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Texas Tech basketball: High-scoring transfer forward hears from Red Raiders

By Matthew Conner

Florida Gators guard Tyree Appleby (22) grabs the arm of Oral Roberts Golden Eagles forward Kevin Obanor (0) in the second half during the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 21, 2021, at Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, Ind. Mandatory Credit: Denny Simmons/IndyStar via USA TODAY Sports
Florida Gators guard Tyree Appleby (22) grabs the arm of Oral Roberts Golden Eagles forward Kevin Obanor (0) in the second half during the second round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 21, 2021, at Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, Ind. Mandatory Credit: Denny Simmons/IndyStar via USA TODAY Sports /
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Trying to put the finishing touches on his initial roster as Texas Tech basketball head coach, Mark Adams appears to be searching for more help in the low post.  That’s why a new entrant into the transfer portal is worth keeping an eye on despite the fact that he’s hoping to play in the NBA this coming season.

Oral Roberts University transfer forward Kevin Obanor put his name in the portal this week instantly becoming one of the most prominent players on the closest thing college basketball has to an open market. After averaging 18.7 points and 9.6 rebounds last season, the 6-foot-8 big man is going to have plenty of suitors but his heart appears set on playing in the NBA as he is currently going through the draft evaluation process and meeting with individual teams.

Of course, that hasn’t prevented college programs from reaching out to him just in case he decides to come back for one more year of NCAA hoops.  And according to Jeff Goodman, Tech is one of the programs to have expressed interest.

It’s interesting to see how Tech has been operating on the recruiting front in recent days.  That’s because Adams’ efforts suggest that he may not be fully comfortable with what his team has in the mix at the post positions.

The good news is that Marcus Santos-Silva is back for his final season and UTEP transfer Bryson Williams (who scored over 15 points per game last season) has also signed with the Red Raiders.  In 2020-21, that duo combined to put up 23.4 points and 13.7 rebounds per contest and they should combine to form one heck of a forward duo.  But it is clear the Red Raiders want more size on the roster.

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In addition to kicking the tires on Obanor, Tech has also recently offered a scholarship to 6-foot-9 Portland State transfer Amari McCray, who recently included the Red Raiders in his top five schools.

That development and the interest in Obanor might make one believe that 7-foot Arizona transfer Daniel Batcho might not be ready to play a key role this season.  That shouldn’t come as a surprise given that the native of France missed all of his true freshman season with an injury and has yet to step on the court in a college basketball game.

But as for Obanor, he’s more than ready to do battle at the Big 12 level.  This past March, he put up 30 points and 11 boards to help the No. 15 seed ORU Golden Eagles upset No. 2 Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.   What’s more, two days later he had 28 points and 11 boards in an upset of Florida to send ORU to the Sweet 16.

The good news is that the NBA’s deadline to withdrawn from the draft arrives in just over two weeks on July 19th.  Therefore, players such as Obanor and Tech’s Terrence Shannon Jr. will be making their intentions known fairly soon.  If Tech gets either one, it will be a tremendous development for Adams.  But if both somehow decide to call the South Plains home for the upcoming season…look out.

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