Throughout the years, the Texas Tech basketball program has benefitted from the additions of a number of foreign-born players. Davide Moretti, Brandone Francis, and Clarence Nadolny were recent fan-favorites who were born outside of the U.S. while as far back as the Bob Knight era, international players such as Esmir Rizvic, Robert Tomaszek, and Pawel Storozynski all played roles as serviceable big men.
Now, the Red Raiders are returning to the overseas talent pool to fill out Grant McCasland’s initial roster. Friday, Finland native Eemeli Yalaho announced his commitment to Texas Tech bringing the rebuilt program one step closer to filling all of next season’s scholarship allotment.
A 6-foot-8 forward who will be a true freshman this season after completing his high school career at a prep school in Ohio is a bit of a wildcard given how much of his development occurred on the European circuit. (But then again, aren’t all true freshmen wildcards?)
This summer, Yalaho represent his home country in the FIBA U18 European Championship. Averaging 8.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists over the course of seven games, the 18-year-old showed that he has a well-rounded game opening some eyes and garnering him some NCAA opportunities.
WreckEm !!!! pic.twitter.com/CjEIWePgvp
— Eemeli Yalaho (@eemeliyalaho) May 19, 2023
In addition to Tech, Yalaho also took an official visit to Nebraska earlier this month. Other programs to extend offers his way include Georgetown, Colorado State, Mississippi State, North Texas, Providence, and Toledo.
There simply isn’t much footage of Yalaho in action. The high school and club circuit in Finland is nowhere near as passionately followed as similar circuits in the U.S.
Still, from what little there is to see of Yalaho’s game, it appears that he’s most comfortable operating in the lane where his broad 230-pound frame pays dividends. He can score off of traditional post moves as well as via offensive rebounds, skills Tech needs to add to its roster.
He also shows an ability to hit shots from 3-point range however his jumper is deliberate and a bit slow meaning that most of his looks come when he’s wide open and he can measure his shot. There aren’t many indications that he’s able to shoot from deep off the dribble, at least not in the highlights I was able to find.
Ultimately, this might be a player that McCasland is taking a flier on. Of course, Red Raider fans may be skeptical about that approach given the recent run of international players who have come to Lubbock only to stay for a year or two at most before moving on.
Such players as Daniel Batcho, Elijah Fisher, Russell Tchewa, Vlad Goldin, Andrei Savrasov, and Josh Mballa all gave it a go on the South Plains before leaving after only one or two seasons and never realizing their full potential in scarlet and black. However, many of those departures were initiated by the coaching staff at the time and now with McCasland making those decisions, raw players may have more time to grow into contributors in Lubbock than what was afforded by the Beard and Adams regimes.
Of course, all involved hope that Yalaho can make an immediate impact of some sort this season. But that is asking quite a bit given how few freshmen are able to thrive right away in the Big 12.
Even if Yalaho isn’t an immediate rotational piece, it would be nice to see this coaching staff give him an opportunity to grow under their watch. Otherwise, it would be just a waste of a scholarship to bring him into the mix for a year only to part ways next offseason.
While this addition isn’t going to rock the college basketball world, it will be an interesting case study into how McCasland views developing young but unrefined talent. So keep an eye on Yalaho’s time at Tech because he could help usher in a new era of player development at Tech.