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 a tremendous location in Lubbock (Slide and S. Loop 289), a store in Plano and a fantastic selection on their website.
If you're in the Lubbock area and looking to get into shape, but don't know where to start, check out the website for Cardinal's Fitness. You can sign up for individual classes -- no contract or membership required -- that are good for people at any fitness level.
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LEVELLAND, Texas -- To get to South Plains College from Lubbock you take 19th Street west until it becomes Texas Highway 114 for 30 miles, take a slight left onto College Avenue and you're 50 miles from the Mountain Time Zone. The kids are the same and many commute from Lubbock every day but the backdrop of campus is a quintessential West Texas town.
There's a Dairy Queen adjacent to the main entrance to campus and former Town and Country is across the street. About a quarter of a mile into campus stands the Texan Dome and on this particular Thursday the arena was looking pretty bare boned with its rolling bleachers folded up and about a 15 foot drop from the permanent stands to the court. The dome was almost silent except the humming of the lights above, a few women's basketball players mingling around the court and two students jobbing around the back of the stands which serves as an indoor jogging track.
The only thing that would indicate something amazing just happened here was a little electronic sign in front of the arena flashing "36-0, NJCAA National Champions."
That's before you enter the T-Club Lounge.
The Lounge rivals the Texas Tech men's basketball locker room except for more awards. Cross country and track trophies. Sheryl Swoopes photos and awards. NJCAA Championship basketball trophies.
It was in this room where South Plains athletes sign Division I Letters of Intent and Thursday it hosted freshmen point guard Devonte Smith and forward Yanick Moreira, assistant Texan coach Hank Plona, sports information director Joe Walker and I. We're all hoping these two players will sign Letters of Intent within these next 12 months wherever they go and join the ranks of so many South Plains athletes before them.
"This is a program that even before Devonte and Yanick and before myself and before Coach (Steve) Green that's had success," Plora said. "There's been a lot of really good players that have come through here and had a lot of success. It's definitely a school that gives us the opportunity to get some great young players like Devonte and Yanick. The support here is incredible."
The leaps Smith and Moreira took in their first season are by all accounts pretty outstanding and Tech is in the early phases of recruiting both players.
Smith helped lead his Oklahoma City Douglass High School team to Class 4A State Championship in 2010 and Moreira, an Angola native, joined the likes of Enes Kanter who now plays for the Utah Jazz and former Texas standout and now Cleveland Cavalier Tristian Thompson at the Summit. Both have made improvements since.
The interesting thing about the duo that helped power South Plains to its latest National Championship is they want to reach the highest point they can in basketball but neither has thought much specifically about what's after the 2012-13 season. Even some of the recruiting lingo we toss around here every day was lost on them.
The Red Raider coaching staff is religiously scouting these two prospects but there are a few rules that prevent head coach Billy Gillispie and crew from issuing the full-court press for a few more months.
"Texas Tech, they've talked to my coach, Coach Green," Smith said. "They came to a game I think. Recruiting is not really my big deal right now. I'm just trying to look forward to the next game and the next year and that stuff."
"I remember they talked to me one time after the game," Moreira chimed in. "He gave me a handshake and told me good job. He didn't talk to me a lot, he just said good job. But he did talk to me."
The duo, at the time, honestly seemed more interested in their tournament run. Moreira went on to win the NJCAA Tournament's Most Valuable Player Award and Smith won Bud Odbee Outstanding Small Player Award while defeating No. 2 Northwest Florida College, 81-68, in the NJCAA Championship Game.
Smith didn't know Northwest Florida State College shooting guard Trency Jackson has signed with Tech. He was busy stifling another Northwest Florida guard in one-on-one coverage with great success.
"What I can do really good is get my team involved," Smith said. "I think we'll win if I can get my team involved. I'm also working on my shooting."
Smith had nine points in the championship game, three-of-four from the field.
Moreira already is well-known on the Division I for his hard defense.
"I like to block shots all the time," Moreira said. "I like to touch the ball, but I like it more when everyone touches the ball. I think if everyone touches the ball we're going to score every time."
Moreira finished the championship game with one blocked shot and 14 defensive rebounds and 16 rebounds overall.
The only goal for both Thursday was to improve their numbers.
"We all dream of going to the NBA," Smith said. "It doesn't happen for very many of us. When you go to DI you want to get a good job and take care of your family… I dream of going to the NBA, but I also want to get a good job and take care of my family."
These are two recruits we're going to watch very closely during the next few months. Their eyes are about to be opened to the crazy world of Division I basketball recruiting.
- Graham
---
Tech has been roaming the streets of Missouri City for recruits fairly regularly since Tommy Tuberville set foot on campus over two years ago. One of the prospects from the recruit ripe town that the Red Raiders would like to get their hands on is Elkins outside linebacker Keree Renchie.
Renchie, like everybody else, is primed for spring football. Elkins will start next week, but there have already been a handful of schools come by to check out the morning seven-on-seven sessions.
"It's going great," he said. "I've been hearing from a lot of different colleges. We've already had three school's come by."
Those three schools are Oklahoma State, Houston, and Texas Tech. While he hasn't had much contact with the Cowboys or Cougars, Renchie is very familiar with the Tech coaching staff.
"Texas Tech, they came to watch me last week with our 7-on-7. I've been hearing from them. They're still very interested in me," he said. "I like their coaches and the style of their defense. There's a lot of players from Missouri City that have gone up there, and they tell me they love it."
The Red Raider staff member primarily tasked with recruiting the Missouri City defender is running backs coach Chad Scott. Renchie keeps in contact with the tailbacks coach regularly and likes his easy going attitude.
"Coach Scott is a pretty laid back dude. He always wants me to stay in touch, tells me to remember who was recruiting me from the beginning. He's a cool dude."
Another school that the OLB has been in heavy contact with is Arkansas. Renchie hasn't spoken with new head coach John L. Smith yet but definitely wants to."
"I wanted to get to talk to him and see how things are going to change or if they're going to stay the same."
With all the recent turmoil in Fayetteville, there's a lot of uncertainty with who might still be on staff this year and beyond. Renchie isn't overly concerned, however, as he feels the fans and defense will likely remain the same.
"I love everything about Arkansas. Their fans, football, their defense and how they run it. How they run it fast and everybody plays physical on the field."
Most recruits will take visits during the spring of their junior year, but Renchie hasn't been able to find time to do so this semester. He does plan on taking trips out to Eugene, Lubbock, and Fayetteville whenever he gets a chance, though.
"I haven't made any visits yet, but I plan on making visits to Oregon, Arkansas, and Texas Tech. Those are the three mostly."
So what would the linebacker love to see in his ideal program?
"First off that I have to have a good relationship with the coaches, and I want to see myself there for four or more years. I'm not too worried about playing time, because the best players are going to get on the field."
Renchie also already has an idea of what he would like to major in, and schools with those areas of study will definitely have an upper hand.
"I want to major in electrical engineering or do sports medicine."
As of right now, Renchie says that everything's fairly up in the air. He hopes to make a decision before his senior season starts and is mulling over every option.
"Everything is pretty open for me right now. I'm hearing from a lot of schools. Everything is just pretty open."
Renchie currently holds offers from Texas Tech, Arkansas, and Colorado.
- McKay
---
Alief Taylor (Texas) defensive end Ogbonnia Okoronkwo currently list Tech as his number one choice in front of Texas A&M and Kansas.
During our conversation, Okoronkwo mentioned he wants to committ by the beginning of summer. If he stays true to his timeline, then Tech will be in great position to land him. He says Kansas hasn't talked about offering him yet and he has had zero contact with Texas A&M.
Okoronkwo even went as far to say that if he was offered a scholarship to go anywhere he wanted, he would still have Tech as his number one choice.
At his point, all signs point to Tech being in a good position to land the athletic defensive end. However, there is one angle to keep an eye regarding Okoronkwo.
Rivals.com recruiting analyst Brian Perroni posted these thoughts on RRS in a recent thread about Okoronkwo:
"Obo, as he goes by, was one of my top sleepers coming out of the NIKE Camp. You are not going to find many weakside ends built as well as him. I'm going to go out to Alief Taylor's spring practices next month and if he looks like he did at the NIKE camp and in the film I've seen of him, he has a chance to be pretty highly-rated. I think with everybody coming through to see Torrodney Prevot and Alief Taylor's very good 2014 class, he will see his stock soar this spring as well."
If Okoronkwo's stock soars, more offers should come flying in, and if one of them is from Texas A&M things could get interesting. Okoronkwo has expressed interest in playing with teammates Torrodney Prevot and Jonathan Wiggins (Texas A&M commit).
"It started with me and Torrodney," Okoronkwo said. "But then me, Wiggins, and Torrodney all said we would like to play together if we all get an offer to the same place. Right now, it's just talk and nothing too serious."
If the Aggies give him an offer, that doesn't necessarily mean it's a done deal. It's only cause for concern if he gets an offer and then Prevot later commits to Texas A&M. Then it will be something to keep an eye on.
Tech fans shouldn't begin panicking. Okoronkwo did finish up the discussion with some reassuring remarks in favor of the Red Raiders.
"Tech's pharmaceutical program really stands out to me. My dad says that it's one of the top programs in Texas, so that's a big plus," he said. "My decision is going to be made by what me and my dad want to do. Going to play with other players won't effect my decision."
Okoronkwo currently holds offers from Texas Tech, SMU, and Wake Forest.
- Rosen
---
Right now it seems that Oklahoma State, Baylor, and Texas Tech are the three schools fighting for signature of Missouri City (Texas) F.B. Marshall offensive tackle Maurice Porter. Porter said that he really likes the trio and will definitely have a tough choice to make.
"I like all three of those schools a lot, so it will be a hard decision between the three of them."
The rising senior is looking to make a decision by the end of his junior year as of right now.
So where does this put the Red Raiders? Obviously, they need to bring in a handful of offensive linemen in this class to alleviate some of the void left by graduation after this season. Porter would be an absolutely awesome cornerstone OL for Tech. When three different BCS programs tell you that you can play as a freshman, that's a big deal. He's also visiting A&M this weekend, but from my conversations with him, I don't think that they're a major player in this point in time. That could change if he has a great visit, however.
Now we enter the waiting game with Porter. If the tackle decides to head somewhere other than Lubbock, then Tech will likely have to seriously think about extending their search into further reaches of the nation in a down year for linemen in Texas.
- McKay
---
'Overwhelmingly busy' would be a great way to describe the beginning of the recruiting process for West Mesquite (Texas) wide receiver Eldridge Massington. The Rivals250 standout has already amassed 22 offers with every BCS conference accounted for, including Notre Dame.
Sometimes, when highly coveted recruits have countless offers to sift through, it becomes that much more difficult for a school to stand out. Luckily for Texas Tech, they happen to be one of the schools that stand out early on for the 2013 wide receiver.
Massington decided he had to make a point to take a visit to Lubbock after hearing some positive things about Tech from unexpected sources during the Nike Football Training Camp in Dallas last March.
One of those was none other than Dallas Skyline and Rivals250 wide receiver Ra'shaad Samples.
"I was talking to Ra'shaad and he was telling me how nice it is there," said Massington." I was like it's my turn now. I got to get down there (to check it out)."
Having a Rivals250 recruit hyping up Tech to another Rivals250 recruit is obviously a good thing for the Red Raiders. However, it was a random conversation with the parent of a different Nike Camp attendee that got Massington really pumped to visit.
"I was talking to a guy who was from Louisiana and he was telling me that he wants his son to go to Tech," Massington said enthusiastically. "The guy was telling me that if his son goes to Texas Tech that he would literally move to Lubbock because it's so nice up there and that he liked it better than LSU. And I was like, man, I got to get up there then!"
Massington could not remember the name of the player whose father he spoke with, but did recall that he was a defensive lineman.
Recalling the conversation and narrowing down some of the possibilities, it could potentially be Rivals250 defensive end Vincent Taylor's dad that Massington was talking to. However, this is not confirmed.
Another not so obvious source singing Tech's praises to Massington would be his God parents who both went to Texas Tech. The junior wide receiver laughingly said he hadn't even told them he got an offer yet, but said he would soon and thought they'd be excited.
Massington doesn't know exactly when he will be able to visit, but thinks it will probably be sometime in the fall next season.
- Rosen
This post was edited on 4/26 11:53 PM by A. Dickens
This post was edited on 4/27 12:52 AM by M. Graham
If you're in the Lubbock area and looking to get into shape, but don't know where to start, check out the website for Cardinal's Fitness. You can sign up for individual classes -- no contract or membership required -- that are good for people at any fitness level.
---
LEVELLAND, Texas -- To get to South Plains College from Lubbock you take 19th Street west until it becomes Texas Highway 114 for 30 miles, take a slight left onto College Avenue and you're 50 miles from the Mountain Time Zone. The kids are the same and many commute from Lubbock every day but the backdrop of campus is a quintessential West Texas town.
There's a Dairy Queen adjacent to the main entrance to campus and former Town and Country is across the street. About a quarter of a mile into campus stands the Texan Dome and on this particular Thursday the arena was looking pretty bare boned with its rolling bleachers folded up and about a 15 foot drop from the permanent stands to the court. The dome was almost silent except the humming of the lights above, a few women's basketball players mingling around the court and two students jobbing around the back of the stands which serves as an indoor jogging track.
The only thing that would indicate something amazing just happened here was a little electronic sign in front of the arena flashing "36-0, NJCAA National Champions."
That's before you enter the T-Club Lounge.
The Lounge rivals the Texas Tech men's basketball locker room except for more awards. Cross country and track trophies. Sheryl Swoopes photos and awards. NJCAA Championship basketball trophies.
It was in this room where South Plains athletes sign Division I Letters of Intent and Thursday it hosted freshmen point guard Devonte Smith and forward Yanick Moreira, assistant Texan coach Hank Plona, sports information director Joe Walker and I. We're all hoping these two players will sign Letters of Intent within these next 12 months wherever they go and join the ranks of so many South Plains athletes before them.
"This is a program that even before Devonte and Yanick and before myself and before Coach (Steve) Green that's had success," Plora said. "There's been a lot of really good players that have come through here and had a lot of success. It's definitely a school that gives us the opportunity to get some great young players like Devonte and Yanick. The support here is incredible."
The leaps Smith and Moreira took in their first season are by all accounts pretty outstanding and Tech is in the early phases of recruiting both players.
Smith helped lead his Oklahoma City Douglass High School team to Class 4A State Championship in 2010 and Moreira, an Angola native, joined the likes of Enes Kanter who now plays for the Utah Jazz and former Texas standout and now Cleveland Cavalier Tristian Thompson at the Summit. Both have made improvements since.
The interesting thing about the duo that helped power South Plains to its latest National Championship is they want to reach the highest point they can in basketball but neither has thought much specifically about what's after the 2012-13 season. Even some of the recruiting lingo we toss around here every day was lost on them.
The Red Raider coaching staff is religiously scouting these two prospects but there are a few rules that prevent head coach Billy Gillispie and crew from issuing the full-court press for a few more months.
"Texas Tech, they've talked to my coach, Coach Green," Smith said. "They came to a game I think. Recruiting is not really my big deal right now. I'm just trying to look forward to the next game and the next year and that stuff."
"I remember they talked to me one time after the game," Moreira chimed in. "He gave me a handshake and told me good job. He didn't talk to me a lot, he just said good job. But he did talk to me."
The duo, at the time, honestly seemed more interested in their tournament run. Moreira went on to win the NJCAA Tournament's Most Valuable Player Award and Smith won Bud Odbee Outstanding Small Player Award while defeating No. 2 Northwest Florida College, 81-68, in the NJCAA Championship Game.
Smith didn't know Northwest Florida State College shooting guard Trency Jackson has signed with Tech. He was busy stifling another Northwest Florida guard in one-on-one coverage with great success.
"What I can do really good is get my team involved," Smith said. "I think we'll win if I can get my team involved. I'm also working on my shooting."
Smith had nine points in the championship game, three-of-four from the field.
Moreira already is well-known on the Division I for his hard defense.
"I like to block shots all the time," Moreira said. "I like to touch the ball, but I like it more when everyone touches the ball. I think if everyone touches the ball we're going to score every time."
Moreira finished the championship game with one blocked shot and 14 defensive rebounds and 16 rebounds overall.
The only goal for both Thursday was to improve their numbers.
"We all dream of going to the NBA," Smith said. "It doesn't happen for very many of us. When you go to DI you want to get a good job and take care of your family… I dream of going to the NBA, but I also want to get a good job and take care of my family."
These are two recruits we're going to watch very closely during the next few months. Their eyes are about to be opened to the crazy world of Division I basketball recruiting.
- Graham
---
Tech has been roaming the streets of Missouri City for recruits fairly regularly since Tommy Tuberville set foot on campus over two years ago. One of the prospects from the recruit ripe town that the Red Raiders would like to get their hands on is Elkins outside linebacker Keree Renchie.
Renchie, like everybody else, is primed for spring football. Elkins will start next week, but there have already been a handful of schools come by to check out the morning seven-on-seven sessions.
"It's going great," he said. "I've been hearing from a lot of different colleges. We've already had three school's come by."
Those three schools are Oklahoma State, Houston, and Texas Tech. While he hasn't had much contact with the Cowboys or Cougars, Renchie is very familiar with the Tech coaching staff.
"Texas Tech, they came to watch me last week with our 7-on-7. I've been hearing from them. They're still very interested in me," he said. "I like their coaches and the style of their defense. There's a lot of players from Missouri City that have gone up there, and they tell me they love it."
The Red Raider staff member primarily tasked with recruiting the Missouri City defender is running backs coach Chad Scott. Renchie keeps in contact with the tailbacks coach regularly and likes his easy going attitude.
"Coach Scott is a pretty laid back dude. He always wants me to stay in touch, tells me to remember who was recruiting me from the beginning. He's a cool dude."
Another school that the OLB has been in heavy contact with is Arkansas. Renchie hasn't spoken with new head coach John L. Smith yet but definitely wants to."
"I wanted to get to talk to him and see how things are going to change or if they're going to stay the same."
With all the recent turmoil in Fayetteville, there's a lot of uncertainty with who might still be on staff this year and beyond. Renchie isn't overly concerned, however, as he feels the fans and defense will likely remain the same.
"I love everything about Arkansas. Their fans, football, their defense and how they run it. How they run it fast and everybody plays physical on the field."
Most recruits will take visits during the spring of their junior year, but Renchie hasn't been able to find time to do so this semester. He does plan on taking trips out to Eugene, Lubbock, and Fayetteville whenever he gets a chance, though.
"I haven't made any visits yet, but I plan on making visits to Oregon, Arkansas, and Texas Tech. Those are the three mostly."
So what would the linebacker love to see in his ideal program?
"First off that I have to have a good relationship with the coaches, and I want to see myself there for four or more years. I'm not too worried about playing time, because the best players are going to get on the field."
Renchie also already has an idea of what he would like to major in, and schools with those areas of study will definitely have an upper hand.
"I want to major in electrical engineering or do sports medicine."
As of right now, Renchie says that everything's fairly up in the air. He hopes to make a decision before his senior season starts and is mulling over every option.
"Everything is pretty open for me right now. I'm hearing from a lot of schools. Everything is just pretty open."
Renchie currently holds offers from Texas Tech, Arkansas, and Colorado.
- McKay
---
Alief Taylor (Texas) defensive end Ogbonnia Okoronkwo currently list Tech as his number one choice in front of Texas A&M and Kansas.
During our conversation, Okoronkwo mentioned he wants to committ by the beginning of summer. If he stays true to his timeline, then Tech will be in great position to land him. He says Kansas hasn't talked about offering him yet and he has had zero contact with Texas A&M.
Okoronkwo even went as far to say that if he was offered a scholarship to go anywhere he wanted, he would still have Tech as his number one choice.
At his point, all signs point to Tech being in a good position to land the athletic defensive end. However, there is one angle to keep an eye regarding Okoronkwo.
Rivals.com recruiting analyst Brian Perroni posted these thoughts on RRS in a recent thread about Okoronkwo:
"Obo, as he goes by, was one of my top sleepers coming out of the NIKE Camp. You are not going to find many weakside ends built as well as him. I'm going to go out to Alief Taylor's spring practices next month and if he looks like he did at the NIKE camp and in the film I've seen of him, he has a chance to be pretty highly-rated. I think with everybody coming through to see Torrodney Prevot and Alief Taylor's very good 2014 class, he will see his stock soar this spring as well."
If Okoronkwo's stock soars, more offers should come flying in, and if one of them is from Texas A&M things could get interesting. Okoronkwo has expressed interest in playing with teammates Torrodney Prevot and Jonathan Wiggins (Texas A&M commit).
"It started with me and Torrodney," Okoronkwo said. "But then me, Wiggins, and Torrodney all said we would like to play together if we all get an offer to the same place. Right now, it's just talk and nothing too serious."
If the Aggies give him an offer, that doesn't necessarily mean it's a done deal. It's only cause for concern if he gets an offer and then Prevot later commits to Texas A&M. Then it will be something to keep an eye on.
Tech fans shouldn't begin panicking. Okoronkwo did finish up the discussion with some reassuring remarks in favor of the Red Raiders.
"Tech's pharmaceutical program really stands out to me. My dad says that it's one of the top programs in Texas, so that's a big plus," he said. "My decision is going to be made by what me and my dad want to do. Going to play with other players won't effect my decision."
Okoronkwo currently holds offers from Texas Tech, SMU, and Wake Forest.
- Rosen
---
Right now it seems that Oklahoma State, Baylor, and Texas Tech are the three schools fighting for signature of Missouri City (Texas) F.B. Marshall offensive tackle Maurice Porter. Porter said that he really likes the trio and will definitely have a tough choice to make.
"I like all three of those schools a lot, so it will be a hard decision between the three of them."
The rising senior is looking to make a decision by the end of his junior year as of right now.
So where does this put the Red Raiders? Obviously, they need to bring in a handful of offensive linemen in this class to alleviate some of the void left by graduation after this season. Porter would be an absolutely awesome cornerstone OL for Tech. When three different BCS programs tell you that you can play as a freshman, that's a big deal. He's also visiting A&M this weekend, but from my conversations with him, I don't think that they're a major player in this point in time. That could change if he has a great visit, however.
Now we enter the waiting game with Porter. If the tackle decides to head somewhere other than Lubbock, then Tech will likely have to seriously think about extending their search into further reaches of the nation in a down year for linemen in Texas.
- McKay
---
'Overwhelmingly busy' would be a great way to describe the beginning of the recruiting process for West Mesquite (Texas) wide receiver Eldridge Massington. The Rivals250 standout has already amassed 22 offers with every BCS conference accounted for, including Notre Dame.
Sometimes, when highly coveted recruits have countless offers to sift through, it becomes that much more difficult for a school to stand out. Luckily for Texas Tech, they happen to be one of the schools that stand out early on for the 2013 wide receiver.
Massington decided he had to make a point to take a visit to Lubbock after hearing some positive things about Tech from unexpected sources during the Nike Football Training Camp in Dallas last March.
One of those was none other than Dallas Skyline and Rivals250 wide receiver Ra'shaad Samples.
"I was talking to Ra'shaad and he was telling me how nice it is there," said Massington." I was like it's my turn now. I got to get down there (to check it out)."
Having a Rivals250 recruit hyping up Tech to another Rivals250 recruit is obviously a good thing for the Red Raiders. However, it was a random conversation with the parent of a different Nike Camp attendee that got Massington really pumped to visit.
"I was talking to a guy who was from Louisiana and he was telling me that he wants his son to go to Tech," Massington said enthusiastically. "The guy was telling me that if his son goes to Texas Tech that he would literally move to Lubbock because it's so nice up there and that he liked it better than LSU. And I was like, man, I got to get up there then!"
Massington could not remember the name of the player whose father he spoke with, but did recall that he was a defensive lineman.
Recalling the conversation and narrowing down some of the possibilities, it could potentially be Rivals250 defensive end Vincent Taylor's dad that Massington was talking to. However, this is not confirmed.
Another not so obvious source singing Tech's praises to Massington would be his God parents who both went to Texas Tech. The junior wide receiver laughingly said he hadn't even told them he got an offer yet, but said he would soon and thought they'd be excited.
Massington doesn't know exactly when he will be able to visit, but thinks it will probably be sometime in the fall next season.
- Rosen
This post was edited on 4/26 11:53 PM by A. Dickens
This post was edited on 4/27 12:52 AM by M. Graham
