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Texas Tech basketball: Red Raiders contact UTEP transfer

By Matthew Conner

UTEP player Bryson Williams looks for a teammate to pass the ball to. UTEP defeated the University of Texas at San Antonio 69-51 at the Don Haskins Center on Jan. 30, 2021.Utep Vs Utsa Game 2 008
UTEP player Bryson Williams looks for a teammate to pass the ball to. UTEP defeated the University of Texas at San Antonio 69-51 at the Don Haskins Center on Jan. 30, 2021.Utep Vs Utsa Game 2 008 /
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For most of the time that Mark Adams has been in charge of the Texas Tech basketball program, the emphasis when it comes to talent acquisition has been on guards.  But this program also needs to add some size in the post with the departures of Tyreek Smith and Vlad Goldin.

One target that Texas Tech would be thrilled to add is UTEP forward Bryson Williams who is in the transfer portal.  The 6-foot-8, 230-pound grad transfer averaged 15.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game this past season and he’s become one of the hottest names in the new world of college basketball free agency.

Williams tweeted on April 17 that he had heard from Texas Tech along with USC, Texas, and Oklahoma.  Since then, he’s also tweeted that he’s been contacted by the likes of Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Washington, Texas A&M, Arkansas, DePaul, San Diego State, and Washington State.

Originally, the native of Fresno, California played for his hometown team, Fresno State.  But he would transfer to UTEP after just one season with the Bulldogs.

In 2019-20, he was a first-team All Conference-USA selection after putting up 17.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.  This year, he was a third-team all-conference selection as he scored in double digits for the third season in his career.

Williams had five games with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds this year.  That included 22 and 10 against Arizona State and 23 and 13 against Kansas as UTEP nearly stunned the Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse.

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Though many Texas Tech basketball fans want the Red Raiders to add some serious height to the roster after two straight seasons in which the program has featured no player over 6-foot-8 in the regular rotation, Williams would be a tremendous addition and would pair with 6-foot-7 Marcus Santos-Silva to give the Red Raiders a fantastic duo in the post.

It’s likely that those two wouldn’t see the floor together all that often given that they are essentially the same style of player.  Both shot right around 50% from the floor last season and each is most comfortable playing a physical brand of basketball near the goal.

But whereas Santos-Silva has never attempted a 3-point basket in his college career, Williams will occasionally let it fly from deep.  This season, he attempted 68 3-pointers, the second-most of his career.  The problem is that he made only 19 (27.9%).

In the end, Tech needs to add some more size and Williams would be one of the best options to do so in the portal.  But to land him, Adams is going to have to win a recruiting battle that includes Texas, which now employs Rodney Terry, Williams’ former head coach for the last three years at UTEP.

Though this is not a Tariq Owens type of big man, this is a productive forward who would add some serious punch to the Red Raider roster.  So here’s hoping that he decides to stay in West Texas for one more year.

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