Texas Tech basketball contacts transfer forward who is WAC Freshman of the Year

The Texas Tech basketball program is leaving no stone unturned as it tries to fill out its 2025-26 roster. While the Red Raiders have brought in some of the top transfers in the country, such as LeJuan Watts, Tyeree Bryan, and Donovan Atwell, they are also looking for some diamonds in the rough.

One name that Tech has been tied to on social media is that of Keitenn Bristow. A native of Holliday, Texas (near Wichita Falls), he was a freshman this past season for Tarleton State.

There, Bristow earned Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year honors. He averaged 11.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game in 2024-25.

Now, he's in the portal, and it is being reported by Greenlight Media that he's been contacted by the Red Raiders. Additionally, Greenlight Media lists Loyola Chicago, Cincinnati, Alabama, Texas, Grand Canyon, Syracuse, Ole Miss, and Kansas State as teams that have reached out to Bristow. For what it's worth, Nathan Giese of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal mentioned on X that Bristow's older sister, Jalynn, is playing for the Texas Tech Lady Raiders.

According to the Tarleton State website, Bristow is 6-foot-8 and 190 pounds. However, Greenlight Media says that he is 6-foot-10.

Either way, though, he is considered a wing rather than a post player. This past season, he averaged 2.8 shots from beyond the 3-point arc per game. Making an average of 0.9 per game, he was a 32.8% shooter from deep.

Bristow is also an active defender. In addition to coming up with 1.1 steals per game for Tarleton State, he also blocked 0.9 shots per game.

Of the 23 games Bristow appeared in this past season, two came against Big 12 schools. He put up eight points, grabbed seven rebounds, and handed out four assists in a loss at UCF. However, in that game (his second as a collegiate), he also turned the ball over eight times. Then, when the Texans lost by five points at Oklahoma State two games later, he scored 17 points and pulled down seven rebounds while giving the ball away only once.

In all, he had 13 double-figure games in his first college campaign. That included four 20-point performances.

This is an intriguing player to watch as the Red Raiders look to round out their roster. He likely wouldn't command a huge NIL deal, and he has tremendous upside and physical traits.

In each of the past two seasons, Tech has had success when adding the freshman of the year from a mid-major conference. Both Darrion Williams and JT Toppin arrived in Lubbock as transfers after being named the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year in 2023 and 2024, respectively, and both were first-team All-Big 12 performers this season for the Red Raiders.

Now, it is possible that another mid-major freshman of the year could be on Texas Tech's radar. If Bristow decides to become a Red Raider, here's hoping that he will have the same type of career trajectory as Williams and Toppin.