Texas Tech to commence season against Texas A&M-Commerce on Wednesday

GAME NOTES (PDF)

Each of the first three games will be streamed on ESPN+ along with a radio broadcast on the Texas Tech Sports Network.

“They are physical and play really hard,” said McCasland of Commerce. “We’ve played against their teams in the past. They have a way of competing. I’m anticipating them being an aggressive team which will push tempo and play hard. We’ll have to share and take care of the ball in order to be good. I think our advantage will be around the rim. We’ll have to not panic and get good shots against them because I think we’ll have the opportunity to score, it’s just being able to recognize that. They’ll be a quality opponent and we anticipate a tough, physical game.”

The Red Raiders are coming off a 16-16 overall record last season that included losing the final four games of the year and missing out of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four tournaments. The 2022-23 team was 11-6 at home and finished ninth in the Big 12 with a 5-13 conference record. Tech and Commerce will be renewing a series that first started in 1927 but hasn’t been played since 1949. Tech is 3-0 all-time in the series, including earning a 29-24 win on February 16, 1927, in the first meeting when A&M-Commerce was known as East Texas State College. The Lions are in their second season at the NCAA Division I level after making the transition from DII and are coming off a season where they went 13-20 overall and 9-9 in Southland Conference play. The program advanced to the NCAA DII Regional Quarterfinals in 2021-22 before moving up divisions.

McCasland was announced as the 19th head coach in program history on March 31, 2023, after six seasons at North Texas where he was 135-65 and led the program to the 2023 NIT Championship title. Along with winning the NIT, McCasland’s teams at UNT have led the nation in scoring defense the past two seasons after holding opponents to just 55.8 points per game last season and 55.7 per game the previous year. McCasland played and graduated from Baylor before beginning his coaching career and earning his master’s at Texas Tech. He was the director of operations for Tech coach James Dickey from 1999-2001. A winner everywhere he’s coached, McCasland earned a NJCAA National Championship in 2007 at Midland College in his first head coaching position and has also led Midwestern State, Arkansas State, and UNT to unprecedented heights. He is entering his 10th season as a NCAA head coach and has a 211-89 (.703) record during that time.

McCasland’s staff includes assistant coaches Dave Smart, Matt Braeuer, Achoki Moikobu, and Luke Barnwell along with Kellen Buffington (general manager), Andrew Wright (strength & conditioning), Clay Wilson (player development), Jardon Powell (director of administration and operations), Cooper Anderson (operations), Chris Nottingham (video coordinator), and Christian Hosley (assistant strength & conditioning). Braeuer, Moikobu, Wright, Wilson, and Hosley worked with McCasland at UNT.

The Red Raiders are a proud program that has experienced great success in the past decade with five trips to the NCAA Tournament and advancement to the 2018 Elite 8, 2019 National Championship Final, and 2022 Sweet 16. Tech went 18-0 at home during the 2021-22 season for the best record nationally two years ago. Last season, the program ranked No. 21 in average attendance with 13,222 per game.

OPERATIONAL MATTERS
Doors open for fans one hour prior to tipoff. Tickets are still available online 24/7 at texastech.com. For fans without a season parking pass, there will be free parking/shuttle service from the S-1 lot starting 90 minutes prior to tip off.

SEASON OPENERS

• The Red Raiders have won 23 season openers and are 71-27 all-time in the first game of the season in program history. Tech earned a 73-49 win over Northwestern State last season on November 7, 2022, to extend the winning streak to open seasons dating back to an 82-53 victory over Prairie View A&M on November 22, 2000, to begin the streak. Tech will be hosting its 26th straight season opener at home.
• The last loss to start a season came on November 19, 1999, when Indiana came to Lubbock and earned a 68-60 win in the first-ever game in the USA. McCasland was the Texas Tech director of operations during that game. Tech lost its first game played by a 37-25 margin to Daniel Baker on January 25, 1926. McCasland is 7-2 in season openers as a NCAA head coach. He was 1-1 at Midwestern State, 0-1 at Arkansas State, and went 6-0 in openers during his time at North Texas.
• The Red Raiders began the 1929-30 season with a 12-0 record for the best start in program history and were 10-0 to begin the 2018-19 season before a loss to Duke at Madison Square Garden… The 2021-22 season started with a 6-0 record before a loss and last season started at 3-0 before a loss to No. 10 Creighton in the Maui Invitational.

ROSTER REPORT

• Grant McCasland’s first roster at Texas Tech has 14 players on it with five returners and nine newcomers.
• The Red Raiders return Lamar Washington, Pop Isaacs, D’Maurian Williams, Kerwin Walton, and Robert Jennings who are each entering their second season in the program… Tech returns only 25.4 percent of its scoring from last season with eight departures from last year’s roster
• The list of newcomers includes five players from the transfer portal in Devan Cambridge (Arizona State), Chance McMillian (Grand Canyon), Joe Toussaint (West Virginia), Darrion Williams (Nevada), and Warren Washington (Arizona State)… All five players signed out of the transfer portal played on teams that advanced to the 2023 NCAA Tournament… The transfer portal additions have a combined 492 games of experience and 3,454 points scored
• Darrion Williams was McCasland’s first signee on April 21, 2023
• Cambridge and Toussaint both officially signed on July 6, 2023 to complete the roster… Six players were signed by McCasland and staff in the off-season
• The newcomer list includes Jack Francis and KyeRon Lindsay who were at Tech last season but not on the active roster
• Tech is a team comprised of 5th-year seniors (3), seniors (3), sophomores (6), and freshmen (2)
• Tech has players from Texas (4), California (3), Arizona (1), Minnesota (1), Nevada (1), New York (1), Oregon (1), Tennessee (1), Finland (1)
• Isaacs is Tech’s leading returning scorer after going for 11.5 points per game as a true freshman in 25 games played last season… Isaacs went off for 30 points after going 6-for-10 on 3-pointers in the exhibition win over Texas A&M where he also led the team with three steals… Last year, he made 62 3-pointers (37.8%), including making five 3-pointers in games against Nicholls, TCU, and Texas… Isaacs had 16 games with double-figuring scoring performances and scored 12.1 percent of Texas Tech’s points last season… Isaacs scored a career-high 24 points in the non-conference game against Nicholls and also had 23 points at Texas after he went off by making 5-of-9 3-pointers against the Longhorns… A Las Vegas native, Isaacs made 24 starts last year and earned Big 12 All-Freshman Team honors during his first season at Tech where he averaged 11.5 points, 2.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.0 rebounds per game… He finished third in scoring among freshmen in the Big 12 and was fourth throughout the conference by averaging 2.5 made 3-pointers per game
• Cambridge is a fifth-year senior who has 899 points, 479 rebounds, 76 steals, and 64 blocked shots through 127 games in his career… A 6-foot-6 forward from Nashville, Tennessee, Cambridge began his career with three seasons at Auburn before playing last season at Arizona State… He averaged a career-best 9.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season for the Sun Devils and helped ASU to the second round of the NCAA Tournament… Cambridge has made 115 3-pointers (29.3%) and enters his fourth season shooting 331-for-766 from the field… He scored a career-high 26 points against South Carolina as a freshman on January 22, 2020, and had a career-best 11 rebounds against San Diego on December 18, 2022… Cambridge started against Texas A&M in Tech’s exhibition win, scoring 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 on 3-pointers… He also had a team-best two blocked and had six rebounds… For his career, Cambridge had five double-doubles and has 40 double-figure scoring performances
• Toussaint is beginning his fifth and final season of college basketball after playing his first three seasons at Iowa and then last year at West Virginia… A Bronx, New York native, Toussaint has played against Texas Tech four times in his career including three times last season while at WVU… He scored his career-high 22 points against the Red Raiders in Lubbock after making 12 free throws… He had a career-high 11 assists against Alabama State back on Nov. 18, 2021, while playing at Iowa… Toussaint has 792 points, 368 assists, 140 steals, and 256 rebounds through 132 games in his career… His 132 games are the most on this year’s Tech roster coming into the season… Toussaint is coming off a season at WVU were he averaged 9.4 points and had 89 assists… He started against Texas A&M in the exhibition game, finishing with a team-high seven assists and also having six points and three rebounds in 36 minutes of play
• McMillian is a senior with two years of eligibility remaining as he begins his first season at Tech… He played the last three years at Grand Canyon in Phoenix, Arizona where he played in the 2021 and 2022 NCAA Tournaments… Against Texas A&M in Tech’s exhibition, McMillian scored 17 points with four 3-pointers as a reserve in 23 minutes… His resume includes 670 points, 147 assists, 54 steals, 109 made 3-pointers, a shooting percentage of 45.0, and 30 games in double-figure scoring performances through 91 games in his career… A Vallejo, California native, McMillian is 109-for-268 (40.7%) on 3-pointers in his career including a game against SFA in February where he made six 3-pointers… He scored a career-high 24 points in that game on Feb. 24, 2023… McMillian is coming off a season at Grand Canyon where he averaged 10.9 points per game and had 78 assists… He shot 60-for-135 (44.4%) on 3-pointers
• Warren Washington is a fifth-year senior who has also played at Oregon State, Nevada, and Arizona State before making Texas Tech his final destination in his collegiate career… The tallest Red Raider on the roster at 7-foot, Washington is a Escondido, California native who enters this season with 841 points, 569 rebounds, 112 blocks, and 97 assists through 109 games in his career… He leads Tech with nine double-doubles, 13 double-figure rebounding games, and 44 games in double-figure scoring in his career… He is coming off a season at Arizona State where he averaged 9.2 points and 6.9 rebounds and earned Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors… Washington started for the Red Raiders in the exhibition win over Texas A&M, finishing with a team-high seven rebounds but not scoring… In a scrimmage against UTEP, Washington led Tech with 16 points after going 7-for-9 from the field… His career resume includes a career-high 21 points in games against Wyoming and Southern Cal and a 14-rebound performance against Texas Southern last season while at ASU
• Darrion Williams earned Mountain West Freshman of the Year in last season while playing at the University of Nevada after earning Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year following his senior year of high school at Bishop Gorman… He transferred to Tech during the summer after averaging 7.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as a freshman… He also had 90 assists, 47 steals, and 11 blocks… Darrion scored a career-high 16 points in a game against Fresno State and had 13 rebounds against New Mexico last season… His freshman-year report saw him record 11 games with double-figure rebounds, 11 games with double-figure scoring, and one double-double… Darrion Williams started against Texas A&M in Tech’s exhibition game and finished with six points and two rebounds in 17 minutes… In the scrimmage against UTEP, Darrion had 14 points… Last season, Williams was 91-for-220 (41.4%) from the field and 35-of-98 (35.7%) on 3-pointers… The Athletic had Williams as the 14th best available transfer while ESPN put him at No. 43 on its 2023-24 transfer list.
• Walton is a senior with two years of eligibility remaining as he enters his second season at Texas Tech after playing two years at North Carolina… A Hopkins, Minnesota native, Walton has made 104 3-pointers and scored 441 points through 87 games played in his career… He averaged 3.6 points with 23 3-pointers made in 27 games played last year for the Red Raiders with seven starts… As a freshman at North Carolina, Walton made 58 3-pointers, averaged 8.2 points, started 20 games, and set the UNC freshman percentage record at 42.0 percent… He enters this season 104-for-259 (40.2%) from beyond the arc… Walton had three points against Texas A&M in the exhibition with one 3-pointer in eight minutes of play
• D’Maurian Williams has 814 points and a team-best 146 3-pointers made through 84 games played in his career… A senior with two years of eligibility remaining, D’Maurian is entering his second season at Tech after playing his first two years at Gardner Webb where he averaged 14.5 points per game as a sophomore after 10.8 as a freshman… He played 27 games with one start last season for the Red Raiders, averaging 3.1 points per game and with 14 3-pointers… For his career, Williams is 146-for-379 (38.5%) from beyond the arc… He had a career-high 27 points against Columbia International while playing at Gardner Webb and also had a 10-rebound performance against UNLV… Last season, Williams scored a season-high 17 points against Jackson State after going 5-for-7 on 3-pointers… He’s scored in double-figures 40 times in his career and has one double-double
• Lamar Washington enters his second season at Tech after averaging 3.4 points and 1.8 rebounds per game as a freshman last season… He finished with 13 points and two steals in the exhibition win over Texas A&M where he played 24 minutes as a reserve… Washington had a career-high 13 points and five steals last season in a win over Kansas State at home… He played in 32 games and made three starts during the 2022-23 season… A 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard, Washington is a Portland, Oregon native who was named the 2021 Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year before finishing prep school in Arizona… As a freshman, Washington was 34-for-80 from the field (42.5%) with seven 3-pointers
• Robert Jennings is a sophomore who played in 30 games with four starts as a true freshman last season at Tech… A Desoto, Texas native who is listed at 6-foot-7, 230-pounds, Jennings had a career-high eight points in games against Houston Christian, Oklahoma, and Louisville last season… He also had strong performances with six rebounds against South Carolina State and West Virginia last year… Jennings played seven minutes as a reserve in the exhibition against Texas A&M and finished with one steal… He averaged 2.7 points and 1.9 rebounds per game last season
• Tech’s roster has two true freshman on it with Eemeli Yalaho and Drew Steffe… Yalaho is an international player from Jyväskylä, Finland who completed high school with his senior season at Western Reserve Academy (Hudson, Ohio) where he averaged 15.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game… Yalaho begins his freshman season listed as a 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward… Steffe is a four-star recruit who was signed last November out of Frisco Memorial High School… A 6-foot-5, 200-pound forward, he was a Class 5A All-state selection
• Two of the newcomers were with the Red Raiders last season but will be in uniform for the first time this season… KyeRon Lindsay transferred to Tech at midterm last December after starting his career at the University of Georgia where he started eight games and played in 10 as a true freshman… A Denton, Texas native, Lindsay averaged 6.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game as a Bulldog including recording a double-double with a career-high 14 points and 10 rebounds against Miami (Ohio) on November 14, 2022… Jack Francis is a sophomore from Austin who was on the practice squad last season and earned his spot on this season’s roster… Francis is the team’s only walk-on and is an accomplished player who scored over 1,000 points at Anderson High School… Lindsay and Francis both practiced with the Red Raiders throughout the 2023 Spring semester.

RANKINGS

• Texas Tech comes into the 2023-24 unranked… The Red Raiders were at No. 25 to begin last season
• Texas Tech is picked 8th in the Big 12 Preseason Poll
• Kansas was picked first in the Big 12 Preseason Poll followed by Houston, Texas, Baylor, and TCU to round out the Top-5
• Texas Tech did not have a player selected in the preseason awards
• 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

UP NEXT
November 12, 2023: San Jose State at Texas Tech
United Supermarkets Arena – Lubbock, Texas
Tech and San Jose State will be meeting for only the second time ever and the first in nearly 20 seasons. The Red Raiders are 1-0 all-time in the series after earning an 88-54 victory at home on November 10, 2005. The game was a first-round matchup of the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament that also saw Tech play Syracuse and Wake Forest a week later at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Spartans are coming off a season where they went 21-14 overall and 10-8 in Mountain West action.
The program is led by head coach Tim Miles who is entering his third season. He formerly coached Nebraska for seven seasons and at Colorado State and North Dakota State. Miles also has experience coaching at the Division II level like McCasland (Midwestern State) with successful stops at Southwest Minnesota and Maryville.

November 16, 2023: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
United Supermarkets Arena – Lubbock, Texas
The Red Raiders will take on A&M-Corpus Christi for the seventh time and with a 5-1 advantage in the all-time series. Tech is on a four-game winning streak in the series, most recently securing a 77-57 win on Dec. 12, 2020, in a neutral-court game in Frisco. The Islanders have played in Lubbock three times and are 2-1 in those games, including an 86-80 win over the Red Raiders on Dec. 18, 2000. The last matchup in Lubbock resulted in a 70-55 win by the Red Raiders on Jan. 2, 2011.
The Islanders are coming off an accomplished season where they advanced to the 2023 NCAA Tournament, won the Southland Conference regular season title with a 14-4 record, and won the Southland Conference tournament championship. Corpus Christi opened the NCAA Tournament with a 75-71 win over Southeast Missouri State in Dayton, Ohio before falling to Alabama. The team ended its season with a 24-11 overall record.
Jim Shaw is in his first season as the program’s head coach after two seasons as an assistant coach within the program. Shaw takes over for Steve Lutz who left Corpus following last season to take over at Western Kentucky. Shaw worked as the Texas Tech Director of Operations under interim head coach Chris Walker in the 2012-13 season. He also coached at Texas State and Tarleton State before A&M-Corpus Christi.