Patience required while waiting for Texas Tech basketball roster to be completed

It isn't easy when you have to practice patience. That's especially true for Texas Tech basketball fans who are eager for more news when it comes to the construction of the 2024-25 Red Raider roster.

Thus far, the Red Raiders have added three players to the roster via the transfer portal, Minnesota point guard Elijah Hawkins, Pitt forward Federkio Federiko, and Drake guard Kevin Overton. While each of those additions are quality players, astute Texas Tech fans know that more is needed if the Red Raiders are going to be able to compete for a Big 12 crown next season. What's more, fans know that Tech has as many as four scholarships left to hand out.

However, as the transfer portal continues to spew out news day after day, Tech fans are having to sit by and bide their time until their favorite program makes another move. That's not easy given the pace at which the portal has moved this year.

It's been over two weeks since the Red Raiders added their most recent piece, Hawkins, who committed to Tech on April 30. Since then, it has felt like most of the program's biggest conference rivals have added to their ranks leaving the Red Raider faithful to grow a bit concerned.

Also, making it tough for Tech fans to sit still is the fact that Tech is nowhere to be found on any of the preseason power rankings or top 25 lists. That's not the case for many other Big 12 programs. In fact, in this recent ESPN ranking, four of the top five teams listed call the Big 12 home.

Therefore, Texas Tech fans might be prone to worry or even panic about whether Grant McCasland is going to be able to put together a competitive squad in his second year in Lubbock. However, if there is one fan base that should know about the importance of waiting through the summer before sounding the college basketball alarm bells, it should be Texas Tech fans.

Texas Tech has a long history of adding impact pieces in the summer months

Just because the portal is now closed and just because many programs around the country are close to having completed their roster, it doesn't mean that Tech can't add some nice players after the start of May. In fact, some of the best portal additions Tech has ever made didn't join the program until the summer was in full swing.

Matt Mooney, one of the first transfers to make an impact at Texas Tech, didn't commit to the Red Raiders until May 14 back in 2018. Of course, he would go on to help the Red Raiders win the Big 12 championship and reach the National Championship Game in 2019. That season, he averaged 11.3 points and 3.3 assists per game while starting all 38 games for the Red Raiders.

It was also the middle of May when Mac McClung decided to transfer to Texas Tech from Georgetown in 2020. He would go on to put up 15.5 points per game in his lone season as a Red Raider.

Then there was last offseason. Remember that because his North Texas team won the N.I.T. McCasland didn't take the Red Raider job until early April.

Therefore, he didn't get the luxury of having a jump on assembling his roster. That meant players such as Devan Cambridge, Joe Toussaint, and Warren Washington all joined the Red Raiders after May was near its midpoint. In fact, Cambridge and Toussaint didn't commit until June and July of last year respectively.

The point is that there is a lot of the offseason to go. For instance, the NBA Draft Combine won't be over until May 19 at which point many participants will decide to return to college and that will bring a wave of activity from those in the portal.

One name Texas Tech is keeping an eye on is JT Toppin, the New Mexico transfer forward who has been rumored to have a high interest in the Red Raiders. The 6-foot-7 sophomore-to-be reportedly impressed early in the combine process and if he does indeed come back to college, he will be one of the most coveted players in the portal. Certainly, he's worth waiting on after he posted 12.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game with the Lobos this past season.

Ultimately, it all comes down to whether Red Raider fans trust McCasland and his coaching staff. After the work that the Red Raider brain trust did last offseason, there's no reason not to. Thus, things may be quiet on the portal front right now in Raiderland but that's no reason for Red Raider fans to be concerned. There's still a long way to go before next season arrives.