NCAA Basketball Recruiting: 3-star recruits from 2019 class that will excel

CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 22: A general view before the start of the Michigan State Spartans versus Virginia Cavaliers in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena on March 22, 2015 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – APRIL 05: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders looks on during practice prior to the 2019 NCAA men’s Final Four at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 5, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

F Tyreek Smith – Texas Tech Red Raiders

An Elite 8 appearance followed by making it to the National Title game has elevated recruiting for Texas Tech in a massive way. The program has a top-15 recruiting class, led by Jahmius Ramsey, the highest ranked high school prospect ever to come to Texas Tech. Four-star small forward Terrance Shannon is also coming on board. But don’t forget about another forward who will be needed in the future.

Tyreek Smith was a late riser in the 2019 class, joining the Red Raiders after another recruit decommitted days earlier. The Texas product picked Texas Tech over Oklahoma and Texas A&M, who actually have more holes in the frontcourt. But considering what head coach Chris Beard has done developing former three-star players, it looks like a good decision for Smith to become a Red Raider.

He has the tools to become a dynamic power forward in college. The 6’8 forward can play both post positions and is a great athletic defender. He averaged over a couple of blocks as a senior in high school, along with 18 ppg and 12 rpg. Texas Tech has done well with primarily defensive big men but Smith could become a nice change of pace in terms of having a frontcourt player with offensive skills.

He’ll likely have to wait a year to really get a shot after the team brought in grad transfers Chris Clarke and TJ Holyfield. UNLV transfer Joel Ntambwe is sitting out a season but will be in the fold for 2020-21. He and potentially Smith will give Big 12 frontlines fits for the future.

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