Texas Tech basketball picks up important transfer from the portal

Tuesday, the Texas Tech basketball team picked up a verbal commitment from Drake guard Kevin Overton. It is the first of what is expected to be numerous additions the Red Raiders are expected to make via the transfer portal this offseason.

In 2023-24, as a true freshman, the Oklahoma City native averaged 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. He started all 35 of his team's games and he could be a candidate to start for the Red Raiders next season.

Overton reportedly picked Texas Tech over Colorado State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Houston, and West Virginia. He was in Lubbock this past weekend for an official visit and now, he's set to become a Red Raider.

The lefty is a score-first guard. This past season, he had 19 games of at least 10 points. That included a season-high of 23 against Murray State. He also posted 22 points against Oakland, the team that stunned No. 3 seed Kentucky as a No. 14 seed in the first round of this year's NCAA Tournament.

One aspect to like about Overton is his height. At 6-foot-5, he immediately improves Tech's overall team size, something that had to be a priority after the Red Raiders played last year with two starting guards, Pop Isaacs and Joe Toussaint, who were each under 6-foot-1.

On the other hand, Overton is going to have to improve as a defender if he wants to mesh with his new head coach, Grant McCasland. He had just a 105.2 defensive rating (an estimate of the number of points a player allows per 100 possessions).

Clearly, Overton's draw is his ability to score the ball. He shot 44.4% from the field and 34.6% from 3-point range this past season.

Of course, with Tech losing its top two scorers in Isaacs and Toussaint, finding offensive replacements is a must. Overton could fit that bill.

Many are hoping that as a sophomore, he will take a step forward like one of his future teammates did in 2023-24. After transferring to Texas Tech following his true freshman season at Nevada, Darrion Williams went from 7.6 to 11.4 points per game. He also increased his rebounding numbers slightly on his way to third-team All-Big 12 recognition. If Overton makes similar progress in 2024-25, the Red Raiders will be thrilled.

This is just the first piece of the puzzle to fall into place for McCasland and Co. though. The program still has seven scholarships it can fill so this promises to be a busy offseason in Lubbock.