Tuesday, the Texas Tech basketball program added an important piece to the 2024-25 roster. Picking up a verbal commitment from Minnesota transfer Elijah Hawkins, Grant McCasland, and Co. now have their starting point guard for the upcoming season.
The senior-to-be spent one season at Minnesota after two seasons at Howard University. With the Golden Gophers, he averaged 9.5 points, 7.5 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game.
This past season, Hawkins set program records for assists in a season (247), a single game (17) and a postseason game (15). He finished the season tied for second in the nation in assists per game with 7.5.
At 5-foot-11, the Washington D.C. native doesn't bring much size to the Red Raiders. However, the team has already added some length at the guard position by landing Drake transfer Kevin Overton, a 6-foot-5 combo guard who will likely slot into the starting lineup next to Hawkins in the backcourt.
Of course, Texas Tech needed to add a ball-dominant point guard this offseason after losing last year's starting point guard, Joe Toussaint, to graduation. What's more, 2023-24's leading scorer, Pop Isaacs, has transferred to Creighton meaning the Red Raiders lost 7.8 assists per game between those two players.
Hawkins nearly makes up for that by himself. A pass-first guard, he had eight games of 10 assists or more for Minnesota this past season.
As a recruit, Hawkins was an unranked prospect according to 247Sports.com. At Howard, he started 55 of 59 games helping his team reach the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
This season, he made 33 starts averaging over 33 minutes per game. He was a 36.4% shooter from 3-point range who averaged 3.9 long-range attempts per game. He also shot 78% from the free-throw line.
Now, the Red Raiders still have five scholarships to fill. The team would be wise to add another guard capable of handling the ball, another center, and a power forward capable of putting up some serious points.
However, the priority had to be adding a point guard who could lead the team next season and that's what McCasland has found in Hawkins. Keep checking in with Wreck 'em Red as the next Red Raider squad continues to take shape.