Texas Tech basketball: Productive transfer guard visiting Red Raiders

With the recent departures of both Kevin McCullar Jr. and Terrence Shannon Jr., the Texas Tech basketball program still has holes to fill at the guard/wing position.  One name to watch is Dominick Welch, a senior guard who played the past four seasons at St. Bonaventure and who is now on a visit to Texas Tech.

Entering both the transfer portal and the NBA Draft evaluation process, Welch has followed the path that so many of today’s college players take. It is now customary for a player to test the NBA waters at least once during his college career while maintaining their eligibility and Welch has followed suit.

Last season, the Buffalo, NY native averaged 12.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game for the Bonnies, numbers that are more than respectable.  And at 6-foot-5, he fits the physical mold that Texas Tech basketball head coach Mark Adams seems to covet.

But should Welch decide to play for Adams, he might have to grow accustomed to spending less time on the floor than he has thus far in his college career.  This past season, he logged a whopping 37.5 minutes per game, nearly eight minutes more per game than any Red Raider played.

Adams asks his players to go all-out on every possession, especially on the defensive end of the floor, and as a result, he substitutes far more freely than almost any coach in the NCAA.  In fact, last year, no Red Raider averaged 30 minutes of playing time per game.

On the other hand, Welch does bring to the table expertise that Adams seems to be targeting this offseason.  He can shoot the 3-ball.

A career 37.4% shooter from beyond the arc, Welch has never shot worse than 36.1% from deep in a season.  Similarly, he’s never averaged fewer than 1.7 made 3s per game in any of his collegiate campaigns.

Last year, he put up an average of 7.4 shots from downtown per outing making on average 2.8 of them.  Both of those numbers were career highs.

Already this year, Tech has added quality 3-point shooters in the form of D’maurian Williams (a career 38.8% shooter from deep) and De’Vion Harmon (who shot 36.7% from 3-point range in 2021-22).  Now, it is possible that Welch could give Tech another weapon from the outside, which would be music to Red Raiders’ ears after seeing Adams’ team finish last in the Big 12 in 3-point shooting during conference play in 2022 at a measly 28%.

For certain, Welch’s scoring punch would be a welcome addition to a Red Raider roster tasked with replacing seven of its top eight scorers from this season.  With four 20-point and 22 double-digit scoring outputs for the Bonnies this season, Welch proved that he can be a reliable offensive option.  What’s more, he has some nice games against good teams including a season-high 25 points against Xavier in the N.I.T. and 15 points against UCONN.

This offseason, Adams seems to be prioritizing players who can provide more of a consistent scoring punch.  He’s especially making a concerted effort to improve his program’s 3-point shooting.  Adding Welch might address both of those desires and that’s why Texas Tech fans should keep their eyes on this recruiting battle over the next few days and weeks.