Red Raiders set for UKG Legends Classic

“We have an awesome opportunity here,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. “Anytime you get to play in an NBA arena in a great city that loves basketball and represent the Big 12 it’s a lot of fun. Saint Joseph’s has an awesome team. We are going to have to play our best basketball. It’s great to be here and have our fans here. It’ll be a great showing for the Red Raiders.”

Texas Tech (4-0) arrived in New York this week after rolling through four home games where it will open the UKG Legends Classic against Saint Joseph’s at 8 p.m. (CST) on Thursday (ESPN 2) before playing either Texas or Syracuse on Friday. The Red Raiders are off to a hot start to the season with a combined 33.8-point margin of victory, coming off a 98-64 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Monday night after a 47-point win over Wyoming last Wednesday. Darrion Williams led Tech with 19 points against UAPB, while Elijah Hawkins and JT Toppin both recorded double-doubles in a game where the Red Raiders had 30 assists, forced 23 turnovers and made 14 3-pointers. Hawkins had his 11th double-double of his career with 11 assists and 10 points and Toppin notched his second straight double-double and 14th of his career with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Kevin Overton added 17 points and Chance McMillian had 11 – both knocking down three 3-pointers.

“What I really appreciate about our team is that we have really great camaraderie and our guys love playing for each other,” McCasland said. “You can tell by the way we share the ball. We need to take some steps defensively and be more physical, but it’s such a great group to be around. We’re excited to compete.”

Saint Joseph’s (3-1) is on a two-game winning streak with an 86-69 win over Penn last Friday night after knocking off Villanova by an 83-76 margin. The team’s only blemish came with a 73-67 loss against Central Connecticut State after opening its season with a win over Navy. The Red Raiders are 0-2 all-time in the series against Saint Joseph’s with the most recent meeting coming in the second round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament with the Hawks winning 70-65 in Buffalo, New York. The Longhorns (3-1) will play Syracuse (3-0) at 6 p.m. (CST) in the first game of the Legends Classic. Being played at Barclays Center, Friday’s championship game is scheduled for 8 p.m. (CST) following a 6 p.m. (CST) tip for the third-place game.

The Hawks meet up with the Red Raiders in New York for their fifth game of the season with four players averaging in double figures, led by Xzayvier Brown who is scoring 16.8 points per game after providing 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists in an 86-69 win over Penn in their last game. Against Penn, Saint Joseph’s had three players score 15 points each with Derek Simpson, Erik Reynolds and Rasheer Fleming leading the team. Simpson, Fleming and Brown had three 3-pointers each. Reynolds is currently averaging 14.5 points per game, while Fleming leads the team with 7.8 rebounds per game to go along with 13.8 points per game. Saint Joseph’s made 10 3s against Penn and went 20-for-23 at the free-throw line in the game. The previous win, an 83-76 victory over Villanova, saw Fleming go for 19 points, Brown score 18 and Simpson drop 16. Brown recorded a double-double against Villanova with 13 assists to go along with his scoring in a game where the Hawks went 22-for-25 at the free-throw line. The Hawks limited Villanova to only 40.9 percent shooting from the field and 8-for-23 (34.8 percent) from 3-point range. Saint Joseph’s is currently scoring 76.5 points per game, shooting 44.2 percent from the field, 32.4 percent on 3-pointers and are 66-for-85 (77.6 percent) at the line. Tech’s defense is liming opponents to 59.8 points per game and 40.9 percent shooting coming into the third matchup in the all-time series between the programs.

“They have great guard play,” McCasland said. “They are an athletic and deep team. They can put pressure on you in so many different ways. We respect them on both sides of the ball. We’ve got our hands full.”

Tech is in Brooklyn to compete in the UKG Legends Classic for the third time in program history with trips in 2008 and 2013. The Red Raiders played in Newark, New Jersey in 2008, falling to No. 4 Pitt (80-67) before beating Mississippi State by a 77-73 decision in the third-place game. In 2013, the event was here in Brooklyn at Barclays Center and saw Tech split again – this time falling 76-53 to Pitt in its first game and then earning a 76-64 victory over Houston in the third-place game. The Red Raiders have spent the last two seasons on a beach for regular-season events, going 2-1 last season at the Battle 4 Atlantis with wins over Northern Iowa and Michigan after falling to Villanova following a trip to Hawaii for three games at the Maui Invitational where they went 1-2.

Tech is at No. 22 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll and just outside the AP Top 25 (most votes of unranked) but currently find themselves at No. 9 on the Kenpom.com grid and lead the nation with a 66.3 effective field-goal percentage. The team leads the Big 12 and is second nationally by shooting 58.0 percent from the field and is also second in the Big 12 with 20.8 assists per game after having 30 on Monday against UAPB. The 30 assists marked the eighth time in program history with 30-plus assists and the most since a 32-assist performance against Tennessee State in 2019. Tech’s 47-point win over Wyoming was its largest margin of victory since a 50-point victory over Jackson State on December 17, 2022.

The Red Raiders are currently averaging 93.5 points per game which ranks second in the Big 12 and 14th nationally and are limiting opponents to only 59.8. The team is currently shooting 141-for-243 (58.0 percent) from the field and is 46-for-102 (45.1 percent) on 3-pointers. Five players are averaging in double figures through four games with Toppin (20.5), Williams (14.5), McMillian (14.3), Overton (12.8) and Walton (11.0). From 3-point range, Walton is 14-for-29 (48.3 percent) and McMillian is 12-for-21 (69.2 percent) while inside, Toppin is shooting 35-for-48 (72.9 percent) from the field which has him fourth in the Big 12 and inside the top-20 nationally. Tech has made 10 or more 3-pointers in three of its first four games, including going off for 16 in the season opener against Bethune-Cookman to match a program record before knocking down 14 more on Monday against UAPB.

GAME INFORMATION
Matchup: Saint Joseph’s (3-1) vs. Texas Tech (4-0)
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Venue: Barclays Center
Tip: 9 p.m. (EST), Thursday, November 21, 2024
TV: ESPN2
TV CALL: Kevin Brown (play-by-play), Jay Williams (analyst)
LOCAL RADIO – Texas Tech Sports Network: Geoff Haxton (play-by-play), Clark Lammert (analyst)

McCasland improved to 238-100 in his career with the win over UAPB is now 27-11 overall and 19-2 at home leading the Red Raiders. McCasland’s roster has 14 players on it this season, including three fifth-year seniors (Devan Cambridge, McMillian, Walton), two seniors (Hawkins, Federiko Federiko), three juniors (Jack Francis, Corbin Green, Williams), three sophomores (Overton, Toppin, Eemeli Yalaho) and three freshmen (Anderson, Jazz Henderson, Leon Horner).

TEAM NOTES: Tech’s 16 3-pointers in the opener against Bethune-Cookman matched the program record that was most recently accomplished against Kansas back on February 23, 2019, and also against UNC-Asheville (2004) and New Mexico State (1996)… The Red Raiders finished last season with 11 games of 10 or more 3s, including a season-high 15 against Sam Houston and then making 14 at TCU in Big 12 play…Texas Tech was second in the Big 12 last season by shooting 35.9 percent on 3-pointers and third with 8.5 made per game… Last season, Tech led the Big 12 at the free-throw line shooting 78.0 percent and are coming off a season opener where it went 6-for-10… The Red Raiders dominated the glass with a 44-21 rebounding advantage against Northwestern State in the second game of the season with Toppin having eight rebounds and Cambridge grabbing seven… The 94 points were the most in a season opener since a 101-58 win over Northwestern State in the 2020-21 season and Monday’s 98 points was the sixth time over 90 under McCasland… Tech’s largest runs of the season have been a 17-0 run to end the first half against Bethune-Cookman and a 14-0 spurt to take a 26-point halftime lead against Wyoming… Tech started the 1929-30 season with 12 wins and the 2018-19 season with 10 straight victories for the best starts in program history… The program hasn’t started 5-0 since the 2021-22 season where it began 6-0 before its first loss… Tech has been 5-0 only 14 times through 99 seasons.

Toppin is coming off his 14th career double-double after going for 14 points and 11 rebounds against UAPB to take his season averages to 20.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. He had led the Red Raiders in scoring for the second straight game after dropping 24 points on Wyoming to go along with 12 rebounds for his 13th career double-double. He was 10-for-15 from the field for his second straight game with 10 makes. He’s currently 35-for-48 (72.9 percent) from the field which is the 16th best in the nation. Toppin continues showing why he is on the Karl Malone Award Watch List and was one of the top gets out of the transfer portal by recording 25 points and seven rebounds in his second game of the season against Northwestern State after going for 19 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots in his debut. He was 10-for-11 from the field against Northwestern State after an 8-for-12 shooting performance against Bethune-Cookman. Toppin transferred to Tech after being named the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year last season following a freshman season at New Mexico where he averaged 12.4 points and 9.1 rebounds. He also provided 68 blocked shots, 38 steals and recorded 12 double-doubles which was tied for the 38th most in the nation. A Dallas native, Toppin returned to his home state after a freshman season where he recorded 23 double-figure scoring performances in 35 games. His first career double-double came with 15 points and 10 rebounds against UT Arlington and was highlighted by him going for a career-high 27 points and 11 rebounds against Toledo. Averaging 1.9 blocks per game, he had a career-best five blocks in games against San Diego State, San Jose State and UNLV. He also had 25 points and 13 rebounds at Air Force and 21 points at Boise State. His 12th double-double of the season came with him going off for 13 points and 11 rebounds against San Diego State in the MWC tournament. Toppin finished his first collegiate season going 193-for-310 (62.3 percent) from the field with 11 3-pointers. He was ranked No. 12 in ESPN’s transfer rankings and was the third-best transfer still available when he signed on May 28. Toppin arrives in Brooklyn with five games of 20-plus point scoring performances and 27 double-figure scoring games through 40 career games.

Williams led Tech in scoring with 19 points against UAPB in a game where he was 8-for-11 from the field. He is now averaging 14.5 points, 6.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game after also providing 14 points and three assists against Wyoming. He recorded a career-high 11 assists and nearly became the third Red Raider in history to have a triple-double after adding eight points and eight rebounds in the win over Northwestern State. He started his junior season off with 17 points, six rebounds and a career-high eight assists in the win over Bethune-Cookman and is currently third in the Big 12 with his assist average. He’s now at 686 points and 508 rebounds through 70 career games. Williams is Tech’s leading returner with 11.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and nine double-doubles after a sophomore season where he earned All-Big 12 Third Team and All-Big 12 Newcomer Team honors. He made 33 starts last season, scoring in double-figures in 19, including a program-best performance where he went 12-for-12 from the field and scored 30 points in a 79-50 home win over No. 6 Kansas. A Sacramento, California native who played his freshman season at Nevada, he finished his first season at Tech shooting 131-for-265 (49.4 percent) from the field and 44-for-96 (45.8 percent) on 3-pointers along with providing 82 assists, 38 steals and 11 blocked shots. In Big 12 play, Williams averaged 13.1 points per game and was 23-for-44 on 3-pointers which is the second best in program history for percentage at a 52.3 percent. He established a career-high with 14 rebounds in a non-conference win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and had his ninth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Baylor in the regular-season finale. His 19th double-figure scoring performance came with 10 points against NC State in the NCAA Tournament. Williams now has 33 games scoring in double figures with three this season.

McMillian stayed hot to start the season, dropping 11 points with three 3-pointers and matching his career-high with six assists against UAPB after going for 16 points on a 4-for-4 display from 3-point range against Wyoming. He’s now 12-for-21 (57.1 percent) on 3s for the season which has him second in the Big 12 and in the top-25 nationally. He was coming off his 50th career double-figure scoring performance after going for 13 points and eight rebounds in the win over Northwestern State. He also drilled four 3-pointers and went off for 17 points, five assists and five rebounds against Bethune-Cookman in the season opener. He was 4-for-7 (57.1 percent) from beyond the arc in the game and was only one assist shy of matching his career-high. Against Wyoming, he shot 6-for-7 from the field and also added three assists and three steals to his stat line. He enters his fifth game of his second season at Texas Tech with 1,084 points, 203 assists, 83 steals, 376 rebounds and 52 double-figure scoring performances. McMillian averaged 10.8 points per game and was 65-for-168 (38.7 percent) on 3-pointers in his first season as a Red Raider where he recorded 18 double-figure scoring performances that included a career-high 27 points at Oklahoma where he went 6-for-8 on 3-pointers. A California native, he scored 17 points in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinal win over BYU and had 15 points against Houston in the semifinals. McMillian was selected as the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week twice during the season, the first time against going off for 24 points at Butler where he went 8-for-10 on 3-pointers. He finished the year 40-for-44 at the free-throw line, including going 26-for-28 in conference play. McMillian is currently averaging 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. He has a 5.00 assist-to-turnover ratio to start the season which currently ranks second in the Big 12.

Hawkins is coming off his 11th career double-double after providing 11 assists, 10 points and five steals in his first start as a Red Raider. He made his Texas Tech debut by going for a team-high five assists and adding seven points in just under 13 minutes of play against Wyoming. Hawkins is on the Bob Cousy Award Watch List after he transferred to Texas Tech as a senior where he already has produced 1,094 points, 604 assists and 176 steals through 94 games in his career. His 6.43 assists per game in his career leads all active players in the nation while his 604 career assists are the fifth most for an active player with Djuan Harris of Kansas atop the list with 696. Hawkins missed the first two games of the season with a lower body injury. A Washington, D.C. native, Hawkins was second nationally last season with 7.5 assists per game at Minnesota where he also averaged 9.5 points and had six double-doubles as an All-Big 10 honorable mention selection. Hawkins scored a career-high 24 points against Ohio State and had a 17-assist performance against IU Indy in a non-conference win. For his career, Hawkins is 135-for-359 (37.6 percent) on 3-pointers and has made 265 free throws. He began his collegiate career with two seasons at Howard before playing one at Minnesota. Last season, he had eight games with double-figure assists, including dishing out 15 assists and scoring 11 points in a win over Butler in the NIT and also having double-doubles against Nebraska (12p/11a), Maine (12p/10a), Northwestern (13p/10a) at home, Illinois (12a/10p) and at Northwestern (14p/10a). Hawkins now has 63 games with double-figure scoring performances.

Walton is fourth nationally in active 3-point percentage at 43.2 percent after making three and finishing with nine points against UAPB. He opened this season with a career-high seven 3-pointers and led the Red Raiders with 21 points in the season-opening win over Bethune-Cookman. He’s made three or more 3-pointers in three games this season. His 21 points in the opener was his second career game with 20 or more points in his career only being surpassed by his career-best 22-point performance last season against Omaha. The seven 3-pointers were the most for a Red Raider since McMillian made eight last season at Butler and two off from Alan Voskuil’s program record of nine against Kansas back on March 4, 2009. Walton is now 14-for-29 (48.3 percent) on 3-pointers this season. He is the longest tenured Red Raider in his third season in the program and fifth as a collegiate player who now has 764 points and 183 made 3-pointers in his career. A Minnesota native, Walton is coming off a senior season where he averaged 8.5 points per game and finished 65-for-136 (47.8 percent) from beyond the arc. His percentage was second nationally and second in program history. He scored a career-high 22 points in a non-conference win over Omaha where he was 6-for-7 on 3-pointers and 8-for-9 from the field. In Big 12 play, Walton started all 18 games last season with a pair of 18-point scoring performances in road games at Houston and UCF. He finished the season with 11 double-figure scoring performances with 12 points against BYU in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinal win in Kansas City. He had eight games with three or more 3s, with a 3-for-4 outing against NC State in the NCAA Tournament First Round being the final one. Walton is now 176-for-414 (43.2 percent) in his career beyond the arc. Starting his career with two seasons at North Carolina, Walton has now played 64 games with 37 starts at Tech where he is 102-for-221 (46.2 percent) on 3s and is currently averaging 11.0 points per game this season.

Overton is currently averaging 12.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game after going for 17 points and three assists against UAPB. He has recorded three double-figure scoring performances to begin his sophomore season after also providing 19 points in a game against Northwestern State where he was 8-for-9 from the free-throw line but is coming off being held to five points against Wyoming. He also scored 10 points from the starting lineup in his Red Raider debut against Bethune-Cookman with one 3-pointer. Overton joined the Texas Tech program this season after a freshman year at Drake where he provided 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists as a starter in 35 games (29.9 minutes per game). An Oklahoma City native, he scored in double figures in 19 games with a career-high 23 points coming against Murray State in his freshman season. Overton finished his first collegiate season shooting 62-for-179 on 3-pointers and contributed 21 steals. He scored 20 or more points in three games with 22 against Oakland and 21 against Saint Louis before his 23-point performance against Murray State where he was 8-for-11 from the field with five 3-pointers. Overton played one prep season at Sunrise Christian before beginning his collegiate career. He has 445 points, 127 rebounds and 22 double-figure scoring performances through 39 games in his collegiate career.

Cambridge reached the 1,000-point milestone by scoring 10 points in the win over Wyoming after going 4-for-6 from the field, including 2-for-2 on 3-pointers. Against UAPB, he also had 10 pionts and is now at 1,013 career points. Cambridge is averaging 7.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game this season. He made his return from an injury-shortened season by contributing seven rebounds and five points against Bethune-Cookman in just over 21 minutes of time on the court. A starter in the first eight games last season, Cambridge suffered a lower body injury that forced him out the remainder of the season. He was averaging 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in his first season at Texas Tech before the injury, including a season-best 17 points in a win over Michigan in the Bahamas and going for 16 points at Butler. His injury occurred at home against Omaha where he had nine points in 18 minutes. Cambridge began his career by playing three seasons at Auburn before playing the 2022-23 season at Arizona State where he averaged 9.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in 36 games played (35 starts). A Tennessee native, he is now 372-for-840 (44.3 percent) from the field for his career. His 139 games played are the fourth most in the nation among active players with Dajuan Harris of Kansas at 144 for the most.

Anderson provided eight points, four assists and three steals against UAPB where he was 2-for-4 from 3-point range in his second game of the season. He made his collegiate debut against Wyoming where he scored nine points and contributed four assists and three steals in over 25 minutes of play as a reserve. Anderson missed the first two games of the season with a lower body injury but made his presence felt early with a 3-pointer for his first points and finished the night shooting 4-for-7 from the field. He signed with Texas Tech on May 21 as a four-star recruit following one season at Oak Hill Academy where he averaged 19.1 points and 4.6 assists per game. Originally a Michigan signee, Anderson opened his recruitment and joined the Red Raiders who he practiced with in June before going overseas in July to lead Germany to the 2024 FIBA U18 Eurobasket Championship this season. He averaged 20.3 points and 5.0 assists per game in the tournament, including going off for 31 points and five assists in the finals against Serbia. An Atlanta, Georgia native, Anderson played at The Lovett School where he averaged 23.7 points in his high school career with 2,038 points. As a junior at The Lovett School, before Oak Hill, Anderson averaged 26.1 points and 4.1 assists with three games of 40 or more points. He played a team-high 28:44 minutes on Monday against UAPB.

Federiko hasn’t missed a shot all season but missed Monday’s game against UAPB with an upper body injury. He is providing depth and size for the Red Raiders where he is currently averaging 6.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks through three games played. He scored a season-high eight points in the win over Wyoming where he was 4-for-4 from the field. For the season, Federiko is 8-for-8 shooting. He had a career-high three steals in the win over Northwestern State to lead the Red Raiders who had seven steals in the game. He is a senior in his first and final season at Texas Tech following two years at Pitt. A Finland native, Federiko is coming off a season where he averaged 4.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and had 43 blocked shots as a starter in 26 games. He had a career-high 22 points against North Florida last season and finished with eight games in double-figure scoring as a sophomore and two last season. In 2022-23, he went for 13 points and eight points at Florida State and produced his only double-double of the season with 17 points and 14 rebounds against Sacred Heart. Last season, he had a double-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks against North Carolina A&T. As a sophomore, Federiko recorded 18 games with two or more blocks, including having four blocks in games against Miami, Vanderbilt and North Carolina before having six games with three or more blocks last season. Federiko was a NJCAA All-America as a freshman at Northern Oklahoma. He now has 398 points, 366 rebounds and 103 blocks through 70 games at the NCAA level.

Yalaho has missed all four games to start the season with a lower body injury. He enters his sophomore season after playing in 17 games last season as a freshman, including scoring a career-high 10 points against Houston in the Big 12 Championship semifinals. A Finland native, Yalaho was 16-for-33 from the field and averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. He had a career-best six rebounds at UCF where he also had eight points. Against Houston in Kansas City, Yalaho scored in double figures for the first time in his career after he also provided seven points and three rebounds in the regular-season finale win over Baylor. Over the summer, Yalaho returned to Finland where he participated in workouts with his national team.

Green played two minutes against Wyoming and in the season opener but did not play against Northwestern State after he joined the Texas Tech program as a walk-on in September. He played the previous two seasons at Air Force. A Midlothian native, Green returned to his home state having played in 36 career games and produced 46 blocked shots. As a freshman in the 2022-23 season, Green started 12 games and played in 24 at Air Force where he averaged 6.5 points and had 34 blocks. Last season, he played in 12 games where he averaged 2.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and had 12 blocked shots. His career-best came with 17 points and 12 rebounds against USC Update on November 21, 2022. Green is a junior with two years of eligibility remaining.

Francis played two minutes against Wyoming and in the season opener, making his seventh appearance on the court as a Red Raider. He is a walk-on who played in five games last season for the Red Raiders. He scored his first career points with a pair of free throws against Sam Houston in a non-conference win and had two rebounds against Kansas and Oklahoma State in Big 12 play. An Austin native, Francis was a practice player during the 2022-23 season before earning a spot on the roster. He was a 1,000-point scorer at Anderson High School.

Horner made his collegiate debut on Tuesday night with two minutes of playing time. He is a freshman who joined the Texas Tech program after playing at Dynamic Prep and Frisco Memorial. As a senior at Dynamic Prep, Horner averaged 14.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He was a McDonald’s All-American nominee and helped the program to the Texas Christian Athletic League 6A State Championship. He earned T-CAL All-State Second Team honors. At Frisco Memorial, Horner was a three-time all-district selection who had 889 points, 419 rebounds and 121 assists in three seasons.

Henderson will be out of action for an extended period as he recovers from a lower body injury. He joined the program as a walk-on this season after being a three-time state champion at Oak Cliff Faith Family in high school. A Dallas native, he averaged 14 points and 7 assists as a senior after going for 10 points and 7 assists as a junior.

RANKINGS
• Tech moved from unranked to No. 22 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll but is just outside of the AP Top 25… The team is 26th in the AP Poll with the most votes not in the poll… Tech is currently No. 9 in KenPom… The Red Raiders started the 2024-25 season unranked in the preseason polls after being at No. 22 in both national polls going into the NCAA Tournament last season; The Red Raiders were at No. 25 in the final 2023-24 USA TODAY Coaches Poll and received votes in the final AP Poll
• Texas Tech was picked 7th in the Big 12 Preseason Poll and did not have a player selected in the 2024 preseason awards
• Last season, Tech was at No. 15 (Jan. 29) for its highest ranking of the season; Tech came into the 2023-24 season unranked in the AP Preseason Poll and remained unranked in the Nov. 13, Nov. 20, Nov. 27, Dec. 4, Dec. 11, Dec. 18, Dec. 25, Jan. 1, and Jan. 8 polls; The team received votes for the first time last season with 62 in the January 8 poll after the win over the Longhorns in Austin to begin conference play
• The No. 15 national ranking was the highest since the program was No. 12 in the AP Top 25 at the end of the 2022 season
• Tech’s highest AP ranking in program history came at No. 6 in February of 2018 (16th Week Poll)… The 2018-19 team was No. 8 in the final week of the regular season and No. 7 throughout the postseason that led to the 2019 National Championship Final

COACHING STAFF
McCasland’s staff includes assistant coaches Luke Barnwell, Matt Braeuer, Jeff Linder and Achoki Moikobu along with Kellen Buffington (general manager), Andrew Wright (strength & conditioning), Chris Nottingham (player development), Jardon Powell (director of administration and operations), Cooper Anderson (operations) and Brian Pete (video coordinator). Linder joins the staff this season after being the head coach at Wyoming (2020-2024) and Northern Colorado (2016-2019) while Pete was at Vanderbilt last season. Braeuer, Moikobu and Wright are in their second season at Tech and all worked with McCasland at UNT.

PROGRAM NOTES
The Red Raiders have advanced to 20 overall NCAA Tournament appearances, including reaching the 2018 Elite 8, 2019 National Championship Final, 2022 Sweet 16 and the 2024 First Round… This is the 100th season in program history and includes recent appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2024… The program won the 2019 Big 12 regular-season championship

RED RAIDERS IN THE PROS
Texas Tech has had 25 NBA Draft selections in program history… Recently in the NBA Draft, selections of Zhaire Smith (R1-P16), Jarrett Culver (R1-P6), and Jahmi’us Ramsey (R2-P43) were made… Tony Battie was selected at No. 5 in the 1997 NBA Draft for the top pick in Tech history… Mac McClung, who has signed a two-way with Orlando, represented the program by winning the 2023 and 2024 NBA Slam Dunk Contest… Former Red Raiders who are listed on NBA G-League rosters are Adonis Arms (Birmingham), Jarrett Culver (Osceola), De’Vion Harmon (Indiana), Mac McClung (Osceola), Kevin Obanor (905 Raptors), Jahmi’us Ramsey (Oklahoma City), Zhaire Smith (Cleveland) and Warren Washington (Sioux Falls)… Former players overseas includes: Brandone Francis (Selenge Bodons Sukhbaatar in Mongolian MBL), Keenan Evans (Olympiacos in Greek GBL), Bryson Williams (Aliaga Petkimspor Izmir in Turkish BSL), Marcus Santos-Silva (Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball in French Betclic ELITE ProA), Davion Warren (Guangzhou Loong Lions in Chinese CBA), Dejan Kravic (Estudiantes in Spanish Primera FEB), Joe Toussaint (Karhubasket in Finnish Korisliiga), Justin Gray (Itelyum Varese in Italian Serie A), Tariq Owens (Cremona in Italian Serie A), John Roberson (Al Ahly Cairo in Egyptian Superleague), Zach Smith (Pitesti in Romanian Liga Nationala), Michael Singletary (Fubon Braves in Taiwanese PLeague+), Joel Ntambwe (Abeilles in Central African D1), Kyler Edwards (JDA Dijon Bourgogne in France), Jeffrey Crockett (Keravnos in Cyprus), Toddrick Gotcher (Fomik Zamek in Poland), Davide Moretti (Umana Reyer Venezia in Italy Serie A), Robert Tuner (FOS Provence in French ProB), TJ Holyfield (Pass Lab Yamagata in Japanese B2), Matt Mooney (Adelaide 36ers in Australian NBL), Clarence Nadolny (Rouen in French ProB), Devon Thomas (U.M.F. Grindavik in Iceland), Chris Clarke (Obras in Argentina)… Former players who transferred to other college programs and are now on NBA rosters are: Terrence Shannon (Minnesota), Kevin McCullar (New York), Jaylon Tyson (Cleveland) *subject to change based on player movement throughout the year.

Release Provided By Wes Bloomquist Texas Tech Athletics