Now that the recruiting dead period that stretched back to last March is finally over, Lubbock and the Texas Tech basketball program can start putting their collective best foot forward by hosting potential recruits and transfers in person. And on Tuesday, multiple outlets reported on social media that UTEP forward Bryson Williams was in the 806 to get a look at what Mark Adams and his program have to offer.
Landing the 6-foot-8 do-it-all forward would be perhaps Adams’ biggest coup to date. After all, Williams averaged 15.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game this past season for the Miners.
He is a versatile scorer who can get buckets away from the rim, something Tech needs given that Marcus Santos-Silva lives in the paint area. Thus, adding another post who has to be within ten feet of the bucket to score would not make much sense from an offensive perspective.
But having Williams and Santos-Silva man the forward spots would not only be a perfect offensive marriage, but it would also give Tech two high-level rebounders who compete as hard as any player in the NCAA. That would be crucial in the rugged Big 12.
A first-team All-Conference USA selection this past year, Williams was the only player in his league to rank in the top five in the conference in both points and rebounds. What’s more, he shot 49.9% from the field and a solid 81.1% from the free-throw stripe.
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It is believed that Tech will still add another post piece to the roster this offseason. That’s because so far, Santos-Silva and 7-foot Arizona transfer Daniel Batcho are the only big men on the roster and the latter of those two has yet to play a single minute of college basketball after sitting out his entire freshman season in 2020-21 due to injury.
Make no mistake, Williams is Tech’s preference when it comes to available post players. But if he decides to head elsewhere, the Red Raiders may decide to pursue 6-foot-11 TCU transfer, Kevin Samuel. But the former Frog wouldn’t be nearly as perfect of a match with Santos-Silva as Williams would be given that he does almost all of his work on offense right at the rim.
Currently, Tech has added six transfers to the program since Adams took over in early April. However, that number is certain to grow as there are as many as four open scholarships to be filled before the 2021-22 season arrives.
Williams might be the top remaining uncommitted or unsigned player in the transfer portal and that’s why his official visit to Lubbock on Tuesday is such an important development. So keep your eyes and ears open for news about this Texas Tech basketball target because he could help make next year’s Red Raiders into a contender in the Big 12.