It was a successful weekend for the Texas Tech basketball program, which added two impact transfers to the roster. Saturday, the Red Raiders landed Washington State transfer LeJuan Watts to essentially fill the void left by Darrion Williams. And on Sunday, Tech secured a commitment from UNC-Greensboro shooting guard Donovan Atwell.
A 6-foot-5 senior, Atwell will play a critical role in the Red Raiders' offense next season. That's because he is one of the top outside shooters in the country.
This past season, he was 96-241 from 3-point range. That's a shooting percentage of 39.8.
To put Atwell's shooting prowess in context, consider that he made 25 more 3-point shots this season than the two players who led the Red Raiders, Chance McMillian and Christian Anderson. What's more, he shot a better percentage than Anderson did despite hoisting 54 more attempts from beyond the arc.
In all, Atwell averaged 13.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game as a junior. Most of his offensive productivity came from deep as he attempted only 110 shots from 2-point range.
Of course, Tech needed to add some 3-point shooters to the roster this offseason after seeing McMillian, Kerwin Walton, and Elijah Hawkins (three of the top four 3-point shooters from 2024-25 in terms of volume) graduate. That's why Atwell was a high-priority target.
Now, with Atwell and Santa Clara transfer guard Tyeree Bryan committed to the Red Raiders, it is easy to envision the Red Raiders' starting five for next season. Those two will likely join Watts, Anderson, and reigning Big 12 Player of the Year JT Toppin in head coach Grant McCasland's starting lineup.
That is a starting five that is on par with the group that started for Tech this past season, and in some ways, it could be better. Atwell and Bryan are both bigger than McMillian and Walton. What's more, Anderson, who will likely take over the point guard role, is bigger than the 5-foot-10 Hawkins. Therefore, Tech could potentially be a much more active and effective perimeter defensive team next season.
Now, there are still roster spots to fill with Kevin Overton and Eemeli Yalaho both reportedly set to enter the transfer portal. Overton provided solid defense and timely scoring as a reserve last season, so his role will need to be filled. What's more, Tech would be wise to add another big body to take Yalaho's roster spot, even though Yalaho was not part of the regular rotation.
Still, what the Red Raiders add from here on out might just be considered luxury pieces. That's because this program has already assembled a starting five that should have the Red Raiders positioned as a preseason top-15 team.
Now, the key will be for McCasland to work his coaching magic and find a way to coax as much as he can out of this collection of newcomers. If he is able to do that as well as he has with his first two teams in Lubbock, then the next Red Raider team could be in the mix for a National Championship next spring.