Big 12 Basketball: Biggest needs for each team’s 2021 recruiting class
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Biggest needs: Point guard and center
An offseason filled with transfers has left open a question about if Mac McClung will play this season via a waiver or sit out a year. That offers major clarity on the perimeter since he, Kyler Edwards, and incoming five-star guard Nimari Burnett all could go pro after next season depending on what happens. Even with Wichita State combo guard Jamarius Burton likely to sit out, adding a ball-handler in the 2021 class is important.
Four-star wing Jaylon Tyson is already committed, so besides a ball-handler, another frontcourt player that isn’t a grad transfer would be helpful for the program. VCU grad transfer center Marcus Santos-Silva is only around for one season and UNLV forward Joel Ntambwe may only be around for a year himself. Five-star center recruit Moussa Diabate is a potential option for the Red Raiders, as well as once again Daimion Collins.
West Virginia Mountaineers
Biggest needs: Shooting guard and center
The return of frontcourt starters Oscar Tshiebwe and Derek Culver boost West Virginia for the upcoming season but the odds of either coming back for another year are slim. Incoming four-star freshman forward Isaiah Cottrell is a future star but in case they both are gone, the team has to be proactive and add an instant-impact frontcourt piece.
The other issue is on the perimeter, with West Virginia not having any players score in double figures last season. Miles McBride is the lone underclassmen guard on the roster, with four others entering their junior campaigns. Three-star guards Seth Wilson and Kobe Johnson are already committed, but adding another in the 2021 class wouldn’t hurt.
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To sum everything up, teams such as Baylor, TCU and West Virginia are in pretty good shape, while Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Iowa State have plenty of work to do. A big factor will be which Big 12 Basketball program ultimately lands Daimion Collins in the coming months, giving them a decided advantage in the 2021 recruiting sweepstakes.