let’s begin the process of learning about these new Red Raiders by taking a look at the three we are most excited to see in action this year. And we will begin with the highest-rated player to ever sign with the program.