The Mountain West Conference is arguably the best non-power conference in college basketball. Of course, over the last two years, it has also provided the Red Raiders with two of the most important players on the 2024-25 roster.
In 2023, Tech brought in Darrion Williams after he had earned the Mountain West Freshman of the Year award. Then, last year, the Red Raiders added JT Toppin of New Mexico after he won the same award. Now, that duo is helping carry the Red Raiders into the postseason as a contender to win both the Big 12 and the NCAA Tournament.
So naturally, Tech fans are curious about the latest Mountain West Freshman of the Year. Since that honor was announced earlier this week, many Red Raiders have been speculating as to whether or not Grant McCasland and his program will go back to the well one more time.
The latest MWC Freshman of the Year would be a great fit at Texas Tech
This year's Mountain West Freshman of the Year is Magoon Gwath of San Diego State. He is a 7-footer from Euless, Texas, who has averaged 8.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game.
As of now, Gwath has not announced any intention to enter the transfer portal. However, if he does, Texas Tech should take a close look at him.
Gwath is a low-post player who would provide the Red Raiders with some much-needed size in the paint. That's because, next season, Tech could lose both Toppin and Federiko Federiko. Toppin could head to the NBA after winning Big 12 Player of the Year, and Federiko might be out of eligibility if the NCAA doesn't uphold its recent decision to allow players who played in the JUCO ranks to have an extra year of eligibility. (Federiko began his college basketball career at Northern Oklahoma.)
Thus, it is possible that the Red Raiders could be forced to replace both of the players on this season's roster who are over 6-foot-7. What's more, even if Toppin or Federiko (or both) come back, it could be argued that more size would be welcomed on next season's team.
Gwath would certainly help in that regard. This season, he started all 25 of the games he played in. What's more, he posted eight double-figure games and four double-doubles.
Meanwhile, he also had 12 games with three or more blocks. That was one of the reasons he was also named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year.
If the theory holds true that a player's biggest jump takes place from his freshman to his sophomore season, then Gwath might become a dominant force next year. That's what Tech has seen from the last two Mountain West Freshmen of the Year.
Texas Tech has had plenty of success recruiting Mountain West Freshmen of the Year
Bringing in the top freshman from the Mountain West in each of the past two offseasons has worked out well for the Red Raiders.
In 2023-24, Williams averaged 11.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in his first year as a Red Raider. That was up from 7.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as a freshman at Nevada. This season, he scored 14.3 points and pulled down 5.1 rebounds per game on his way to earning first-team All-Big 12 recognition.
Meanwhile, Toppin became one of the best players in America as a sophomore. Earning Big Player of the Year recognition, he put up 18.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. That was an increase of 5.4 points and 0.2 rebounds per game over what he averaged as a freshman at New Mexico.
Next season, Tech will likely be in the market for more help via the transfer portal, and there is another young player in the Mountain West in Gwath who could make an impact. So keep an eye on whether the latest Mountain West Freshman of the Year jumps into the portal because if he does, Tech might try for a third offseason in a row to bring that conference's top freshman to Lubbock.