… Chris Beard invited me to watch his team a little bit earlier this week and my initial thought after watching them work was, simply, WOW. It isn’t supposed to look like this after you graduate the kind of players that just graduated. My second thought was that the overall talent level has never been higher, but there is inexperience everywhere.
… T.J. Holyfield (wrist) and Kevin McCullar were not out there due to various ailments.
… The quickness, athleticism and length of this team is going to be a big problem for their opponents. They were up and down the floor in a hiccup. Beard, Brian Burg and Mark Adams will need to preach limiting turnovers and help them minimize mistakes as time goes on, but the athleticism is off the charts.
… I initially was very interested in watching Jahmius Ramsey, and I did, but he doesn’t necessarily stand out. That’s a great thing. This is what this team is now, a deep group of switchable athletes that mostly all shoot it and play above the rim. Ramsey is really good, but so is everyone else. Ramsey’s first step is elite and he can get into the paint pretty much whenever he wants. He also has a nice shot and is a very willing passer, which I wasn’t necessarily expecting. Okay, yeah, he sticks out.
… Davide Moretti might be the big winner here with the way the team is built, because so many guys can penetrate and kick and Moretti can spot up and bury three after three. He is in the middle of taking another step forward with his game and no one is more motivated in that gym than Moretti. I would venture a guess that he will also be tasked with being the team spokesman for Beard the way Keenan Evans was two years ago and the way Norense Odiase was last season. If so, the rest of the team will be without their cell phones the majority of the time and will be focused, because Moro handles his business the way I would envision a professional player does. He just works and expects the same from everyone else.
… Virginia Tech grad transfer Chris Clarke might end up being this team’s best player and, in some ways, he needs to be. He plays hard on both ends and his hoops IQ is noticeable. If anything, the Red Raiders will need to get Clarke to take the open shots he’s presented with instead of passing it. Clark is unselfish and I guess if I could throw a bounce pass in traffic from one side of the court to the other, and deliver it on time and on target, then I would want to pass all the time, too. Clarke will be a heavy-lifter on this team and play major minutes. I would guess that he could guard an opposing team’s 1-4 and handle himself just fine if he’s switched onto a big man, too. He is the quintessential Chris Beard player -- plays hard, can switch off onto anyone and he’s unselfish. He’ll be a crowd favorite as soon as the season starts.
… Deshawn Corprew and Kyler Edwards have clearly embraced what a returning player means on this team. They both talk more, calm other guys down when needed and coach other guys up. Corprew hunts his shot a lot more and is in a position to handle the ball more, too. The national folks that suggested he’d take a major step from year one to year two in this program look like they’ll be right. It is noticeable. With Edwards, I hadn’t seen him talk much last season and occasionally he’d have some bad body language going on. Now, he’s bought in, has a new haircut and stayed here during the break to workout with John Reilly. He’s a calming influence and very smooth right now. I can’t emphasize enough how much these two guys are talking and coaching, which has to be exactly what Beard wants.
… I came away most surprised with T.J. Shannon. I’m not sure what I expected, but in a few short weeks he’s become one of Beard’s favorites, which is no easy task. He plays hard, he guards like crazy and he’s always positive and in a good mood. Shannon can finish around the rim and has a really nice mid-range game. But his willingness to play as hard as he does will get him minutes this season.
… Tyreek Smith is more skilled and athletic than Zach Smith was when he came in as a freshman. He does need to add weight and he’s working on it with Reilly, but he rebounds everything in his area and has this innate ability to throw high-level accurate outlet passes. I counted six two-handed dunks for him, mostly in traffic. If you get the ball in his general area, he’s going to finish at the rim. I knew he was good, but I didn’t realize how skilled he was with the ball in his hands. He’ll be another crowd favorite.
… Andrei Savrasov struggled a bit with the overall athleticism, which is why his ability to shoot it will be crucial for him as he develops. He needs to be really good there and if a team slows it down then he’ll excel more in a half court setting than an up tempo one right now. Savrasov will factor in anytime this team wants to use a big, though. I’d guess he and Russel Tchewa would back up Holyfield. Savrasov wants to be aggressive and loves contact. That doesn’t necessarily stick out in a pickup game setting like I saw, but when the games slow down in the Big 12 and especially in March, he’ll help as long as he continues to shoot it well and develop.
… Tchewa is very big is and he can move. You don’t realize how big he is because of his lateral quickness. It sticks out. He’s a bit raw, especially with the ball in traffic. He was working on getting it to the open man out of a double team when I watched and sometimes he’d deliver a dime and at other times he’d throw it out of bounds. The Red Raiders will get that cleaned up and that will be his challenge. Tchewa is athletic enough to where if he gets switched off onto a smaller, quicker player then he’s still got a chance to defend. You can’t pick on him.
… Clarence Nadolny is not on campus yet. I’m told Nadolny should be in Lubbock this Friday or next Monday and the expectations for him are very high. He can’t help it, but McCullar really needs to get on the court as soon as he can because of how much competition there is right now.
… It is really crazy how talented this roster is after all of the talent Texas Tech has lost in the last two years. I think the Red Raiders have four or five players with 40-plus inch vertical jumps, everyone can shoot it well from deep except for Big Russ and you have several willing passers. Now, what happens when a team plays zone, can they limit turnovers, make plays at the end of games and buy in to what the coaches preach on defense? Those are all very valid questions, but that’s what these next several months are for. As one of the guys on staff told me at the conclusion of the practice I saw, “Pretty smooth for our fourth workout together, wasn’t it?” Yup.
… Before and during practice, Beard was introducing, teaching and coaching what the culture is for this program -- stuff like bench energy, diving on the floor, staying stone-faced during adversity, the high-level defensive play going the other way after a mistake on the offensive end and helping teammates up if they end up on the floor.
… This is one of the most athletic teams I’ve ever seen around here and they are going to make teams very uncomfortable. There is some inexperience and they’ll need to gel, which takes time, but they have one of the best coaching staffs in the country to learn from. The Red Raiders will be able to run with anyone they play if that’s what the opposition wants and the skill, length and athleticism is there to take another step up on defense once they start to understand and grasp what the coaches want. Again, it just takes time. The pieces are all there.
… Finally, UNLV transfer Joel Ntambwe is one of this team’s best players. He’s rangy, sees the floor well and makes everyone around him better. Do NOT rule out him being eligible this season. He’s got family in Dallas and there was a coaching change at his previous stop, which is the basis for a waiver and many players have gotten them for far less. I have no idea on timetable here but don’t rule it out.
… T.J. Holyfield (wrist) and Kevin McCullar were not out there due to various ailments.
… The quickness, athleticism and length of this team is going to be a big problem for their opponents. They were up and down the floor in a hiccup. Beard, Brian Burg and Mark Adams will need to preach limiting turnovers and help them minimize mistakes as time goes on, but the athleticism is off the charts.
… I initially was very interested in watching Jahmius Ramsey, and I did, but he doesn’t necessarily stand out. That’s a great thing. This is what this team is now, a deep group of switchable athletes that mostly all shoot it and play above the rim. Ramsey is really good, but so is everyone else. Ramsey’s first step is elite and he can get into the paint pretty much whenever he wants. He also has a nice shot and is a very willing passer, which I wasn’t necessarily expecting. Okay, yeah, he sticks out.
… Davide Moretti might be the big winner here with the way the team is built, because so many guys can penetrate and kick and Moretti can spot up and bury three after three. He is in the middle of taking another step forward with his game and no one is more motivated in that gym than Moretti. I would venture a guess that he will also be tasked with being the team spokesman for Beard the way Keenan Evans was two years ago and the way Norense Odiase was last season. If so, the rest of the team will be without their cell phones the majority of the time and will be focused, because Moro handles his business the way I would envision a professional player does. He just works and expects the same from everyone else.
… Virginia Tech grad transfer Chris Clarke might end up being this team’s best player and, in some ways, he needs to be. He plays hard on both ends and his hoops IQ is noticeable. If anything, the Red Raiders will need to get Clarke to take the open shots he’s presented with instead of passing it. Clark is unselfish and I guess if I could throw a bounce pass in traffic from one side of the court to the other, and deliver it on time and on target, then I would want to pass all the time, too. Clarke will be a heavy-lifter on this team and play major minutes. I would guess that he could guard an opposing team’s 1-4 and handle himself just fine if he’s switched onto a big man, too. He is the quintessential Chris Beard player -- plays hard, can switch off onto anyone and he’s unselfish. He’ll be a crowd favorite as soon as the season starts.
… Deshawn Corprew and Kyler Edwards have clearly embraced what a returning player means on this team. They both talk more, calm other guys down when needed and coach other guys up. Corprew hunts his shot a lot more and is in a position to handle the ball more, too. The national folks that suggested he’d take a major step from year one to year two in this program look like they’ll be right. It is noticeable. With Edwards, I hadn’t seen him talk much last season and occasionally he’d have some bad body language going on. Now, he’s bought in, has a new haircut and stayed here during the break to workout with John Reilly. He’s a calming influence and very smooth right now. I can’t emphasize enough how much these two guys are talking and coaching, which has to be exactly what Beard wants.
… I came away most surprised with T.J. Shannon. I’m not sure what I expected, but in a few short weeks he’s become one of Beard’s favorites, which is no easy task. He plays hard, he guards like crazy and he’s always positive and in a good mood. Shannon can finish around the rim and has a really nice mid-range game. But his willingness to play as hard as he does will get him minutes this season.
… Tyreek Smith is more skilled and athletic than Zach Smith was when he came in as a freshman. He does need to add weight and he’s working on it with Reilly, but he rebounds everything in his area and has this innate ability to throw high-level accurate outlet passes. I counted six two-handed dunks for him, mostly in traffic. If you get the ball in his general area, he’s going to finish at the rim. I knew he was good, but I didn’t realize how skilled he was with the ball in his hands. He’ll be another crowd favorite.
… Andrei Savrasov struggled a bit with the overall athleticism, which is why his ability to shoot it will be crucial for him as he develops. He needs to be really good there and if a team slows it down then he’ll excel more in a half court setting than an up tempo one right now. Savrasov will factor in anytime this team wants to use a big, though. I’d guess he and Russel Tchewa would back up Holyfield. Savrasov wants to be aggressive and loves contact. That doesn’t necessarily stick out in a pickup game setting like I saw, but when the games slow down in the Big 12 and especially in March, he’ll help as long as he continues to shoot it well and develop.
… Tchewa is very big is and he can move. You don’t realize how big he is because of his lateral quickness. It sticks out. He’s a bit raw, especially with the ball in traffic. He was working on getting it to the open man out of a double team when I watched and sometimes he’d deliver a dime and at other times he’d throw it out of bounds. The Red Raiders will get that cleaned up and that will be his challenge. Tchewa is athletic enough to where if he gets switched off onto a smaller, quicker player then he’s still got a chance to defend. You can’t pick on him.
… Clarence Nadolny is not on campus yet. I’m told Nadolny should be in Lubbock this Friday or next Monday and the expectations for him are very high. He can’t help it, but McCullar really needs to get on the court as soon as he can because of how much competition there is right now.
… It is really crazy how talented this roster is after all of the talent Texas Tech has lost in the last two years. I think the Red Raiders have four or five players with 40-plus inch vertical jumps, everyone can shoot it well from deep except for Big Russ and you have several willing passers. Now, what happens when a team plays zone, can they limit turnovers, make plays at the end of games and buy in to what the coaches preach on defense? Those are all very valid questions, but that’s what these next several months are for. As one of the guys on staff told me at the conclusion of the practice I saw, “Pretty smooth for our fourth workout together, wasn’t it?” Yup.
… Before and during practice, Beard was introducing, teaching and coaching what the culture is for this program -- stuff like bench energy, diving on the floor, staying stone-faced during adversity, the high-level defensive play going the other way after a mistake on the offensive end and helping teammates up if they end up on the floor.
… This is one of the most athletic teams I’ve ever seen around here and they are going to make teams very uncomfortable. There is some inexperience and they’ll need to gel, which takes time, but they have one of the best coaching staffs in the country to learn from. The Red Raiders will be able to run with anyone they play if that’s what the opposition wants and the skill, length and athleticism is there to take another step up on defense once they start to understand and grasp what the coaches want. Again, it just takes time. The pieces are all there.
… Finally, UNLV transfer Joel Ntambwe is one of this team’s best players. He’s rangy, sees the floor well and makes everyone around him better. Do NOT rule out him being eligible this season. He’s got family in Dallas and there was a coaching change at his previous stop, which is the basis for a waiver and many players have gotten them for far less. I have no idea on timetable here but don’t rule it out.
