Big 12 Basketball: Preseason mailbag entering 2021-22 campaign
By Andrew Tineo
How will Texas Tech fare after losing Chris Beard?
As many Red Raider fans will say, there won’t be much of a drop-off, especially on the defensive side. I will agree with the Lubbock faithful, this Texas Tech team should produce another 20+ win season, this time under first-year head coach Mark Adams.
Adams is a defensive guru and has been a stable during Beard’s run as the head coach. He had the tall task of replacing the most productive players from last year and did so successfully during the off-season
The depth of the Red Raiders will play a major factor behind their success in 2021-2022.
The biggest off-season acquisition Texas Tech brought in can be debated, purely off of the production. The most well-known name will be Oral Roberts forward Kevin Obanor. Obanor became the darling of the NCAA Tournament this past year.
After finishing his final year with 18.1 points per game and nearly ten rebounds a game, he put up a 30 and 28 point performance against Ohio State and Florida, leading to the deepest finish in program history.
Hampton transfer guard Davion Warren and University of Texas-El Paso forward Bryson Williams bring in a ton of stat-stuffing games from their Mid-Major schools and should play in roles with this team.
Williams is expected to start at center, while Warren is expected to be the sixth man to assist Terrance Shannon and Florida State transfer Sardaar Calhoun in the backcourt.
Point guard is the biggest question mark when it comes to experience at the spot, but Kevin McCullar has been with the program and brings the collaboration of ball handling and size to fill the requirements of the position.
There is no reason to doubt Adams and his capabilities of coaching, he’s just getting the chance to pull the strings for the entire program.