Welcome back to another edition of the weekly RedRaiderSports.com staff mailbag. Excellent week of questions this go round, we appreciate the curiosity and will continue to do our best to answer all of your questions. Let’s dive in…
@Matador1 Thoughts on our basketball team’s ability to compete in the postseason with the current lack of depth?
Depth has continuously been an issue with this team and that is no secret to anybody. I think this squad’s toughness is undeniable, so I don’t think there is anything to worry about on that front but physical fatigue in the postseason is inevitable. I will say, though, I feel a lot more confident in the depth now that EY and RJ have been able to string together some good performances. I talked about it in my takeaways after West Virginia(?) that it is going to pay off once Warren comes back. Not completely satisfied with the depth but if WW can come back and get situated quickly, you’re in a lot better shape now as opposed to a month ago. - @J. Ramirez
@texastechturtle Based on the circumstances of how this staff and team was put together, is this the “floor” of what we should expect with McCasland?
Likely so. I would be shocked if Texas Tech under McCasland, Buffington & this staff are caught with their proverbial “pants down” in the depth department like they were this season. Having three bigs who haven’t been that good, despite efforts from a couple to improve, really hurt this team and it was only exacerbated by Cambridge going down. I’m personally expecting major improvement next season. - @J. Apodaca
@TechDane12 Hind sight question. Do you think Coach Green’s style was a bad fit for Adams’ style of basketball? I know there were several issues going on in the program, just speaking of this specifically.
Ah yes the 2022-2023 basketball team that many of us had already completely flushed from memory. To tell you the truth, and I could be completely off base here, but I think more than anything the personnel was what limited that team offensively the most. You had so much talent and so many lethal individual scorers like Harmon and Tyson, even Obanor and maybe Fardaws in the not so distant past. But, and this can fall back on poor coaching, they never gelled and it never looked like a cohesive product on that end of the floor. I think the 21-22 team had their own struggles offensively, but it never looked so out of sync as Adams’ second team did. Could you say Steve Green’s approach didn’t bode so well as Barret Peery’s? You could, but it’s hard to really gauge it considering it is two entirely different groups with different offensive styles of coaching. At the end of the day, what I’ll always remember the 2023 group for was never coming together to make it happen as a unit. The personnel didn’t fit and we know who brought them in. - @J. Ramirez
@CowtownRedRaider
What has been the biggest surprise for you this basketball season?
Has Kye Lindsay played his last game as a Red Raider?
Where do you think Chris Beard will be coaching next year? Do you believe the rumors that he will end up at Arkansas or Indiana?
Who should be on Okie Lite and WV’s short list for their next basketball coach? (assuming they both go in a different direction)
I have two answers for the biggest surprise. The first is the way the team managed to make the NCAA Tournament after Devan Cambridge went down. Think back to the early part of the year, the trip to the Bahamas, the game @ Butler. Tech showed they could compete against most teams away from home but they were clearly going to be a thin team. Losing a starting forward (and probably even more importantly, the backup small ball 5) could have been devastating. But the rest of the team stepped up and Texas Tech is a 21 win team (so far) and going to the NCAA Tournament. Amazing coaching job by Grant McCasland in year 1.
The second big surprise for me is the play of Kerwin Walton. He wasn’t even in the rotation to start the season, but was forced into action pretty early on and especially once Cambridge went down. He’s not going to win any Big 12 awards, but he’s been a reliable, solid starter and currently shooting 50% from the field and 47.5% from deep. That is incredible and likely gets him another year in Lubbock if he wants to return.
I definitely think KyeRon Lindsay has played his last game as a Red Raider. Just look at Grant McCasland’s comments after the OSU win.
We all know how big of a snake Chris Beard is, but even I would be surprised if he bailed on Ole Miss after 1 year for a mid job like Arkansas. Indiana announced that they’re keeping Mike Woodson. Oklahoma State, should they open, would appear to be a good fit for Beard but we’ll see. I think it would take a Louisville or Kansas or some job definitely a tier or three above Ole Miss for him to leave this early. - @B. Golan
When do you think we will see the first Adidas TTU jersey mocks? Hard to say in today’s age of stuff getting leaked and accidentally revealed too soon. This deal doesn’t become official until July 1, but I can almost guarantee the people in charge of this, both from Tech and Adidas are already way ahead of the curve. I’ll keep my eyes peeled if I see anything at the ole Cardinals this summer. - @J. Ramirez
@tbp59 *On basketball recruiting* Is it more likely to be more high school recruiting to “lengthen” the bench over time, or will we be more portal driven, because that’s sort of the new normal? & @dgraf - I don’t really follow basketball recruiting too much so I was a bit surprised to see we have exactly zero 2024 high school recruits. Why is this? Did McCasland get hired too late in the 2024 recruiting cycle to land decent recruits or is he going to mostly focus on the transfer portal every year? I think this offseason you are going to be extremely portal heavy. You currently have four schollys (Steffe, Joe, Warren, D’Maurian) open for next season, and that will only increase if other guys go portalling, which I’m expecting to an extent. You’re only somewhat “in” on Leon Horner and I don’t see that changing in the rest of the short cycle. I think it has more to do with the quality of the 2024 class because you can see the work that Buff has already done on some 2025 & 2026 guys. - @J. Apodaca
@DoubleTMatador In the never ending world of facility upgrades, following the stadium and FTF completion in August, what do you expect will be the next TTU sport to see $ upgrades… and when?
Great question but I have less than 0 clue. Basketball got The Womble, baseball got their new facility and now obviously football is under construction. All I know is all 3 were badly needed and I’m grateful for the people who made those things happen.
Maybe instead of throwing $$ into more facilities, it seems like Tech is covered there, could Tech now look to beef up NIL or coaches salaries? Facilities are great, but players and coaches win and lose games. With Texas and OU out of the conference, the Red Raiders have a chance to be among the elite of the Big 12 every season. That’s what I would strive for, and the best way to do that would be getting the best players and coaches in here. The Matador Club and what they do is already good, but I think that’s where Tech could turn to instead of any additional facility upgrades. - @B. Golan
@creinisch What is stopping the NFL from using their massive financial, cultural and political power from stepping in and regulating, what is essentially, a farm system for their league when it pertains to college football? Has anyone even approached that conversation? I’ve always thought this was a possibility, but it comes down to the money and whether there is enough for the league to make it a profitable venture while the athletic departments also can get theirs. Hope this doesn’t happen because college football means so much more than just a farm system to the league, to me at least. - @J. Apodaca
@Samb5 For Tech football give us your way too early:
Offensive MVP
Defensive MVP
All Conference Players
Newcomer of the year
Leader in INT
Leader in Sacks
And clear WR1 by the end of the year
Jarrett
Tahj Brooks or Behren Morton
Jacob Rodriguez
Brooks, Davion Carter, Ben Roberts, Jacob Rodriguez, CJ Baskerville
Josh Kelly
Baskerville or Mo Horn
Dylan Spencer
Kelly
Justin
Tahj Brooks
De’Braylon Carroll
Brooks, Carter, Carroll, Jacob Rodriguez, Ben Roberts
De’Braylon Carroll
Bralyn Lux
Isaac Smith
Josh Kelly
Ben
Tahj Brooks
Jacob Rodriguez
Tahj Brooks, Vinny Sciury, Jacob Rodriguez, Bralyn Lux, Drae McCray (Returner)
Josh Kelly
CJ Baskerville
Joseph Adedire
N/A - Josh Kelly, Micah Hudson, Caleb Douglas, Coy Eakin, Drae McCray, Jordan Brown and Brady Boyd will all rotate in and get theirs
@2techsans - Biggest change you expect to see in the offense in spring football?
There’s several ways you can go with this so I’ll just list a few things that I am looking for. Can there be a more reliable heir to Tahj Brooks? Just how much more explosive are Josh Kelly and Caleb Douglas compared to past WRs? What do the TE reps look like? The biggest change if I have to list one is no doubt the offensive line. The WR core may have brought in some new pieces but that offensive line could legitimately be four new guys when it’s all wrapped up heading into real games.
How much do comments like Rabbit’s on DeRuyter’s coaching help in recruiting? It only can benefit recruiting. It seems like the DBs in particular have great relationships with DeRuyter and Marcel Yates. You’re bringing in one of your most talented high school DB classes possibly ever. The current (and also now-former) players certainly play a tremendous part in that recruitment and filling in prospects on what their coaches are like. What players have to say about coaches matters just as much as what coaches have to say to prospects.
I know Coach McCasland will be laser focused on this season until the end. What is the timeline for basketball recruiting for the next season? When will we start to hear some targets? With the portal opening quite literally in the next couple of weeks, I would expect it to get ramped up quickly, both going and coming. Like how Blanchard and his staff kept portal recruiting roaring when the football team was getting ready for bowl prep, I would almost expect something similar from Kellen Buffington in that regard. It’s going to be heavily documented that you’re going to be portal heavy for the immediate reloading of this roster. As far as high school goes, you’ve got 2025 targets like Kingston Flemings and Jaden Toombs, but those recruiting timelines are at their discretion.
New scoreboard has me thinking - what is your favorite TTU scoreboard memory or picture? After the Oklahoma game I put out a tweet because they had played a video that the scoreboard would return when the SEZ was redone and I tweeted a picture of the Double T and the video. That tweet got like 600 likes and however many retweets, which isn’t crazy numbers, but to that point of my journalistic career I hadn’t gotten that kind of buzz before. It’s silly to think about but that moment was pretty cool for me as a reporter. So many other great memories from games I went to as a kid, but as an adult that one sticks out. - @J. Ramirez
I remember having a little tradition of taking a picture of the Double T and sending it to my parents when I was walking out of the stadium and back to my apartment after every home game during my first year at this job. Glad it gets to continue, something small but it was something I think back on. - @J. Apodaca
@DoubleTMatador - Apparently Fox has announced they will broadcast 1 game nationally each Friday night this season among the B1G, Big 12 and Mountain West (schedule to be announced in May). If you could pick, would you give up a Saturday game for the national exposure of a Friday night, and if so, which home game would be your preference?
I wouldn’t give up a Saturday game for a Friday, but if I was forced to it would be one of the non-conference ones, Abilene Christian or North Texas. Just too difficult for out of towners to make mid-week games.
Saying that, Texas Tech has won its last 4 non-Saturday home games, beating SMU in 2010, TCU in 2013, Kansas in 2016 and TCU in 2023, so maybe it’s worth continuing that trend.
The last Red Raider loss in Lubbock in a non-Saturday game? No. 1 Nebraska beat Tech 50-27 in 1994. - @B. Golan
@Matador1 Thoughts on our basketball team’s ability to compete in the postseason with the current lack of depth?
Depth has continuously been an issue with this team and that is no secret to anybody. I think this squad’s toughness is undeniable, so I don’t think there is anything to worry about on that front but physical fatigue in the postseason is inevitable. I will say, though, I feel a lot more confident in the depth now that EY and RJ have been able to string together some good performances. I talked about it in my takeaways after West Virginia(?) that it is going to pay off once Warren comes back. Not completely satisfied with the depth but if WW can come back and get situated quickly, you’re in a lot better shape now as opposed to a month ago. - @J. Ramirez
@texastechturtle Based on the circumstances of how this staff and team was put together, is this the “floor” of what we should expect with McCasland?
Likely so. I would be shocked if Texas Tech under McCasland, Buffington & this staff are caught with their proverbial “pants down” in the depth department like they were this season. Having three bigs who haven’t been that good, despite efforts from a couple to improve, really hurt this team and it was only exacerbated by Cambridge going down. I’m personally expecting major improvement next season. - @J. Apodaca
@TechDane12 Hind sight question. Do you think Coach Green’s style was a bad fit for Adams’ style of basketball? I know there were several issues going on in the program, just speaking of this specifically.
Ah yes the 2022-2023 basketball team that many of us had already completely flushed from memory. To tell you the truth, and I could be completely off base here, but I think more than anything the personnel was what limited that team offensively the most. You had so much talent and so many lethal individual scorers like Harmon and Tyson, even Obanor and maybe Fardaws in the not so distant past. But, and this can fall back on poor coaching, they never gelled and it never looked like a cohesive product on that end of the floor. I think the 21-22 team had their own struggles offensively, but it never looked so out of sync as Adams’ second team did. Could you say Steve Green’s approach didn’t bode so well as Barret Peery’s? You could, but it’s hard to really gauge it considering it is two entirely different groups with different offensive styles of coaching. At the end of the day, what I’ll always remember the 2023 group for was never coming together to make it happen as a unit. The personnel didn’t fit and we know who brought them in. - @J. Ramirez
@CowtownRedRaider
What has been the biggest surprise for you this basketball season?
Has Kye Lindsay played his last game as a Red Raider?
Where do you think Chris Beard will be coaching next year? Do you believe the rumors that he will end up at Arkansas or Indiana?
Who should be on Okie Lite and WV’s short list for their next basketball coach? (assuming they both go in a different direction)
I have two answers for the biggest surprise. The first is the way the team managed to make the NCAA Tournament after Devan Cambridge went down. Think back to the early part of the year, the trip to the Bahamas, the game @ Butler. Tech showed they could compete against most teams away from home but they were clearly going to be a thin team. Losing a starting forward (and probably even more importantly, the backup small ball 5) could have been devastating. But the rest of the team stepped up and Texas Tech is a 21 win team (so far) and going to the NCAA Tournament. Amazing coaching job by Grant McCasland in year 1.
The second big surprise for me is the play of Kerwin Walton. He wasn’t even in the rotation to start the season, but was forced into action pretty early on and especially once Cambridge went down. He’s not going to win any Big 12 awards, but he’s been a reliable, solid starter and currently shooting 50% from the field and 47.5% from deep. That is incredible and likely gets him another year in Lubbock if he wants to return.
I definitely think KyeRon Lindsay has played his last game as a Red Raider. Just look at Grant McCasland’s comments after the OSU win.
We all know how big of a snake Chris Beard is, but even I would be surprised if he bailed on Ole Miss after 1 year for a mid job like Arkansas. Indiana announced that they’re keeping Mike Woodson. Oklahoma State, should they open, would appear to be a good fit for Beard but we’ll see. I think it would take a Louisville or Kansas or some job definitely a tier or three above Ole Miss for him to leave this early. - @B. Golan
When do you think we will see the first Adidas TTU jersey mocks? Hard to say in today’s age of stuff getting leaked and accidentally revealed too soon. This deal doesn’t become official until July 1, but I can almost guarantee the people in charge of this, both from Tech and Adidas are already way ahead of the curve. I’ll keep my eyes peeled if I see anything at the ole Cardinals this summer. - @J. Ramirez
@tbp59 *On basketball recruiting* Is it more likely to be more high school recruiting to “lengthen” the bench over time, or will we be more portal driven, because that’s sort of the new normal? & @dgraf - I don’t really follow basketball recruiting too much so I was a bit surprised to see we have exactly zero 2024 high school recruits. Why is this? Did McCasland get hired too late in the 2024 recruiting cycle to land decent recruits or is he going to mostly focus on the transfer portal every year? I think this offseason you are going to be extremely portal heavy. You currently have four schollys (Steffe, Joe, Warren, D’Maurian) open for next season, and that will only increase if other guys go portalling, which I’m expecting to an extent. You’re only somewhat “in” on Leon Horner and I don’t see that changing in the rest of the short cycle. I think it has more to do with the quality of the 2024 class because you can see the work that Buff has already done on some 2025 & 2026 guys. - @J. Apodaca
@DoubleTMatador In the never ending world of facility upgrades, following the stadium and FTF completion in August, what do you expect will be the next TTU sport to see $ upgrades… and when?
Great question but I have less than 0 clue. Basketball got The Womble, baseball got their new facility and now obviously football is under construction. All I know is all 3 were badly needed and I’m grateful for the people who made those things happen.
Maybe instead of throwing $$ into more facilities, it seems like Tech is covered there, could Tech now look to beef up NIL or coaches salaries? Facilities are great, but players and coaches win and lose games. With Texas and OU out of the conference, the Red Raiders have a chance to be among the elite of the Big 12 every season. That’s what I would strive for, and the best way to do that would be getting the best players and coaches in here. The Matador Club and what they do is already good, but I think that’s where Tech could turn to instead of any additional facility upgrades. - @B. Golan
@creinisch What is stopping the NFL from using their massive financial, cultural and political power from stepping in and regulating, what is essentially, a farm system for their league when it pertains to college football? Has anyone even approached that conversation? I’ve always thought this was a possibility, but it comes down to the money and whether there is enough for the league to make it a profitable venture while the athletic departments also can get theirs. Hope this doesn’t happen because college football means so much more than just a farm system to the league, to me at least. - @J. Apodaca
@Samb5 For Tech football give us your way too early:
Offensive MVP
Defensive MVP
All Conference Players
Newcomer of the year
Leader in INT
Leader in Sacks
And clear WR1 by the end of the year
Jarrett
Tahj Brooks or Behren Morton
Jacob Rodriguez
Brooks, Davion Carter, Ben Roberts, Jacob Rodriguez, CJ Baskerville
Josh Kelly
Baskerville or Mo Horn
Dylan Spencer
Kelly
Justin
Tahj Brooks
De’Braylon Carroll
Brooks, Carter, Carroll, Jacob Rodriguez, Ben Roberts
De’Braylon Carroll
Bralyn Lux
Isaac Smith
Josh Kelly
Ben
Tahj Brooks
Jacob Rodriguez
Tahj Brooks, Vinny Sciury, Jacob Rodriguez, Bralyn Lux, Drae McCray (Returner)
Josh Kelly
CJ Baskerville
Joseph Adedire
N/A - Josh Kelly, Micah Hudson, Caleb Douglas, Coy Eakin, Drae McCray, Jordan Brown and Brady Boyd will all rotate in and get theirs
@2techsans - Biggest change you expect to see in the offense in spring football?
There’s several ways you can go with this so I’ll just list a few things that I am looking for. Can there be a more reliable heir to Tahj Brooks? Just how much more explosive are Josh Kelly and Caleb Douglas compared to past WRs? What do the TE reps look like? The biggest change if I have to list one is no doubt the offensive line. The WR core may have brought in some new pieces but that offensive line could legitimately be four new guys when it’s all wrapped up heading into real games.
How much do comments like Rabbit’s on DeRuyter’s coaching help in recruiting? It only can benefit recruiting. It seems like the DBs in particular have great relationships with DeRuyter and Marcel Yates. You’re bringing in one of your most talented high school DB classes possibly ever. The current (and also now-former) players certainly play a tremendous part in that recruitment and filling in prospects on what their coaches are like. What players have to say about coaches matters just as much as what coaches have to say to prospects.
I know Coach McCasland will be laser focused on this season until the end. What is the timeline for basketball recruiting for the next season? When will we start to hear some targets? With the portal opening quite literally in the next couple of weeks, I would expect it to get ramped up quickly, both going and coming. Like how Blanchard and his staff kept portal recruiting roaring when the football team was getting ready for bowl prep, I would almost expect something similar from Kellen Buffington in that regard. It’s going to be heavily documented that you’re going to be portal heavy for the immediate reloading of this roster. As far as high school goes, you’ve got 2025 targets like Kingston Flemings and Jaden Toombs, but those recruiting timelines are at their discretion.
New scoreboard has me thinking - what is your favorite TTU scoreboard memory or picture? After the Oklahoma game I put out a tweet because they had played a video that the scoreboard would return when the SEZ was redone and I tweeted a picture of the Double T and the video. That tweet got like 600 likes and however many retweets, which isn’t crazy numbers, but to that point of my journalistic career I hadn’t gotten that kind of buzz before. It’s silly to think about but that moment was pretty cool for me as a reporter. So many other great memories from games I went to as a kid, but as an adult that one sticks out. - @J. Ramirez
I remember having a little tradition of taking a picture of the Double T and sending it to my parents when I was walking out of the stadium and back to my apartment after every home game during my first year at this job. Glad it gets to continue, something small but it was something I think back on. - @J. Apodaca
@DoubleTMatador - Apparently Fox has announced they will broadcast 1 game nationally each Friday night this season among the B1G, Big 12 and Mountain West (schedule to be announced in May). If you could pick, would you give up a Saturday game for the national exposure of a Friday night, and if so, which home game would be your preference?
I wouldn’t give up a Saturday game for a Friday, but if I was forced to it would be one of the non-conference ones, Abilene Christian or North Texas. Just too difficult for out of towners to make mid-week games.
Saying that, Texas Tech has won its last 4 non-Saturday home games, beating SMU in 2010, TCU in 2013, Kansas in 2016 and TCU in 2023, so maybe it’s worth continuing that trend.
The last Red Raider loss in Lubbock in a non-Saturday game? No. 1 Nebraska beat Tech 50-27 in 1994. - @B. Golan
