Devan Cambridge will be Texas Tech’s unsung hero and a fan-favorite
Every year, it seems as if the Texas Tech basketball fandom falls in love with one particular Red Raider. Sometimes it is a young 7-footer who plays only in spurts but shows flashes of potential like Daniel Batcho or Russel Tchewa. Other times it is a scrappy guard who has a penchant for making big plays like Davide Moretti or Keenan Evans.
Often, though, the player the fans latch onto is one who is willing to do all the things that successful teams need someone to do. Rebounding, defending, drawing charges, scoring the dirty buckets; some players are able to do a little bit of everything and while they never become stars, their efforts don’t go unnoticed. Former Red Raider big man Norense Odiase was that type of player for the 2018-19 team and this year, Arizona State transfer Devan Cambridge will be a similar contributor for McCasland’s team. That’s why he’ll become a fan favorite.
Cambridge is a 6-foot-6 senior who plays bigger than that. In fact, in the scrimmage against Texas A&M, he was often asked to guard the biggest Aggie on the court in the long stretches when Tech’s starting center, Warren Washington, was on the bench with foul trouble.
That day, Cambridge stuffed the stat sheet. Playing 33 minutes, he scored 14 points, grabbed six rebounds, blocked two shots, and came up with one assist and one steal.
Cambridge is going to remind some Red Raider fans of former Tech forward Kasib Powell. Playing for the Red Raiders 2001-03 as a JUCO transfer, the versatile 6-foot-7 native of New Jersey averaged 15.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game in his two seasons in Lubbock.
However, he was never the star of the team because he was playing with one of the best players in Big 12 history, Andre Emmett, who ended his career as the conference’s all-time leading scorer. However, Powell was highly appreciated by Red Raider fans because he did everything that the team needed him to do.
Cambridge is like a Swiss Army knife and he could be the most important player on the roster given all he will bring to the court. So get to know this transfer who has only one year left of eligibility because he will become a beloved player, even if his time in Lubbock will be brief.