Texas Tech reportedly reaches out to transfer point guard from Big Ten program

With the graduation of Joe Toussaint, the Texas Tech basketball team is in the market for a point guard. One option may be Minnesota transfer Elijah Hawkins.

According to The Portal Report, the 5-foot-11 point guard has heard from Texas Tech along with as many as 14 other programs. Included among that group are Kentucky, Villanova, Florida State, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, and Tennessee. That's a huge group considering that he's only been in the portal since Monday.

The junior averaged 9.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game last season. However, what might be most intriguing to Texas Tech and the other suitors is the fact that he also averaged 7.5 assists per game.

Handing out 247 total assists last season, Hawkins finished fourth in the nation. He also logged over 33 minutes per game for a Minnesota team that finished 19-15 overall and 9-11 in Big Ten play missing out on the NCAA Tournament.

Though he was a respectable 36.4% from 3-point range last season, Hawkins is known and coveted for his ability to distribute the basketball. In fact, he once handed out 17 assists in a single game, a Minnesota program record.

With eight games of ten or more assists this past season, he is one of the top point guards in the portal. Naturally, that means it will be a tough recruiting battle to land his services.

Tech desperately needs a ball-dominant guard, one who can get others involved. Last season's two top assist men, Toussaint (4.3 per game) and Pop Isaacs (3.5 per game) are headed elsewhere next season with Isaacs also in the portal.

The Red Raiders have added to their guard rotation this offseason by signing Drake transfer Kevin Overton. However, he is more of a scorer putting up 11.3 points per game but handing out only 1.1 assists per game.

Until the Red Raiders land a point guard, whether that is Hawkins or someone else, the roster is going to have a huge hole in it. So expect the program to continue to reach out to more top options as they enter the portal, which closes on May 1.