The Red Raider Confidential is sponsored by Cardinal's Sports Center. If you
need Texas Tech gear or Under Armour apparel, the best place to go in our
opinion is Cardinal's -- they have three convenient locations in Lubbock, a
brand new store in Plano and a fantastic selection on
their website.
Cardinal's
Wreck'em Tech T-Shirts are still available for purchase! They are the only
such t-shirts endorsed by Texas Tech and the Saddle Tramps. Tech will close out
its season against Northwestern in the TicketCity Bowl, so be sure to get your gameday gear in time to Red Out the
Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1!
Latest on Jackson
McKeesport (Pennsylvania) defensive end Branden Jackson is
still weighing his options before making his final decision on where he wants to
play college football. Jackson has already taken four official visits, but wants
to wait until after his fifth to announce his commitment.
"I am just waiting to see everything; after I have taken my last visit," he
said.
Of the four official visits Jackson has taken, he has seen Iowa, Oregon,
Rutgers, and Texas Tech. Jackson is still trying to set up a fifth visit, but
has yet to set any solid plans.
Jackson did indicate that he is really interested in what the current players
have to say about the program and the coaches. As he expects the coaches to just
tell him what he would like to hear, he said that the players just tell it like
it is.
"The players and the way they talk about the program," he said. "The players
will tell you all that want to know about the program. The coaches will tell you
that it is a good school, but the players will tell you everything, like how the
coaches really are."
- Rogers
.
Petteway Bounces Back From First Loss
Galveston (Texas) Ball, the top-ranked basketball team in the state, dropped
their first game of the season this past week against Lake Travis to put their
overall record at 15-1. Texas Tech commit Terran Pettaway said
he and his teammates have put that game behind them and are still focused on
their ultimate goal of winning the state title.
"Oh, we just want to win the rest of our games," Pettaway said. "Win 30 games,
win district, win state."
Pettaway said being one of the top-ranked teams in Texas puts a target on his
team's back. He said each night is a test and they get the toughest games form
each opponent.
"Night in and night out we take the best shot from every team," Pettaway said.
"They play their hardest against us every game."
Other than Pettaway's goals for his team, he also wants to try and achieve a few
individual accolades.
"Just hopefully I can make the McDonalds All-American Game," Pettaway said.
Pettaway said he is busy with his own basketball season, but he said he stays in
contact with Texas Tech and his recruiting coach Chris Beard. He said he has
paid attention to texas Tech's season and thinks they have the potential to be a
top team in the Big 12 once they get everyone on the same page.
"I talk to Coach Beard almost once a week," Pettaway said. "They are struggling,
but I think when they start clicking they will have a good team in the Big 12,
and they have a chance to make the tournament."
- Fleming
.
Evans Plans To Visit Bowl Practices
With football season over and school out for the holiday break, Grand Prairie
(Texas) South Grand Prairie defensive lineman and Tech commit Kindred Evans is
enjoying his time off.
"It is good, really good," he said. "I'm just hanging out right now, basically."
Evans said he has not had an in-home visit yet with any Tech coaches but is
still in the process of setting one up. He speaks to the Red Raiders every week
or so, and has recently decided to attend a couple of the program's bowl
practices next week.
"They want me to come out for that," Evans said. "I think that I am going to go
up there to watch them practice. I'm pretty excited to see what they are wroking
with and to get a better look at the team."
- Hair
.
Gotcher Living In The Moment
For Tech commit Toddrick Gotcher and his basketball teammates
at Garland (Texas) Lakeview Centennial, every night is a battle as they expect
the best from their opponents. Gotcher said his team is continuing to get better
and more cohesive because they have been facing such strong competition.
"The season is good," Gotcher said. "We are ranked No. 1 in the state and like
No. 34 in the nation so we really have a target on our backs. Everybody is
bringing their 'A' game to us and it's making us better as a team because we are
fighting hard just to win. "
Gotcher said the main reason his team remains so focused is his head coach and
how he prepares the team for the task at hand.
"We are really prepared," the 6-foot-3 Gotcher said. "Our coach treats us and
prepares us like it's college. He is preparing us for college already through
how we do shoot around before games, how we practice and how prepared we get.
So, it's really like a college atmosphere."
The season is something that Gotcher wants he and his teammates to remain
focused on, and he has set some goals for his team and as an individual.
"First of all, no more losses," Gotcher said. "We got one loss, and that's all I
want to have. Make our way to state and then win state. As an individual, I want
to help my team win more, probably be MVP of the district, get some All-State,
All-tournament type stuff and everything."
The Tech commit said he has been in constant contact with the Tech coaches and
has been able to catch a few games of the Red Raiders on television. He said
they have the potential to be a threat and thinks once they settle down they
will be a force in the Big 12.
"The potential is there," Gotcher said. "They just have to work it out because I
know they have a lot of seniors, like seven or so, they should be good, and once
the Big 12 starts they will pick it up."
- Fleming
To view previous installments of the Red Raider Confidential, you can
visit the archives by
clicking here.
Remember, if you're looking for Texas Tech gear or Under Armour apparel, be sure
to check out Cardinal's Sports
Center!
Thank you for subscribing to RedRaiderSports.com!
This post was edited on 1/1 9:29 AM by A. Dickens
