Texas Tech Basketball: 2023-24 season preview for the Red Raiders
By Joey Loose
The last decade has been a complete roller coaster for the Red Raiders, but we won’t spend too much time today reflecting on the past. They’ve had some awful coaching hires and some great ones, with Chris Beard leading Texas Tech Basketball to the national championship game back in 2019. Last season was more in the awful direction, as Mark Adams and this program fell apart last season, finishing just 5-13 against the Big 12.
This year sees another new direction for Texas Tech with the hiring of Grant McCasland as head coach. He comes to Lubbock after spending six years rebuilding successful basketball at nearby North Texas, including an NCAA Tournament upset win in 2021 and an NIT title this past season. Clearly among the great mid-major coaches in the nation, he inherits a slight mess with the Red Raiders.
Most of the critical pieces from last year’s team are gone, including Fardaws Aimaq, De’Vion Harmon, Kevin Obanor, and Jaylon Tyson, all of whom averaged double figures last season. Instead of depending on these returners, McCasland got right to work and rebuilt this roster mostly utilizing the Transfer Portal. He nabbed a number of intriguing names, many from other power conference programs, and also lured back one of the Red Raiders’ most exciting players from last season.
Change was necessary in Texas Tech this offseason. The biggest question isn’t whether that change was necessary, it’s how things progress with McCasland at the helm. Beard was the one who was able to build real success for the first time in Lubbock; can McCasland follow in his footsteps? It’s only year one and we’ll take a look at who he got on this roster and which teams you’ll see on Texas Tech’s schedule this season. Can we actually expect major success for the Red Raiders already?