Unlike many programs around the nation, the Texas Tech basketball program has not been decimated by the transfer portal. In fact, until Friday, the only member of the 2024-25 team that had officially entered his name in the portal was star forward Dariron Williams.
Now, though, a second Red Raider appears to have followed suit. According to Eric Bossi of 247Sports, sophomore forward Eemeli Yalaho has decided to test the waters after playing only sparingly for head coach Grant McCasland over the past two seasons. However, no official word has come from Texas Tech or Yalaho as of the time of this article's posting.
This season, he appeared in only eight games. In those appearances, he averaged 3.3 points and 2.4 rebounds in 11.3 minutes. Last season, he saw the floor 17 times, putting up 2.5 points and grabbing 1.5 rebounds per game.
Texas Tech forward Eemeli Yalaho is entering the transfer portal. Represented by @teddyarcher https://t.co/YdQ9ol3WEi
— Eric Bossi (@ebosshoops) April 11, 2025
A native of Finland, the 6-foot-8 forward was an unranked recruit when he signed with Texas Tech in the class of 2023. Though he never became a regular member of the rotation in Lubbock, he did have a couple of impactful moments for the Red Raiders.
The most important came this past season when the Red Raiders took down No. 6 Houston on the road. After star forward JT Toppin and head coach Grant McCasland were ejected less than four minutes into the game, Yalaho was forced to provide key minutes off the bench, helping spell Williams and fellow forward Federiko Federiko.
That night, Yalaho played 22 minutes, scoring four points, grabbing four rebounds, and handing out two assists. What's more, after Federiko fouled out late in the game, Yalaho had to help close out the 82-81 overtime win.
In fact, he made arguably the play of the game. With just seconds left to play and Tech nursing a one-point lead, Yalaho played excellent defense on Houston's star forward J'Wan Roberts, eventually forcing Roberts into a traveling violation that would essentially seal the game.
However, that would be the final game Yalaho would play for the Red Raiders. An upper-body injury would keep him out for the remainder of the season.
As a freshman, Yalaho had to step up when a foot injury forced starting big man Warren Washington to miss a month late in the season. During that span, Yalaho had to be the team's primary backup forward while the Red Raiders tried to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Over a ten-game span, from the team's first game of February through the Big 12 Tournament, Yalaho averaged 12.4 minutes, 4.0 points, and 2.3 rebounds per game. That included a season-high ten points to go along with three rebounds against Houston in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament.
Still, those moments of impact from Yalaho were fleeting during his Red Raider career. That is likely why he's looking elsewhere.
It is fair to believe that this move (if it is being reported correctly) might have been initiated by the Texas Tech coaching staff as the program looks to build its 2025-26 roster. Yalaho has had two years to show that he's ready to be a regular contributor, and he's yet to break through, so it might make more sense to give his roster spot to a player who is ready to come in and help the cause right away.
Texas Tech is in win-now mode and Yalaho seems to still be far from being ready to contribute for a Big 12 contender. Thus, it should come as no surprise to see that he is looking for a new opportunity.