It has been a grind of a season for the Texas Tech basketball team. The 20-game Big 12 schedule has certainly pushed the Red Raiders to the limit physically, and no player has dealt with more dings and twists than junior forward Darrion Williams.
Numerous times this season, Williams has either missed a game or left a game early due to lower-leg injuries, mainly a twisted ankle. And against Arizona State in Saturday's regular-season finale, he played only two minutes in the first half and 16 minutes overall in the Red Raiders' 85-57 win in Tempe.
Though he did log 14 second-half minutes that night, it was clear that he was not feeling his best nor was he moving as well as we have come to expect. Therefore, many Texas Tech fans have grown concerned about his health as the postseason arrives.
Tuesday, as his team readied to head to Kansas City for the Big 12 Tournament, Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland met with the local media. Fortunately, he had positive news about Williams' health.
"I was glad he came back in and played against Arizona State," McCasland said. "And our approach is that he would play and be 100%, I mean, not 100% as far as how healthy he is, but 100% as far as him playing."
Obviously, that is the news that Texas Tech fans wanted to hear. That's because Williams is one of the most important Red Raiders on the roster.
A bit of a Swiss army knife on the floor, he helps his team in multiple aspects of the game. At 14.3 points per game, Williams is third on the team in scoring (just 0.4 p.p.g. behind Chance McMillian). Meanwhile, he pulls down the second-most rebounds per game (5.3) of anyone on the team. He also ranks second on the team in assists at 3.8 per game. Additionally, he is third on the team in steals at 1.2 per game.
Williams also plays a ton of minutes for Tech. Averaging 29.7 despite seeing his playing time in a number of games decreased by injuries, he is third on the team. That's important for a roster that doesn't have as much depth, especially at the forward position, as one might prefer.
There is no denying that this team is far better when Williams is on the floor and playing well. He was voted a first-team All-Big 12 honoree this year, and if Texas Tech is going to make noise in the postseason, he will have to play a huge part in the Red Raiders' success. Fortunately, it appears that he is as healthy as we could expect him to be, considering all the bumps, bruises, and twists he's experienced over the past several months. Hopefully, he has all of that behind him, and he's ready to give all he's got for the remainder of the season.