PREVIEW: Tennessee State
https://texastech.com/news/2019/11/19/mens-basketball-preview-tennessee-state.aspx
LUBBOCK, Texas – Back at the United Supermarkets Arena for a two-game home stand before a Thanksgiving-week road trip to Las Vegas, No. 12 Texas Tech will host Tennessee State at 7 p.m. on Thursday and then a Sunday afternoon matchup against Long Island at 1 p.m. in a pair of non-conference contests.
The Red Raiders (3-0) are on a 49-game non-conference home winning streak and are currently averaging 89.0 points and 26.0 assists per game. Tennessee State (3-1) travels to Lubbock following a 99-65 win over Fisk University on Monday in Nashville after a 79-78 victory against Lipscomb last week. Tech is coming off a 103-74 win over Houston Baptist last Wednesday and continues to be a defensive powerhouse by limiting its first three opponents to 59.3 points per game and to 36.7 percent shooting. Chris Beard is now 79-31 through three games of his fourth season leading the program, including a 52-5 record at home and a 30-0 mark in non-conference home games.
GAME COVERAGE: The game will be broadcasted on Fox Sports Southwest Plus with John Harris and Chris Level on the call and on the Texas Tech Sports Network's flagship station Double T 97.3 in Lubbock with Geoff Haxton. Fans can also find the game on any streaming device by using the FOX Sports Go app and can follow the game at @TexasTechMBB.
SERIES: The Red Raiders and Tigers will meet for the first time in history. Tech is currently 8-5 all-time against Ohio Valley Conference opponents following the 85-60 season-opening win over Eastern Illinois.
POLL REPORT: Texas Tech will go into the third week of the season ranked No. 12 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and USA TODAY Coaches Poll along with being slotted at No. 10 in the NCAA March Madness Power 36 by Andy Katz. The Red Raiders were ranked No. 11 in last week's poll and No. 13 in the preseason poll. Duke (4-0) is now ranked No. 1 in the nation followed by Louisville, Michigan State, Kansas and North Carolina.
STAT RANKINGS: In the NCAA statistical rankings, Texas Tech leads the nation with 26.0 assists per game and the Big 12 with 78 total assists. Tech had 30 assists in the win over HBU which was the third most in a game in program history behind on 31 against Rice in 2018 and 35 against East Central in 2008. The team is shooting 54.3 percent through three games which ranks eighth nationally and tops the conference, while a 29.7 scoring margin is 10th in the nation. The Red Raiders are scoring 89.0 points per game and are averaging 32.67 defensive rebounds per game, both ranking in the top-15 in the NCAA. Individually, Davide Moretti leads the nation in free-throw percentage after starting the season 8-for-8 at the line a year after leading the nation at 92.4 percent (97-for-105), while Chris Clarke is ninth nationally with 7.3 assists per game. TJ Holyfield is 24-for-29 shooting this season (82.8 percent) which is third in the nation and Clarke's 22 total assists are second in the conference.
STREAKING: Texas Tech has won 49 straight non-conference home games after its 85-60 win over EIU on Tuesday and the 79-44 victory over Bethune-Cookman. The team came into the season following a 67-64 win over Arkansas to complete a 9-0 mark in those games last year. TTU started the streak with a 100-69 win over St. Mary's on Dec. 30, 2013. Chris Beard is 30-0 in non-conference home games as the team's head coach.
SELL-OUT WITH ME: Fresh off the success of reaching the program's first NCAA Final Four, Texas Tech fans filled the USA during its season-opening week for the 20th and 21st sell-out in program history. It was the first time in program history with two sell-outs to begin the season and doubled the previous amount of non-conference games at capacity. The Red Raiders had four sell-outs last season where the program averaged 12,098 which was the second most ever behind only a 13,743 count in the 2001-02 season. Prior sell-outs in non-conference play came against New Mexico (2007) and UNLV (2006). Tech also sold out its neutral-court
PLAYER NOTES: The Red Raiders are being led by junior Davide Moretti and a pair of graduate transfers in TJ Holyfield and Chris Clarke who are producing in a variety of ways. Holyfield is scoring 18.7 points per game and is at 5.0 rebounds through three games. A grad transfer from SFA, Holyfield scored a season-high 21 points against Houston Baptist after going for 20 against Bethune-Cookman. Holyfield, who is 24-for-29 from the field this season, earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after the first two games of the season before responding with the 21-point performance where he also had two steals, two blocks, two assists and three rebounds against HBU. He had six rebounds in both of the first two games this season. Clarke leads the Red Raiders with 7.3 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game through three games. A grad transfer from Virginia Tech, Clarke produced 11 assists in the win over HBU and also had eight rebounds for the second straight game. He has only attempted seven shots this season, but is at 22 assists and 19 rebounds coming into Thursday's game. His 11 assists matched the ninth most in program history with the all-time assist single-game record being 14 from Stan Bonewitz against No. 21 Fresno State on Dec. 21, 1996. His current assist average of 7.3 leads the program record of 6.42 from John Roberson in the 2008-09 season.
Moretti has continued his hot shooting from his sophomore season into his junior season where he is currently 12-for-20 (60 percent) from the field, 6-for-11 (54.5 percent) on 3-pointers and 8-for-8 (100 percent) from the free-throw line. A Bologna, Italy native, Moretti is averaging 12.7 points and 4.7 assists per game for the Red Raiders through three games. He had 13 in the first two games and is coming off a night where he dropped 12 points on HBU. For his career, Moretti is 105 of 252 (41.7 percent) on 3-pointers and 129 of 141 (91.5 percent) at the free-throw line. He led the nation as a sophomore by shooting 92.4 percent on free throws (97-for-105) and also provided 11.5 points per game. He had a career-high 21 points in a win over Arkansas last season and now has 30 double-figure scoring performances in his career after having three through three games this season. He comes into Thursday's game against TSU with 147 career assists, including six against HBU following five in the win over Bethune-Cookman.
Jahmi'us Ramsey leads the Red Raiders with 19.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game following a career-high 25 points in the win over Houston Baptist. A freshman from Arlington, Ramsey was 10-for-13 from the field with three 3-pointers in the game and also had five rebounds. He is currently 22-for-40 from the field this season, including going 7-for-13 from beyond the arc. Ramsey has started all three games, starting with a 19-point performance in the season-opener against Eastern Illinois where he also had five rebounds. He had a season-high nine rebounds against Bethune-Cookman where he added 13 points and two steals. Kyler Edwards is coming off a season-high 15 points after he hit three 3-pointers in the win over HBU. A sophomore from Arlington, Edwards also secured a career-best seven rebounds in the game and now has 101 career rebounds. He is currently averaging 10.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in his second season at Tech following averaging 5.5 points and 2.2 rebounds as a freshman. Edwards had a career-high 19 points in a non-conference win over Northern Colorado last season on Nov. 24, 2019 and also had 12 points in the NCAA Championship Final against Virginia. He is shooting 44.0 percent from the field and is at 36.4 percent on 3-pointers coming into the game against Tennessee State. Terrence Shannon, Jr. has started his collegiate career by averaging 8.0 points per game. He had a season-best 11 points in the opener against Eastern Illinois and then had eight against Bethune-Cookman. Shannon, guard from Chicago, is 8-for-18 from the field through three games from the starting lineup.
Clarence Nadolny is coming off a season-best nine points against HBU after going 4-for-6 from the field in 14 minutes. A freshman from France, Nadolny is averaging 5.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists this season. He had four assists in the win over Bethune-Cookman and is currently 6-for-12 from the field. Kevin McCullar scored a career-high five points against HBU after scoring four points in the first two games of the season, while Russel Tchewa is averaging 3.7 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. Avery Benson is averaging 4.7 points per game and is 5-for-5 from the field. A sophomore from Arkansas, Benson is 3-for-3 on 3-pointers for the season including going 2-for-2 in a six-point performance against Bethune-Cookman.
OPPONENT FOUR: The Tigers are on a two-game winning streak with their victories over Lipscomb and Fisk after opening the season with a win over Alabama A&M. The lone loss came against Chattanooga in a 59-57 decision. Tennessee State is averaging 85.2 points per game through four games and is shooting 54.2 percent from the field. They own a plus-10.3 rebounding margin advantage over their opponents and are averaging 16.5 assists per game. With four players averaging double-figure scoring, the Tigers currently have a 18.3 scoring margin of victory. Carlos Marshall, sophomore from Memphis, leads the team with 14.8 points per game and is coming off a game where he recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds against Fisk. Wesley Harris and Emmanuel Egbuta led the Tigers with 15 points each against Fisk, while Michael Littlejohn joined Marshall with 13. Egbuta, senior from the Bronx, New York, leads the team with 7.0 rebounds per game and is averaging 8.3 points. Harris is currently averaging 12.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the team, while Littlejohn is at 11.8 points and 3.0 rebounds. Jy'lan Washington, who had 10 points and five rebounds against Fisk, is at 11.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
Moretti/Clarke Named to Preseason Watch Lists: Moretti has been named to the 2020 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award Watch List following a season where he helped lead the Red Raiders to the NCAA National Championship Final and the Big 12 regular season championship. Moretti averaged 11.5 points per game, had 91 assists and shot 53.5 from the field, 53.5 percent on 3-pointers and 93.1 percent at the free-throw line during conference play as a sophomore. A Bologna, Italy native, Moretti earned All-Big 12 Third Team honors and led the nation by finishing the season at 92.4 percent at the line (97-of-105). Clarke was announced as one of 20 players on the watch list for the 2020 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award. Clarke transferred to Texas Tech this season after averaging 9.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.03 steals in 79 games played at Virginia Tech. With the Hokies, Clarke would average 8.2 points and 6.3 rebounds as a junior after going for 11.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in his sophomore season. For his career, he has scored 728 points, secured 517 rebounds and has 210 assists in his collegiate career. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced its watch list with 20 candidates for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award. Named after Class of 1971 Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic and Holy Cross guard Bob Cousy, the annual honor now in its seventeenth year recognizes the top point guards in Division I men's college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates. Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor in its sixth year recognizes the top small forwards in Division I men's college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
SPANNING THE GLOBE: The Red Raiders are represented by eight players by five international players: Moretti (Italy), Nadolny (France), Ntambwe (Congo), Savrasov (Russia) and Tchewa (Cameroon). The program his two players from Arlington, Texas in Kyler Edwards and Jahmi'us Ramsey, Kevin McCullar is from San Antonio and four from out of state: Avery Benson (Arkansas), TJ Holyfield (New Mexico), Tyreek Smith (Louisiana) and Terrence Shannon (Illinois).
COACHING STAFF: The Red Raiders are led by head coach Chris Beard who is in his fourth season. Beard was named the Associated Press National Coach of the Year last season along with earning Big 12 Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. Beard has led the Red Raiders to a 79-31 record coming into Thursday's game against TSU, including a 52-5 record at home after the win over BCU. Beard is joined on the coaching bench by assistant coaches Mark Adams, Brian Burg and Ulric Maligi, Tim MacAllister (Chief of Staff), Bob Donewald (Player Development), Sean Sutton (Executive Advisor), John Reilly (Strength & Conditioning), Mike Neal (Athletic Trainer) and graduate assistants Casey Perrin, Ronald Ross, Matt Temple, Elliott De Wit, Khristian Smith, Joey Kuhl, Rusty Grafel and Mike Fallone. Adams was named the TABC Assistant Coach of the Year last season for his role in helping Beard and the Red Raiders reach the national championship final. Burg was listed by The Athletic as one of the top rising assistants in the game as he enters his fourth season at Tech and fifth with Beard after also being at Little Rock with Beard and Adams. Maligi is in his first season at Texas Tech after working at Texas A&M last year. Neal is also new to the program, joining the Red Raiders after working at Little Rock where he was also a player before going into athletic training. Adams and Burg were previously on Beard's staff at Little Rock along with athletic trainer Mike Neal who is in his first season at Tech. MacAllister was named to the NABC 30 Under 30 list after last year and enters his second season with the Red Raiders. Along with being 21 wins away from 100 at Tech, Beard is 175-61 as a collegiate head coach after prior leadership at Little Rock, Angelo State and McMurry.
UP NEXT: The Red Raiders return to action at 7 p.m. on Thursday when they host Tennessee State to begin a two-game home stand that continues with a 1 p.m. tip on Sunday against Long Island at the United Supermarkets Arena. Tech is on a 49-game home non-conference winning streak coming into the games. The team will then play four games on the road, starting with the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational on Thanksgiving Day against Iowa and then on Friday, Nov. 29 against San Diego State or Creighton followed by trips to Chicago to play DePaul on Wednesday, Dec. 4 in the Big East-Big 12 Battle and on Dec. 10 against Louisville in the Jimmy Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York.
DEPARTURES: Texas Tech will look to replace the winningest team in program history that is now without Jarrett Culver, Matt Mooney, Tariq Owens, Brandone Francis and Norense Odiase. Culver declared for the NBA Draft after his sophomore season and was selected No. 6 overall. After leading the Red Raiders with 18.5 points per and 6.4 rebounds per game and earning Big 12 Player of the Year and Consensus All-America honors, Culver is now on the Minnesota Timberwolves. Mooney was the team's third leading scorer behind Culver and Moretti and is now with the Memphis Hustle in the G-League, while Owens established a new program single-season record with 92 blocked shots and is with Odiase on the Northern Arizona Suns (G-League). Francis was a member of the 2018 Elite Eight run and 2019 runner-up team and is on the Iowa Wolves roster. Along with players from last year's team, Max Lefevre is now with the Timberwolves working in video and athletic trainer Chris Williams joined the Timberwolves and Iowa Wolves athletic training staff.
WE WROTE A BOOK: The story of the 2018-19 season has been chronicled in a commemorative book titled Raider Power: Texas Tech's Journey From Unranked to the Final Four. The Texas Tech Athletic Communications Office produced book is filled with images from our photographers and stories from throughout the season. The book is available now online and in stores. It is published by the TTU Press.
https://texastech.com/news/2019/11/19/mens-basketball-preview-tennessee-state.aspx
LUBBOCK, Texas – Back at the United Supermarkets Arena for a two-game home stand before a Thanksgiving-week road trip to Las Vegas, No. 12 Texas Tech will host Tennessee State at 7 p.m. on Thursday and then a Sunday afternoon matchup against Long Island at 1 p.m. in a pair of non-conference contests.
The Red Raiders (3-0) are on a 49-game non-conference home winning streak and are currently averaging 89.0 points and 26.0 assists per game. Tennessee State (3-1) travels to Lubbock following a 99-65 win over Fisk University on Monday in Nashville after a 79-78 victory against Lipscomb last week. Tech is coming off a 103-74 win over Houston Baptist last Wednesday and continues to be a defensive powerhouse by limiting its first three opponents to 59.3 points per game and to 36.7 percent shooting. Chris Beard is now 79-31 through three games of his fourth season leading the program, including a 52-5 record at home and a 30-0 mark in non-conference home games.
GAME COVERAGE: The game will be broadcasted on Fox Sports Southwest Plus with John Harris and Chris Level on the call and on the Texas Tech Sports Network's flagship station Double T 97.3 in Lubbock with Geoff Haxton. Fans can also find the game on any streaming device by using the FOX Sports Go app and can follow the game at @TexasTechMBB.
SERIES: The Red Raiders and Tigers will meet for the first time in history. Tech is currently 8-5 all-time against Ohio Valley Conference opponents following the 85-60 season-opening win over Eastern Illinois.
POLL REPORT: Texas Tech will go into the third week of the season ranked No. 12 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and USA TODAY Coaches Poll along with being slotted at No. 10 in the NCAA March Madness Power 36 by Andy Katz. The Red Raiders were ranked No. 11 in last week's poll and No. 13 in the preseason poll. Duke (4-0) is now ranked No. 1 in the nation followed by Louisville, Michigan State, Kansas and North Carolina.
STAT RANKINGS: In the NCAA statistical rankings, Texas Tech leads the nation with 26.0 assists per game and the Big 12 with 78 total assists. Tech had 30 assists in the win over HBU which was the third most in a game in program history behind on 31 against Rice in 2018 and 35 against East Central in 2008. The team is shooting 54.3 percent through three games which ranks eighth nationally and tops the conference, while a 29.7 scoring margin is 10th in the nation. The Red Raiders are scoring 89.0 points per game and are averaging 32.67 defensive rebounds per game, both ranking in the top-15 in the NCAA. Individually, Davide Moretti leads the nation in free-throw percentage after starting the season 8-for-8 at the line a year after leading the nation at 92.4 percent (97-for-105), while Chris Clarke is ninth nationally with 7.3 assists per game. TJ Holyfield is 24-for-29 shooting this season (82.8 percent) which is third in the nation and Clarke's 22 total assists are second in the conference.
STREAKING: Texas Tech has won 49 straight non-conference home games after its 85-60 win over EIU on Tuesday and the 79-44 victory over Bethune-Cookman. The team came into the season following a 67-64 win over Arkansas to complete a 9-0 mark in those games last year. TTU started the streak with a 100-69 win over St. Mary's on Dec. 30, 2013. Chris Beard is 30-0 in non-conference home games as the team's head coach.
SELL-OUT WITH ME: Fresh off the success of reaching the program's first NCAA Final Four, Texas Tech fans filled the USA during its season-opening week for the 20th and 21st sell-out in program history. It was the first time in program history with two sell-outs to begin the season and doubled the previous amount of non-conference games at capacity. The Red Raiders had four sell-outs last season where the program averaged 12,098 which was the second most ever behind only a 13,743 count in the 2001-02 season. Prior sell-outs in non-conference play came against New Mexico (2007) and UNLV (2006). Tech also sold out its neutral-court
PLAYER NOTES: The Red Raiders are being led by junior Davide Moretti and a pair of graduate transfers in TJ Holyfield and Chris Clarke who are producing in a variety of ways. Holyfield is scoring 18.7 points per game and is at 5.0 rebounds through three games. A grad transfer from SFA, Holyfield scored a season-high 21 points against Houston Baptist after going for 20 against Bethune-Cookman. Holyfield, who is 24-for-29 from the field this season, earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after the first two games of the season before responding with the 21-point performance where he also had two steals, two blocks, two assists and three rebounds against HBU. He had six rebounds in both of the first two games this season. Clarke leads the Red Raiders with 7.3 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game through three games. A grad transfer from Virginia Tech, Clarke produced 11 assists in the win over HBU and also had eight rebounds for the second straight game. He has only attempted seven shots this season, but is at 22 assists and 19 rebounds coming into Thursday's game. His 11 assists matched the ninth most in program history with the all-time assist single-game record being 14 from Stan Bonewitz against No. 21 Fresno State on Dec. 21, 1996. His current assist average of 7.3 leads the program record of 6.42 from John Roberson in the 2008-09 season.
Moretti has continued his hot shooting from his sophomore season into his junior season where he is currently 12-for-20 (60 percent) from the field, 6-for-11 (54.5 percent) on 3-pointers and 8-for-8 (100 percent) from the free-throw line. A Bologna, Italy native, Moretti is averaging 12.7 points and 4.7 assists per game for the Red Raiders through three games. He had 13 in the first two games and is coming off a night where he dropped 12 points on HBU. For his career, Moretti is 105 of 252 (41.7 percent) on 3-pointers and 129 of 141 (91.5 percent) at the free-throw line. He led the nation as a sophomore by shooting 92.4 percent on free throws (97-for-105) and also provided 11.5 points per game. He had a career-high 21 points in a win over Arkansas last season and now has 30 double-figure scoring performances in his career after having three through three games this season. He comes into Thursday's game against TSU with 147 career assists, including six against HBU following five in the win over Bethune-Cookman.
Jahmi'us Ramsey leads the Red Raiders with 19.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game following a career-high 25 points in the win over Houston Baptist. A freshman from Arlington, Ramsey was 10-for-13 from the field with three 3-pointers in the game and also had five rebounds. He is currently 22-for-40 from the field this season, including going 7-for-13 from beyond the arc. Ramsey has started all three games, starting with a 19-point performance in the season-opener against Eastern Illinois where he also had five rebounds. He had a season-high nine rebounds against Bethune-Cookman where he added 13 points and two steals. Kyler Edwards is coming off a season-high 15 points after he hit three 3-pointers in the win over HBU. A sophomore from Arlington, Edwards also secured a career-best seven rebounds in the game and now has 101 career rebounds. He is currently averaging 10.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in his second season at Tech following averaging 5.5 points and 2.2 rebounds as a freshman. Edwards had a career-high 19 points in a non-conference win over Northern Colorado last season on Nov. 24, 2019 and also had 12 points in the NCAA Championship Final against Virginia. He is shooting 44.0 percent from the field and is at 36.4 percent on 3-pointers coming into the game against Tennessee State. Terrence Shannon, Jr. has started his collegiate career by averaging 8.0 points per game. He had a season-best 11 points in the opener against Eastern Illinois and then had eight against Bethune-Cookman. Shannon, guard from Chicago, is 8-for-18 from the field through three games from the starting lineup.
Clarence Nadolny is coming off a season-best nine points against HBU after going 4-for-6 from the field in 14 minutes. A freshman from France, Nadolny is averaging 5.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists this season. He had four assists in the win over Bethune-Cookman and is currently 6-for-12 from the field. Kevin McCullar scored a career-high five points against HBU after scoring four points in the first two games of the season, while Russel Tchewa is averaging 3.7 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. Avery Benson is averaging 4.7 points per game and is 5-for-5 from the field. A sophomore from Arkansas, Benson is 3-for-3 on 3-pointers for the season including going 2-for-2 in a six-point performance against Bethune-Cookman.
OPPONENT FOUR: The Tigers are on a two-game winning streak with their victories over Lipscomb and Fisk after opening the season with a win over Alabama A&M. The lone loss came against Chattanooga in a 59-57 decision. Tennessee State is averaging 85.2 points per game through four games and is shooting 54.2 percent from the field. They own a plus-10.3 rebounding margin advantage over their opponents and are averaging 16.5 assists per game. With four players averaging double-figure scoring, the Tigers currently have a 18.3 scoring margin of victory. Carlos Marshall, sophomore from Memphis, leads the team with 14.8 points per game and is coming off a game where he recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds against Fisk. Wesley Harris and Emmanuel Egbuta led the Tigers with 15 points each against Fisk, while Michael Littlejohn joined Marshall with 13. Egbuta, senior from the Bronx, New York, leads the team with 7.0 rebounds per game and is averaging 8.3 points. Harris is currently averaging 12.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the team, while Littlejohn is at 11.8 points and 3.0 rebounds. Jy'lan Washington, who had 10 points and five rebounds against Fisk, is at 11.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
Moretti/Clarke Named to Preseason Watch Lists: Moretti has been named to the 2020 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award Watch List following a season where he helped lead the Red Raiders to the NCAA National Championship Final and the Big 12 regular season championship. Moretti averaged 11.5 points per game, had 91 assists and shot 53.5 from the field, 53.5 percent on 3-pointers and 93.1 percent at the free-throw line during conference play as a sophomore. A Bologna, Italy native, Moretti earned All-Big 12 Third Team honors and led the nation by finishing the season at 92.4 percent at the line (97-of-105). Clarke was announced as one of 20 players on the watch list for the 2020 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award. Clarke transferred to Texas Tech this season after averaging 9.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.03 steals in 79 games played at Virginia Tech. With the Hokies, Clarke would average 8.2 points and 6.3 rebounds as a junior after going for 11.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in his sophomore season. For his career, he has scored 728 points, secured 517 rebounds and has 210 assists in his collegiate career. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced its watch list with 20 candidates for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award. Named after Class of 1971 Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic and Holy Cross guard Bob Cousy, the annual honor now in its seventeenth year recognizes the top point guards in Division I men's college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates. Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor in its sixth year recognizes the top small forwards in Division I men's college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
SPANNING THE GLOBE: The Red Raiders are represented by eight players by five international players: Moretti (Italy), Nadolny (France), Ntambwe (Congo), Savrasov (Russia) and Tchewa (Cameroon). The program his two players from Arlington, Texas in Kyler Edwards and Jahmi'us Ramsey, Kevin McCullar is from San Antonio and four from out of state: Avery Benson (Arkansas), TJ Holyfield (New Mexico), Tyreek Smith (Louisiana) and Terrence Shannon (Illinois).
COACHING STAFF: The Red Raiders are led by head coach Chris Beard who is in his fourth season. Beard was named the Associated Press National Coach of the Year last season along with earning Big 12 Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. Beard has led the Red Raiders to a 79-31 record coming into Thursday's game against TSU, including a 52-5 record at home after the win over BCU. Beard is joined on the coaching bench by assistant coaches Mark Adams, Brian Burg and Ulric Maligi, Tim MacAllister (Chief of Staff), Bob Donewald (Player Development), Sean Sutton (Executive Advisor), John Reilly (Strength & Conditioning), Mike Neal (Athletic Trainer) and graduate assistants Casey Perrin, Ronald Ross, Matt Temple, Elliott De Wit, Khristian Smith, Joey Kuhl, Rusty Grafel and Mike Fallone. Adams was named the TABC Assistant Coach of the Year last season for his role in helping Beard and the Red Raiders reach the national championship final. Burg was listed by The Athletic as one of the top rising assistants in the game as he enters his fourth season at Tech and fifth with Beard after also being at Little Rock with Beard and Adams. Maligi is in his first season at Texas Tech after working at Texas A&M last year. Neal is also new to the program, joining the Red Raiders after working at Little Rock where he was also a player before going into athletic training. Adams and Burg were previously on Beard's staff at Little Rock along with athletic trainer Mike Neal who is in his first season at Tech. MacAllister was named to the NABC 30 Under 30 list after last year and enters his second season with the Red Raiders. Along with being 21 wins away from 100 at Tech, Beard is 175-61 as a collegiate head coach after prior leadership at Little Rock, Angelo State and McMurry.
UP NEXT: The Red Raiders return to action at 7 p.m. on Thursday when they host Tennessee State to begin a two-game home stand that continues with a 1 p.m. tip on Sunday against Long Island at the United Supermarkets Arena. Tech is on a 49-game home non-conference winning streak coming into the games. The team will then play four games on the road, starting with the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational on Thanksgiving Day against Iowa and then on Friday, Nov. 29 against San Diego State or Creighton followed by trips to Chicago to play DePaul on Wednesday, Dec. 4 in the Big East-Big 12 Battle and on Dec. 10 against Louisville in the Jimmy Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York.
DEPARTURES: Texas Tech will look to replace the winningest team in program history that is now without Jarrett Culver, Matt Mooney, Tariq Owens, Brandone Francis and Norense Odiase. Culver declared for the NBA Draft after his sophomore season and was selected No. 6 overall. After leading the Red Raiders with 18.5 points per and 6.4 rebounds per game and earning Big 12 Player of the Year and Consensus All-America honors, Culver is now on the Minnesota Timberwolves. Mooney was the team's third leading scorer behind Culver and Moretti and is now with the Memphis Hustle in the G-League, while Owens established a new program single-season record with 92 blocked shots and is with Odiase on the Northern Arizona Suns (G-League). Francis was a member of the 2018 Elite Eight run and 2019 runner-up team and is on the Iowa Wolves roster. Along with players from last year's team, Max Lefevre is now with the Timberwolves working in video and athletic trainer Chris Williams joined the Timberwolves and Iowa Wolves athletic training staff.
WE WROTE A BOOK: The story of the 2018-19 season has been chronicled in a commemorative book titled Raider Power: Texas Tech's Journey From Unranked to the Final Four. The Texas Tech Athletic Communications Office produced book is filled with images from our photographers and stories from throughout the season. The book is available now online and in stores. It is published by the TTU Press.
