SB Nation - Corbin Ray

Friday Afternoon Big12Hoops.com Link Dump - 12.11.2009

Evan Pfaff — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:00:24 -0000

The goal of the Friday Afternoon Big12Hoops.com Link Dump is to help you ease into the weekend by giving you things to occupy your time at work until the clock strikes 5pm.

All the links available after the Jump

Big 12 North

Colorado Boulder Daily Camera - CU`s Smith has no reservations in reserve role (Lady Buffs)

Kansas Lawrence Journal World - Off to a fast start

Kansas St Manhattan Mercury - Manbeck: Martin used Fort Hays game as teaching point

Iowa St GoCyclones.com - Tempo key for ISU men against Iowa

Missouri Columbia Daily Tribune - MU’s Taylor transforms from role player to leading man

Nebraska Lincoln Journal Star - Sadler wants better rebounding from NU

Big 12 South

Baylor Baylor University Lariat - Mulkey's emphasis on defense defines team success (Lady Bears)

Oklahoma Norman Transcript - Gallon growing into new role

Oklahoma St Stillwater NewsPress - Oklahoma State getting eyeful of nation's hottest (Cowgirls)

Texas Austin American-Statesman - Horns' Dexter Pittman has improved his all-around game

Texas A&M AggieSports.com - Another victory for A&M

Texas Tech RedRaiders.com - Forwards learning to play with less depth after Ray’s injury

Non Big 12 Links

SBNation.com Tracy McGrady Doing Well In All-Star Voting Despite Not Playing [NBA]

TMZ.com TMZ.com homepage [Golf]

ESPN.com Cincinnati confirms Kelly to coach Notre Dame [College Football]

ESPN.com Ranking the Bowls from Best to Worst [College Football]

DenverStiffs.com Are NBA Games Fixed?... [NBA]

DanShanoff.com Feeling Good About Journalism's Future [Journalism]

Fantasy Football Projections - CBSSports.com | ESPN.com [Fantasy Football]

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 12.09.09

Seth C — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:10:01 -0000

More photos » by Tom Pennington - AP

10 days ago: TCU center Zvonko Buljan (15) scrambles for a loose ball against Texas Tech David Tairu (13) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009 in Fort Worth, Texas. Texas Tech beat TCU 80-70. (AP Photo/Tom Pennington)

Browse more photos »

9-0: I didn't get a chance to either watch the game or listen to the game, but I'll throw up some post-game thoughts and feign some sort of expertise. Another nice win, on the road, and for those of you just checking in on things, the Red Raiders beat TCU 80-70 (Box Score).

Down from 14: That appears to be the theme of most of the game stories (LAJ's Courtney Linehan and FWST's Stefan Stevenson and TR's RRR also has post game thoughts). Head coach Pat Knight told his team to keep it close:

"If you can just keep this between four and six points you have a chance to do this," Tech coach Pat Knight told his team in the midst of its 9-0 run to close out the first half. "That was huge, because if we let them go on a run or hit some more shots on us then it would have been really hard for our guys to come back."

And TCU head coach Jim Christian had this to say about PF D`Walyn Roberts, who had 19 rebounds, 9 of them offensive, and 9 points:

"He’s not very big, but he’s very athletic and aggressive," Christian said of the 6-foot-7 Duncanville graduate. "He’s a great player and he’s going to do that when you don’t put a body on him and let him roam free, and that’s what he did."

And PK had is proud of Roberts' performance:

"I’m just glad people are finally noticing what D’walyn does," Knight said. "It’s the stuff that helps you win games. Sometimes it’s not the stuff that’s going to make SportsCenter, but it makes me happy."

Without Ray: This story by LAJ's Courtney Linehan wasn't published until after I posted yesterday's DD, but it essentially details the situation of PF Corbin Ray, who suffered a concussion in a scrimmage, and is still expected to miss another month. PK had this to say about Ray and his situation and the type of skill-set that Ray brings:

"The kid competes. He wants to play; that’s why he came here," Knight said. "You’ve got to be careful because he’s one of those kids who will tell you what he thinks you need to hear so he can play, not thinking about his own health. We’re taking it slow this time around to be sure."

Snip

"He’s not a post threat, really, but he can guard the post really well because he’s more athletic so he can get around the big guys," Knight said. "He’s really good at facing the basket and passing. From a defensive standpoint we don’t lose anything when he’s in, but from an offensive standpoint he’s different because he can set back screens and hit 3s."

Davis 1st Team All-American: Congrats to S Cody Davis for being named first team All-American by Phil Steele publications. Steele also released his All-Big 12 teams and there are a number of Red Raiders represented as Steele goes 4 teams deep. DT's Adam Coleman talked with Davis about how he plays (there's also some quotes from other players about Davis):

"Just flying out to the ball," Davis said. "Being around the ball, just trying to make the secure tackle whenever it comes my way.

"But I’m still looking for my interception. I’m so hungry for it."

Initial Bowl Allotment Sold Out . . . Not So Fast: LAJ's Don Williams wrote last night that Texas Tech has sold out their initial bowl allotment, but then Texas Tech posted that the the allotment has been replenished.

MSU Suspended Players: FWST's Dwain Price writes that head captain Mike Leach had this to say about the Michigan St. suspended players and how that can affect a team:

"Sometimes a team gets better by getting rid of some folks,'' Leach said. "The other thing is those guys have a funny way of being available by the time you play them, so who knows?''

DT's Alex Ybarra talked with some of the players about the same topic, and LB Bront Bird feels that the backups are just as good as those players suspended:

"This is a Division I level, and that’s a big conference," linebacker Bront Bird said. "The guy (who was suspended), his backup is probably just as good as him. I honestly don’t pay too much attention to all that, and I don’t think we as a team should either."

Snip

"Suspensions are tough for a team, you can either keep moving and try to fight forward or some teams it can ruin their season," Bird said. "Obviously, I have no idea what their mindset is. Yeah they can be tough, but if you’re mentally tough, I’m sure their group will push through it and they’ll be just fine."

Hawaiian Trip: It appears that the coaches will be taking a trip to Hawaii to recruit LB V.J. Fehoko, who is the brother of Texas Tech's own LB Sam Fehoko, and was also named as the High School Athlete of the Year. I wish the coaching staff well in their travels.

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 11.25.09

Seth C — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:03:49 -0000

More photos » by Sue Ogrocki - AP

27 days ago: Texas Tech defensive back Jamar Wall, right, reaches in to intercept a pass intended for Oklahoma tight end Trent Ratterree, left, in the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game in Lubbock, Texas, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

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Friday Night Isolation: LAJ's Don Williams writes about the routine that the football program goes through each Friday night, which is going to the team hotel. DC Ruffin McNeill likes to isolate the team:

"I think you have to isolate the main core of the team,’’ said McNeill, the Texas Tech defensive coordinator. "They have got to be on the same page and have the same amount of football focus time as a group — as well as the coaches. It keeps us on the same page for a 48-hour period.’’

It was also fairly interesting to see Captain Mike Leach's comments regarding the proposed California legislation to outlaw (I like the word "outlaw") this practice:

"They act like it’s an unreasonable extravagance,’’ Leach said. "What about the burden on student-athletes having to go out there and perform in front of tens of thousands, furthermore, on national TV and not be able to put their best foot forward because they can’t get a good night’s sleep? It’s crazy. It’s crazy to the point I would like to meet the individuals in the Pac-10 that were foolish enough to propose it.’’

Influencing Academics: DT's Jon Vanderlaan writes about how Leach has positively affected the academics since he's been the head coach:

"I’ve got more degrees than I use. Than I know what to do with, really. And at one time more than I could afford," he said. "There’s no question you should have high academics. And there should be no excuse for not graduating people."

Despite the occasional temptation to be territorial between academics and athletics, Leach said, he supports the academic departments because it is another part of the university that enhances the quality of life for the students.

"I think attention to the university in general is very positive," he said. "For example, if someone looks to Tech for engineering or something like that and gets excited for our football team, that helps me. Just like if someone gets excited for the football team and looks at our math department, that helps our math department."

I love that this program graduates players and holds players accountable for their grades. Very proud of that.

Football Notebook: LAJ's Don Williams' notebook has the note that RG Brandon Carter will play in the East-West Shrine Game, which is scheduled for January 23, 2010 in Florida . . . a number of players were honored by being named to the academic All-Big 12 team:

First-team honorees were those with a grade-point average of 3.2 or higher. From Tech, those were linebacker Bront Bird (business major), cornerback Taylor Charbonnet (general business), safety Cody Davis (business), defensive tackle David Neill (human development and family studies), guard Mickey Okafor (pre-dental), tackle Chris Olson (general business), quarterback Taylor Potts (pre-physical therapy), flanker Alex Torres (general business) and inside receiver Austin Zouzalik (general business).

Second-team honorees were those with a GPA between 3.0 and 3.19. From Tech, those were kicker-punter Donnie Carona (general business) and defensive end Brandon Sharpe (human development and family studies).

. . . DC Ruffin McNeill talks about DB Trent Nickerson and LB Chris Wallace each getting a play during Saturday's game against Oklahoma because of their commitment to the team:

"Senior, great leader,’’ McNeill said Tuesday. "Great enthusiast on the sideline. He’s a guy who knew his role on the football team, accepted his role and took it to another level. He always has great support for whoever’s playing on offense, defense or special teams. He’s been a scout-team guy for us and gave us great looks.’’

Baylor Bear and Big 12 Links: Waco Tribune's John Werner writes that the Bears are bowing out earlier than expected, but in grand style at Jerry's World . . . the SAEN looks at the 8 teams that have a shot at playing the Alamo Bowl . . .

First Non-Conference Win on the Road Since 2006: That's all you really need to know. The game looked well in hand for a good part of the first half and second half, but the SFA Lumberjacks came storming back in the second half. This is the sort of game that we would have talked about had Texas Tech lost the game, even if it was close, but with a 1 point win, I don't know that we'll be talking about this game in a month. If this game were a loss, it would be discussed until the end of the season. As far as game-play is concerned, G David Tairu didn't have a huge game, but he did his the 3-pointer that put the game away. There was a point late in the game where Tairu chastised SF Mike Singletary for taking an ill-advised shot late in the game, when Tairu was incredibly open. It's interesting to see that dynamic with Tairu being one of the new guys but feeling comfortable correcting his teammates. Tairu is probably the most fundamentally sound player I've seen for Texas Tech, on both sides of the ball. I'd be completely fine if the offense ran through Tairu as I think he has the makeup to be that sort of player.

The thing that bothers me the most is that I'm not sure that this team has a guy that knows how or wants to set up his teammates. Right now there's a lot of one-on-one and not much offensive flow. I'm struggling as to why this team, which has a core players who have been around for 3 years, can't figure out how to get guys involved. Offensively, this team is frustrating so long as there isn't one guy willing to take the team on their back.

Defensively, there were frustrating points for sure. Singletary and Roberson still have their defensive lapses and I think there was 4 points that Singletary gave up because he simply lost his man under the basket . . . twice. I thought that for the most part, Tairu, PF Darko Cohadarevic, SF D`Walyn Roberts and SF Brad Reese all looked good defensively.

Darko's Big Night: LAJ's Courtney Linehan focuses on Cohadarevic leading this team with 18 points and 3 boards. Here's head coach Pat Knight on his depth and the play of Darko:

"Lew and Corbin, they gave us some good minutes, then Darko got his stuff together on the bench, came back in and played well," Knight said. "I think that’s the best thing, if your kid’s struggling, the bench is almost like brain surgery."

And Darko knows that he must rebound better:

"I should go for boards more," he said. "This should not happen again."

Linehan has a notebook with this quote from PK:

"It’s huge. They say you can’t take anybody lightly on the road, even after you built a big lead you think it’s over, but they’re able to hang on like that," he said. "We got down early, came back, got the lead, got a big lead, let them back in. It will help us prepare for the Big 12."

. . . PF Corbin Ray returned after suffering a concussion in a pre-season scrimmage . . . Darko takes some of the blame on himself for trying to post-up too much rather than screen for teammates:

"After I hit the 17-foot jumper, I thought for a second, they’re not guarding me. Then after I got the post move under them they fouled me and I realized they cannot guard me low because I’m technically sound. I realized I’ve got to post up. Later on I got lost a little bit, I posted up too much, and the coaches wanted me to down screen away, down screen, flare screen to get other guys open, but I got caught up in posting up too much. I can take the blame for them catching up our 15-point lead because of that."

Texas Tech Basketball Preview :: Depth Charts and Looking Ahead to 2010 and 2011

Seth C — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:30:29 -0000

Texas Tech's Mike Singletary celebrates Texas Tech's 88-83 win over Texas A&M during an NCAA college basketball game at the Big 12 men's tournament in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, March 11, 2009. Singletary scored 43 points. Via cache.daylife.com

View full size photo »

With the football bye week, DTN is taking this opportunity to look at the men's basketball team. Earlier this week, DTN took a look at the preseason storylines and preseason team MVP's and today, DTN takes a look at the depth chart and the 2010 and 2011 recruiting classes.

Preseason Depth Chart

Point Guard	Shooting Guard	Small Forward	Power Forward	Center
John Roberson (5-11/165; JR)	Nick Okorie (6-1/195; SR)	Mike Singletary (6-6/217)	Brad Reese (6-6/189; JR)	Robert Lewandowski (6-10/240; SO)
Mike Davis (6-2/185; FR)	David Tairu (6-3/180; JR)	Theron Jenkins (6-6/211; JR)	D'Walyn Roberts (6-7/200; JR)	Darko Cohadarevic (6-9/242; SR)
	Wally Dunn (6-4/194; JR)	Jaye Crockett (6-6/186; FR)	Corbin Ray (6-7/225; SO)
			Trevor Cook (6-9/241; SR)

This is an extremely rough estimation of where I could see things shaping up this year. Guessing as to a depth chart is a somewhat risky proposition because there are so many players that could flip-flop between positions and there are a number of players that fit a 6-5 to 6-7 range and could play multiple positions. I still think that at the end of this process, Pat Knight will play the players who play defense first, or at least that's my hope.

Follow me after the jump for a look at each position as well as a look at the 2010 and 2011 recruiting classes and the JUCO conundrum.

Positions:

Point Guard: The problem with this team is that the one true point guard is actually Roberson and I'm not sure if Pat Knight would agree with me, but Davis shouldn't play very much, especially when you have guys that can swing from shooting guard to point guard in Okorie and Tairu. If Davis play, it should be primarily in a backup role on a very limited basis. I do think that Davis is a guy that will push the ball and is a true threat to get to the rim. I like his upside (I like everyone's upside), but he shouldn't see a bunch of time.

Shooting Guard: This is where things get a bit sticky. I think Okorie and Tairu are essentially replacable players in that I think they'll do the same thing, but differently. Okorie represents an upgrade in athleticism at the shooting guard over Voskuil from last year and I think that Okorie can fill those scoring shoes, although his biggest problem is that he doesn't have the true shooting guard height, but in today's 3-guard offense, that's not a huge concern. Tairu and Okorie were backcourt mates at South Plains College and I think they work well together. Tairu is supposed to be more defensive minded, although he can certainly score.

Small Forward: This is where the logjam begins. Singletary and Jenkins are similar players from a physical standpoing, although I'd guess that Singletary has an edge on Jenkins based on his previous work on the Big 12. This team is littered with 6-5 to 6-7 small forward types and if Jenkins doesn't get time at the small forward spot I'm not sure he sees much time at all. Crockett is a project and I'd love to see him redshirt this year. He was a great scorer for his New Mexico squad and supposedly he is still growing. Let him take a year to learn and get bigger.

Power Forward: Again, mid-ranged athletes and I'm struggling to find the minutes. The only other solution would be if the centers didn't get all of the time at center and PK goes with a relatively small lineup. That really hurts from a rebounding perspective, but we'll see. In any event, I think Reese plays the power forward position in name only. He's truly a small forward, but I get the impression that he's more well-rounded than Jenkins and he's not afraid to mix it up offensively or defensively. Roberts continues to be a player that has all of the talent in the world, but has just never been consistent enough to get consistent minutes. He has all of the tools, except for a few extra pounds, to be a tremendous forward in the collegiate level. I'd love it if Roberts developed a low-post game over the summer. Ray is another combo forward and he has the bult to play power forward against most collegiate power forward, but I do worry a bit about his quickness. The one thing that I was impressed with Ray was his athleticism and shooting touch. Pretty nice for a forward. Cook gets on the list here simply because I still have questions about Cook's back, which kept him out all last year. Until I see him on the floor this year, I'm not going to count on him.

Center: I'll fully admit that Darko had a very rough first year on the college level. There were times that he couldn't his the backboard on shots, he worked hard, but was a liability defensively, and sometimes made really bad decisions on the floor. I've been praying, every night, that Darko has turned the corner. PK needs a big guy inside to go along with Lew and if Darko can give PK 10 to 15 minutes a night of good solid basketball, I'll be happy. I mentioned earlier in the week that I'd really look for Lew to make a jump in terms of his ability to contribute at the Big 12 level. He has good size, good mobility and a tremendous attitude. I think Lew wore down a bit as the season progressed, but he gave PK very solid minutes at the center position as a true freshman. Expect big things from Lew.

2010 Commits:

Player	School	Ht/Wt	Rivals	ESPN	Scout
Paul Cooper	Gulf Coast JUCO	6-8/260	-	-	1
Javarez Willis	Pinkston HS	5-11/170	-	82	1
James Outler	Bellaire HS	6-4/180	3	87	2

I think this class is essentially finished. There are 3 seniors on this year's team: Darko Cohadarevic, Trevor Cook and Nick Okorie. I'll have more on this below, but getting Cooper, a big man who apparently rebounds, is going to be big for PK because there's very little frontcourt depth behind Lew. Willis is spending the year at a prep school after failing to qualify from high school and having a guy that is a year more mature is an advantage for the Red Raiders. James Outler is a true shooting guard with athleticism, something that Texas Tech has not had in quite some time (I'm calling both Okorie and Tairu combination guards, not true shooting guards).

2011 Commits:

Player	School	Ht/Wt	Rivals	ESPN	Scout
Kevin Wagner	Estacado HS	5-8/145	-	40	1

This is about a good start to a class that I can envision. I'm very excited that PK was able to get a local player to commit to his program, and not only is it great that Wagner is local, but he's immensely talented. The 2011 class is going to be one of the bigger of the Pat Knight era because there are currently 7 juniors on this team, which means there should be 7 scholarships available (although I seem to recall something about a limit to the number of scholarships given out in a 2 year period). In any event, there will be plenty of holes to fill in this class, but the nice part is that all of the freshman from the 2009, 2010 and probably JUCO's of the 2011 class, will be more than ready to contribute to this team.

JUCO Conundrum:

I'm right there with you guys in terms of the issue as to how appropriate it is to sign JUCO players versus high school players. I've always thought that there's a balance that a coach has to weigh, which is winning quickly to satisfy a fanbase versus taking the time to build the program. Most coaches, Pat Knight included, tries to do both. I have no idea how long PK has on his contract and I'm guessing that if the losing continues, his leash may not be very long, which means that I can understand why he would go the JUCO route. If Knight goes only the high school route, then he could go through a period of really bad teams before making that eventual jump.

I have no doubt that Knight feels the pressure to win now, which is why I think you see an influx of JUCO players on this year's squad. He needs to show improvement and that he can get the job done. Quite a bit hinges on his 2009 recruiting class and their ability to contribute immediately. If you want to use a footblal analogy, Leach has utilized the JUCO player more often than not, especially to help build his program. It is a risky move, but it can pay off some times (McKinner Dixon of 2008 was unbelievable, but couldn't keep it together to play in 2009 vs. Daniel Howard and Brandon Sharpe, who have both been tremendous players and people for the football program).

We all need to watch the 2011 recruiting class and if there are 7 spots available, the ratio of JUCO players to high school players should tell us quite a bit about where Knight believes the program is. If PK is signing 1 JUCO player for every 2 high school players, like the 2010 class, then I'm okay with that. But if the ratio is more 1:1 then I think there's real concern about where things are going and his long-term strategy.

KNOW THY ENEMY: Texas Tech Red Raiders

BracketCat — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:00:27 -0000

Are you still pissed off about Saturday night?

Well, have no fear, because the football team shall be avenged on the hardwood.

Click the jump for a preview of a basketball team with some of the laziest-looking media photos you ever will see, and one whose season prospects don't look so hot...

The Coach

Pat Knight
Third Season (sort of*)

18-26 (7-19)

Knight begins his second full season as the Texas Tech head coach and his ninth season on the Red Raider basketball court.

As a collegiate player and nearly nine seasons as an assistant coach, he was on the sidelines as a player or a coach for 308 of Bob Knight's 902 career wins.

*Knight became the head coach following the 20th game of the 2007-2008 season.

The Departures

Starters

Michael Prince (15.6 minutes per game, 3.8 points per game, 2.8 rebounds per game)
Alan Voskuil (35.7 minutes per game, 14.1 points per game, 4.1 rebounds per game)

Reserves

Rogdrick Craig (6.7 minutes per game, 2.6 points per game, 0.8 rebound per game)
Tyree Graham (14.3 minutes per game, 3.9 points per game, 1.7 rebounds per game)
Esmir Rizvic (10 minutes per game, 1.3 points per game, 1.6 rebound per game)
Damir Suljagic (8.8 minutes per game, 2.4 points per game, 1.5 rebound per game)

The Veterans

		#4 Corbin Ray Sophomore Forward 6-7 \| 225 Katy, Texas Ray saw his first action as a Red Raider in the season opener against St. Francis, in which he played seven minutes, scored two points and grabbed three rebounds. He played in 17 games during the season, started against Sam Houston State, averaged 5.7 minutes per game and 1.6 points per game for the season, played 14 minutes in the home game against Texas A&M, had a season-high five rebounds over East Central University, and had his best showing in the win over New Mexico, in which he played 10 minutes and scored 10 points, was 4 of 6 from the field, and canned two 3-pointers.

		#5 D'walyn Roberts Junior Forward 6-7 \| 200 Dallas, Texas Roberts started the first 19 games for the Red Raiders; played in each game during the season and had 21 starts; averaged 16.5 minutes per game, four points per game, and 3.6 rebounds per game; played 20+ minutes in 13 contests; played 35 minutes at Lamar, made 7 of 8 field goal attempts, and recorded his season-high of 14 points; scored in double figures in six games; was perfect from the free-throw line six times for a combined 13-for-13; registered a double-double in the win over Stephen F. Austin, with 11 points and 11 rebounds; was second on the squad with 21 blocks for the season; and shot .545 from the field for the season.

		#10 Wally Dunn Junior Guard 6-4 \| 194 Midland, Texas Dunn saw his first action as a Red Raider in the season opener against St. Francis, in which he played eight minutes, had a rebound and scored 5 points. He played in 14 games during the season as a walk-on, played a season high of 12 minutes against East Central University, scored 16 points on 6 of 8 field-goal attempts and 4 of 5 3-pointers, shot .588 from the field and made .500 of his 3-point attempts, and had no turnovers for the season. Dunn graduated from Midland College, where the Chaparrals were the 2007 NJCAA National Champions. He was a redshirt his freshman season. The team garnered conference championship honors in 2007-2008, and he played in 32 games as a sophomore and averaged 4.3 points per game.

		#15 Robert Lewandowski Sophomore Forward 6-10 \| 240 Overland Park, Kan. The freshman from Blue Valley West High Sschool played and scored in the first game of the season against St. Francis. Lewandowski scored two points, made a block, and had three rebounds in his eight minutes on the court. He played in 32 games for the season and started 19 times; averaged over 15 minutes per game and played 20+ minutes in 13 contests; averaged 6.6 points per game and 3.7 rebounds per game for the year; shot .581 from the field for the season; scored in double figures 10 times, with 8 of those games during conference play; recorded his season-best of 20 points at Texas A&M, when he made 10 of 15 field-goal attempts and had four rebounds in the game; had a double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds) at Oklahoma State; grabbed 5+ rebounds in 10 games; and led the squad with 23 blocks.

		#21 John Roberson Junior Guard 5-11 \| 165 Plano, Texas Honorable Mention All-Big 12 (2009) U.S. Basketball Writers Association All-District 7 (2009) Roberson and Alan Voskuil were the only players on the 2008-2009 squad to start each game during the season. He was the leading scorer on the team, with 13.9 points per game, and second on the team with 35 steals for the year. Roberson's 212 assists top the previous single-season mark of 182 assists, set by Jason Martin during the 1995-1996 season. He was the assist leader for the Big 12. His 13 assists at Texas A&M were one shy of Stan Bonewitz's single-game record of 14 assists, set against Fresno State in the 1996-1997 season. Roberson's 6.4 assists per game for the season now are the best among all Red Raiders. His 71 3-pointers rank eighth among all Red Raiders in a single season. His 201 3-point attempts equal Bonewitz's mark in the 1997-1998 season and are fourth on the all-time single-season list. Roberson's 35.2 minutes per game were second on the squad. He played 40 minutes in five games; was second on the squad in free-throw percentage (.829), making 97 of 117 attempts; was perfect from the line in 15 games, totaling 58 for 58; averaged 3.5 rebounds per game and had at least five rebounds in six games; established a career high of eight rebounds at Iowa State; had a double-double performance at Texas A&M, with 13 assists and 20 points; and scored 20+ points in five games. Roberson's 33 points at UTEP were a career-best and made him the 36th Red Raider to score 30 or more points in a game, earning him All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and USBWA All-District 7 honors.

		#23 Nick Okorie Senior Guard 6-1 \| 195 Houston, Texas Okorie started his career as a Red Raider in the season opener against St. Francis. He played 19 minutes and scored 16 points. Okorie played in 29 games during the season and had 19 starting spots. He missed four games due to an ankle injury; averaged more than 25 minutes per game and played 30+ minutes in eight games; played 36 minutes at Texas and at Iowa State; was perfect from the free-throw line in nine games, totaling 40 of 40; was third on the team with 21 steals; averaged 3.1 rebounds per game; and grabbed 5+ boards in nine games. His scoring average of 11.3 points per game was fourth among squad members. Okorie scored 15+ points in nine games, with six of those games against conference opponents; sank 10 of 10 free throws and had 17 points against Kansas; scored 24 points at Oklahoma and at Texas; averaged 16.3 points per game over the last 10 games; and started nine times.

		#24 Trevor Cook Senior Forward 6-9 \| 241 Coppell, Texas Legends Classic All-Tournament (2008) Cook was awarded his undergraduate degree in May 2009. He played in 14 games during the season and had eight starts, but missed 19 games due to a back injury. Cook averaged 14 minutes per game and played 25+ minutes in three games, and was perfect from the free-throw line in four games, totaling 16 for 16. His eight rebounds against East Central University equal his top mark from the previous season. He had 13 blocks in his abbreviated season, averaged 7.6 points per game, scored in double figures six times and had 20 or more points in two games. His 24 points against Pittsburgh mark his best scoring performance as a Red Raider, and he was selected to the Legends Classic All-Tournament Team for his performances against Pittsburgh and Mississippi State.

		#31 Darko Cohadarevic Senior Forward 6-9 \| 242 Belgrade, Serbia Cohadarevic played his first game as a Red Raider in the season opener against St. Francis. He played 12 minutes, grabbed two rebounds and scored four points. Cohadarevic played in 26 games and started twice; averaged nearly 11 minutes per game and had five games in which he played 15+ minutes; was perfect from the free-throw line in four games; averaged 2.2 rebounds per game and had at least five rebounds in five games; scored double figures in three contests; had 12 points against East Central University and against Stephen F. Austin; and scored 10 points and had six rebounds in the win over Texas A&M in the opening round of conference championship play.

		#32 Mike Singletary Junior Forward 6-6 \| 217 Humble, Texas Second Team Academic All-Big 12 (2009) Big 12 Championship All-Tournament (2009) Singletary was one of four players to play in each game during the season. He had four starts and averaged 23.1 minutes per game; played 30+ minutes against six opponents; was perfect from the free-throw line in four games; attempted more free throws than all other teammates (187) and made more free throws than all other teammates (136); had three games in which he made 34 of 40 free-throw attempts; was the leading rebounder on the team, with 5.8 boards per game; had three games (Centenary, Kansas and at Iowa State) of 10+ rebounds and 12 games with at least seven rebounds; and had double-double performances against New Mexico, Kansas and at Iowa State. His 12.2 points per game were third on the squad and he scored at least 15 points in 13 games, averaged 18.2 points per game over the final nine games of the season, was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Second Team, and gained Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team honors after scoring 60 points in two games (Texas A&M and Missouri). Singletary made 21 of 33 attempts during those two games. He set a Big 12 Championship scoring record with 43 points in the opening round game against Texas A&M (the previous record was 38 points by Marcus Fizer of Iowa State vs. Baylor in 2000). His 43-point game equals Dub Malaise's 1966 performance against TCU as the fourth-highest scoring output in Texas Tech history. Singletary led the biggest rally in Big 12 championship history, erasing the Red Raiders' 21-point, second-half deficit and taking Texas Tech to an 88-83 win over Texas A&M (the previous record was 20 points by Texas two seasons ago). He scored 29 consecutive points for the Red Raiders, with no other Tech player scoring, to become the NCAA's No. 2 consecutive-points scorer, behind Temple's Bill Mlkvy's 54 consecutive points against Wilkes on March 3, 1951.

My thanks to the Texas Tech sports information department for the photos and most of the information for the bios.

The Newcomers

#1 Brad Reese
Junior Forward
6-6 | 189
Laurel Hill, Fla.

Reese played two seasons for Jay Powell at Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City, Fla. He started all 30 games in his first season with the Commodores, played 30 minutes per game, and averaged 16.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game on the 18-12 squad.

Reese was named the Panhandle Conference Freshman of the Year. As a sophomore, Reese was named NJCAA Player of the Week (Jan. 7) as he powered GCCC to three wins, which included a pair of 30-point performances. He started 32 of 33 games as a sophomore, and averaged 16.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game on the 24-9 squad, which earned him All-Panhandle Conference First Team honors in his second season.

#2 Mike Davis
Freshman Guard
6-2 | 185
Houston, Texas

Davis played for Willie Patrick III as a senior at Phillis Wheatley High School, but previously played at St. Pius X, where the Panthers were in the TAPPS 6A Final Four in his junior year.

As a senior, Davis averaged 24 points per game over four games to lead the Wheatley Wildcats to the Whataburger Tournament title in Fort Worth from Dec. 29-31. He also earned MVP honors at the tournament.

The Wheatley Wildcats were 32-5 in Davis' final season and he was selected Co-MVP for District 22-4A. He averaged 23.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and five assists per game as a senior, and was selected to the TABC All-Region (3) Team, the TABC 2009 All-Star Team and the TABC Class 4-A All-State Team.

#13 David Tairu
Junior Guard
6-3 | 180
Temple Hills, Md.

Tairu played two seasons for Steve Green at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas. The Texans (30-5) claimed the NJCAA National Championship in 2007-2008 in Hutchinson, Kan. He was named All-Conference in 2007-2008, averaged 14.4 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in his freshman season, scored in double figures 29 times, led the 2008-2009 squad with 17.5 points per game and a 27-4 season, was named to the National Junior College third-team All-American squad, was voted the Most Valuable Player in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference and also named to the Region 5 team, and was selected to the 2009 NJCAA Men's All-Star team.

#20 Theron Jenkins
Junior Forward
6-6 | 211
Flowood, Miss.

Jenkins played two seasons for Marty Cooper at Itawamba Community College in Fulton, Miss. In his two seasons, the Indians were 49-13. As a freshman, he played in all 34 games and averaged 7.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. ICC captured the division, state and regional championships in its 30-4 season.

Jenkins averaged 13.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, and played in all 28 games in his second season. The ICC Indians were 19-9 and won their third-straight north division title for the first time since 1974.

#30 Jaye Crockett
Freshman Forward
6-6 | 186
Clovis, N.M.

Crockett played for J. D. Isler at Clovis High School. The Wildcats were 29-2 in his junior season. The Purple and White completed the season as the Class 5A State Runner-up.

Crockett averaged 20.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game as a junior, and was the only junior named to New Mexico's first-team all-state squad. Clovis won the 2008-2009 district championship on the road at Hobbs.

As a senior, Crockett scored 31 points in his final game to become the second-leading scorer in Clovis High School history. He averaged 29 points and 12 rebounds, and earned all-state first-team honors, as a senior.

The Analysis

Although Texas Tech returns several starters and even more returners, I'm not sure this is a team that many teams in the conference should fear. The chief reason for that is the departure of Alan Voskuil, the sharpshooter who fueled the upset win over Kansas with his many treys.

Now that Voskuil has graduated, it will fall to Mike Singletary to provide most of the Red Raiders' scoring. His ridiculous 43-point outburst against Texas A&M in the Big 12 Tournament singlehandedly won the game and nearly broke Michael Beasley's/Denis Clemente's Big 12 single-game record.

That game was a freakish deviation from the mean, though, as Singletary only averaged 12.2 points per game and hasn't yet shown that he is capable of being a 25- to 30-point scorer night in and night out. But he will have help in trying, in the form of honorable-mention All-Big 12 point guard John Roberson. Roberson has established himself as one of the best point guards in the league and should provide the Red Raiders with the leadership presence they need in the backcourt to challenge most Big 12 teams.

Guard Nick Okorie and forward Trevor Cook both were banged up at various times last season, but now both are healthy and look to secure starting spots in the Tech lineup. I predict that Robert Lewandowski, an Overland Park native, will step up in the post as the fifth starter, after Tech lost a slew of Eastern European big men to graduation last year.

Predicting the reserves is trickier, and that's one of the reasons I think Tech will struggle in 2009-2010. D'wayln Roberts started several games last season before being demoted, and he seems like a sure bet to net some serious playing time. David Tairu is a highly touted juco prospect who probably will have a big impact, too. But it drops off after that.

Corbin Ray started one or two games, but is not a particularly impressive player. Nor is Darko Cohadarevic, the only remaining Serbian on the roster after the Eastern bloc exodus of 2009, who is Tech's only other sizable, experienced option in the paint.

Tech is so thin that I have penciled in true freshman Mike Davis as the backup point guard, if that tells you anything. Brad Reese, like Tairu, is a juco player who probably will factor in somewhere, but he doesn't really project strongly to a certain position right now. Other players who probably won't be a factor, unless injuries pile up, are Wally Dunn, a walk-on guard of little consequence; Theron Jenkins, and incoming juco forward; and Jaye Crockett, a raw forward fresh out of high school.

Projected Starting Lineup


John Roberson	Nick Okorie	Mike Singletary	Trevor Cook	Robert Lewandowski
1	2	3	4	5

Projected Top Reserves


Mike Davis	David Tairu	D'walyn Roberts	Corbin Ray	Darko Cohadarevic
1	2	3	4	5

The Final Verdict

When your team looks as though it only can field a serious lineup of 7-8 players, in terms of functional, athletic depth, and you play in the Big 12 South, a good season probably is not in your near future. That seems to be the case for Texas Tech. Yes, they showed some drastic improvement at the end of last year — upsetting Kansas at home (a game I greatly enjoyed watching), mounting the frenzied comeback against Texas A&M and nearly knocking off Texas in Austin — but how much of that simply was due to the hot hands of Voskuil and Singletary?

If that's all that it was, Tech will struggle in a deep Big 12 and Pat Knight's seat will be plenty toasty by the end of the season. But if Tech added some underrated pieces and the rest of the team continues to improve, it potentially could move up the pecking order a few notches. I don't see it happening, though. To me, the Red Raiders look like a less talented version of Baylor: a team that is dangerous if it is knocking down the threes, but otherwise is somewhat toothless.

Predicted finish: 10th

Best-case scenario: 8th

Previously on KNOW THY ENEMY...

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Iowa State
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Five Things // Playing Like the 1989 Illini

Seth C — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:00:19 -0000

Five Things is a handful (i.e., five) of thoughts about a single topic. Hopefully, discussion ensues.

The 1989 Illini Basketball and Playing With a Bigger Lineup

1: Stepping Outside of the Box

One of my first basketball memories is watching Big Ten basketball and being absolutely infatuated with the Illinoi Illini's 1989 team that consisted of Kendall Gill, Nick Anderson, Steve Bardo, Marcus Liberty and Kenny Battle. Disclosure, I have no illusions that any current member is as talented as that Illini team, however, it's the concept that's important. My thoughts here deal with the idea of Pat Knight assembling a similar team next year in the Big 12.

For whatever reason, I remember the discussion being about those teams that what Illinois was doing was a new concept. A number of wing-type of players that could play multiple positions. Just to refresh your memory, he's what I remember the best five Illini that were on the floor for most of the game:

Player	Ht/Wt
Kenny Battle	6-6/210
Kendall Gill	6-5/195
Steve Bardo	6-5/190
Marcus Liberty	6-8/205
Nick Anderson	6-6/205

I think Bardo was essentially the team's point guard, Gill was at shooting guard, Anderson at small forward while Battle and Liberty played the post (it's been a long time, so don't quote me on this). The idea here is that Texas Tech has a similar situation when we discussed the small forward and power forward situations. There is a collection of players that are in this range. The question is finding time for these guys and how do they all fit.

There are a ton of players that fit into this range of swing player for Texas Tech that could play multiple positions, but has some height and athleticism to get away with it. Brad Reese (6-6/200), Theron Jenkins (6-6/211), Jaye Crockett (6-7/205), Mike Singletary (6-6/230) (although I think he's purely a small forward unless he can lose some weight and add a consistent jumpshot), D'Wayln Roberts (6-7/194), Corbin Ray (6-7/225), David Tairu (6-3/177) and Aaron-Mike Davis (6-3/190). That's a heck of a collection of talent and players that have potential, although I realize that Reese, Jenkins, Crockett, Tairu and Davis have yet to play a game in the Big 12.

I just keep thinking that there's got to be a method to Pat Knight's recruiting efforts, and as best I can tell, I think this is where he wants to go. More athletic at as many positions possible. There's also the issue of only having a limited number of big men to recruit and in order to combat that Knight may be thinking that it's to his benefit to be bigger at every other position (see more below) to offset the lack of a traditional big-man.

The quandary that PK faces is that we know he has some talented players who do return that may not fit this scenario. We know that some of Texas Tech's best players are John Roberson and Nick Okorie, with the thought that David Tairu is going to get serious consideration for playing time immediately. Minutes are the biggest obstacle to this entire plan. Roberson will probably see at least 25 minutes a game, Okorie could conceivably see 20 minutes and another 15 or so to Tairu.

I think Roberson has been okay, but there's still room to improve, aside from the fact that he's undersized, which has caused him issues offensively finishing around the basket or guarding bigger perimeter players. However, Roberson is adept offensively and he can be a big asset on that end of the court. It's just a matter of finding the minutes OR adjusting the mindset and playing a team with bigger athletes.

2: A Collection of Athletes

To reiterate above, one of my memories about that Illini team was that this was a tremendous collection of athletes. I think that almost every one of those players was drafted, so there was obviously quite a bit of skill there as well, but I vividly remember this Illinois having a true collection of athletes that handled most other teams. But what about Texas Tech. As discussed above, Pat Knight has recruited and signed a nice collection of athletes that are in and around the range of the '89 Illini team.

The hard part about all of this is trying to figure out minutes, which is a tad bit infuriating. There's only 200 minutes to go around for a college basketball team. With a traditional lineup, it's pretty easy, but there's no doubt that someone in that small forward category is not going ot play, or play very little. Someone is going to be the odd-man out in a traditional lineup, unless of course Reese or Jenkins can swing to the shooting guard, although I get the feeling that this is where Tairu comes in the picture.

With a non-traditional lineup, it squeezes minutes of the smaller guys, like Roberson and Okorie, who may be a little bit one dimensional in terms of what they can give you, although I would argue that Okorie is a pretty good defensive player.

3: The Best Players Play

I have a hard time seeing players out on the court that can't play. I'm not going to name names, but there were times last year where I grew incredibly frustrated. Sometimes these players played out of necessity and other times I think there weren't very many options. Ignoring the traditional method of how lineups should be (PG, SG, SF, PF & C) is perhaps Pat Knight's biggest obstacle.

Due to the fact that the team struggled so much last year, I think it's appropriate for Pat Knight to state at the beginning of the season that every position is open. There are no handouts. I'm tempted to say no one has earned the absolute right to say that a particular position is theirs. Granted, certain players played extremely well, but there were no all-conference performers and this past year's team was littered with inconsistent performances. Some days it was great. Others . . . not so much. If Texas Tech ends up with a starting lineup of Tairu, Reese, Jenkins, Roberts and Lewandowski then so be it. In my opinion, every position is open.

4: Man in the Middle

The downside to this type of lineup is that this may force a guy like Robert Lewandowski out of the picture, but I think that Lewandowski is such a unique player that I'm not at all worried about his time. One of the advantages of having an athletic lineup is that there's a tremendous amount of defensive versatility. Switching back and forth on screens without compromising defense could be a tremendous advantage. Most likely, any opposing team is going to have a traditional post player and Lewandowski is agile enough to cover most post players. It would also be nice to have a defensive anchor, so at the very least, I don't want to see Lewandowski's minutes dropped at all, but would in fact prefer to see him play at least 30 minutes a game.

5: Being Bigger in Other Places

One of the things that I've constantly harped on about all of Knight's teams is that there was this perpetual disadvantage rebounding the ball. Convention logic says that if you're going to throw out a smaller lineup, much like the lineup I'm proposing, then you're probably thinking that this type of disadvantage will continue. I do remember that 1989 Illini team being better than average rebounding (I couldn't find stats to back this up, just have to rely on memory), but I thought that one of the advantages was that by having bigger guards and forwards play is that you would be bigger in different places like point guard and shooting guard. It's not much, but it's better than what's been happening, which is essentially being undersized or opposing players being better athletes at almost every position.

Double-T Nation Basketball Review // Power Forward

Seth C — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:00:14 -0000

Power Forward

D'Walyn Roberts; 6-7/194; Junior

Positives: There is no one more athletically gifted than D'Walyn Roberts on Texas Tech's roster. Roberts has the ability to go above the rim and get to the basket. Roberts is very long and can cause matchup problems for opponents. Defensively, Roberts has the ability guard bigger opponents because of his length and should be one of Texas Tech's best defenders. Again, Roberts has the physical gifts to be a matchup nightmare. Long arms. Decent outside shot. Athletic ability. He's got it all, it's just a matter of translating this to the court against Big 12 competition.

Negatives: Much like Singletary, I think Roberts needs to improve his consistency. There were too many times last year that Roberts would have 3 or 4 turnovers and that would lead Pat Knight to take out Roberts and his minutes would be limited, despite all of his athletic gifts. Obviously, I'd love to see Roberts add some more weight and putting him in the category of power forward rather than small forward is perhaps an indication that PK, who recruited Brad Reese, Theron Jenkins and Jaye Crockett (all small forwards), needs Roberts to be a bigger force on the boards and defensively. I'm hoping that Roberts can add some weight and be a bigger player next year.

Trevor Cook; 6-9/241; Senior

Positives: Unfortunately for Cook, there weren't many positives last year, in part because a fairly serious back injury sidelined him for almost the entire year. I think people tend to forget that Cook missed to much time and as a result, I think Texas Tech's frontcourt struggled a bit, especially when players weren't performing on the court. I really like Cook's game: outside shooting, athletic ability, ability to block shots and rebounding. Damn, I missed Cook last year.

Negatives: Cook's biggest negative is that he can rack up early and silly fouls. It's been over a full year since I watched him play, but as a sophomore, there were times that he lost his man inside while helping out and when that happens, it can get ugly. I'd like to see Cook be a better rebounder, especially considering his size and leaping ability. For Cook, it has to be about attitude on the court.

Corbin Ray; 6-7/225; Sophomore

Positives: Pretty small sample size last year, but when Ray did play, there were some positives. I was pleasantly surprised by Ray's strength. He was much bigger than expected, which is part of the reason I have him as a power forward. Ray may lack the height, but he has the size and he's a good enough athlete to compete with most Big 12 power forwards. I was impressed with Ray's outside shot, but I don't remember him mixing it up inside much. Other than having a relatively smooth offensive game, I could see how Ray could be one of those glue guys that every team needs, a little like Michael Prince.

Negatives: As briefly mentioned above, I thought that considering Ray's size and strength he could have been a little more effective inside. Again, we're talking about a really small sample size when Ray was on the floor, but I'm hoping that other than the outside game, that Ray maybe worked on some post moves and spent quite a bit of time inside the paint during his offseason.

Post Game Review: Texas Tech 81, St. Francis (PA) 47

Seth C — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:44:11 -0000

This is a much more athletic team and I think Nick Okorie is going to be a big part of this team's future success. There's a lot to like with Okorie and the bottom line is that he can play. Also loved D'Walyn Roberts, I thought he looked bigger than last year and he didn't look lost on either end of the floor. I said it last year that I'd love to see Roberts be this team's Damion James and although he doesn't have near the size, he does have incredible length and athletic ability and his added size is a huge improvement from last year. Keep it going.

Player	Comment
Nick Okorie 16 pt; 1 rb; 2 ast	Okorie is going to be a player. This guy has good size for a guard, has some hops and can shoot the ball. I could see Okorie leading this team in scoring easily.
John Roberson 13 pt; 5 rb; 5 ast	The thing I like about Roberson is that he can spot up and shoot the ball and has learned, perhaps, to get his shot off with a man on him. I'd like to see a little more ball control on offense and reduce the turnovers (3).
Alan Voskuil 8 pt; 3 rb; 2 ast	Seemed to force his shot early, but did well in the 2nd half. The offense needs to go ahead and get him going offensively as he doesn't create his own shot very well.
D'Walyn Robertsj 4 pt; 3 rb; 1 ast.	Looked much bigger to me as last year Roberts was really skinny. Looks much better out under the boards and can be a difference maker on defense. Roberts brings something that no one else can, length and defense.
Darko Cohadarevic 4 pt; 2 rb; 1 blk	Does a nice job of handling the ball on the perimeter and calling for the ball on the block. I like what he brings to the table.
Trevor Cook 10 pt; 3 rb; 1 ast	Early spark off the bench and the added weight isn't obvious. Can still shoot from the perimeter and like Cohad, can handle the ball outside.
Tyree Graham 6 pt; 3 rb; 1 ast	Does not look like a freshman. Graham can play and he's got nice athleticism. I could see him pushing Roberson for playing time if Roberson gets careless. Really like his game.
Michael Prince 5 pt; 5 rb; 1 ast	An energy guy but I hate how he continually defers rather than take the ball to the basket. Prince has a decent shot so I'm not sure why he doesn't take advantage of it, but played well inside.
Mike Singletary 6 pt; 5 rb; 1 ast	Thought he might start, but came off the bench and did well. Would like for his teammates to find him inside matched up against smaller forwards as I think he can do damage underneath.
Robert Lewandowski 2 pt; 3 rb; 1 blk	A legitimate big man with some nice moves. Is still a bit raw, but I like his long term prospects and he stays inside. Had a nice block, he's going to see quite a bit of time.
Damir Suljagic 0 pt; 1 rb	Had minimal minutes, but this may be a guy left out a bit because he's not as polished offensively or defensively as other players.
Rogdrick Craig 0 pt; 1 rb; 1 ast	Handled the point guard duties when in the game and like the idea of a bigger guard being on point. Not afraid to shoot the ball and I like that, but was a little rusty offensively.
Corbin Ray 2 pt; 3 rb	I kinda like his game and he reminds me of Cliff Owens. I'm not sure what else to expect, but he does have talent.
Wally Dunn 5 pt; 1 rb	Somewhat surprised, as was Ray, to see him get off the bench, but he's a capable shooter who isn't afraid to shoot the ball, again, a trait I appreciate.

Miscellaneous:

The offense was a little ragged, but it's the first game and Texas Tech won by 34. I'm not complaining. Would like to see more of an inside game as the offense seemed to be dependent on the outside shot, evidenced by only 18 free throws on an over-matched opponent.
Held St. Francis to 26% from the field and loved that. Defense played very well and like the offense, they aren't perfect but they were pretty good.
Out rebounded St. Francis by 7 and although this wasn't great, it's a start. Baby steps.
Too many turnovers (15).

Up Next: Sam Houston State @ Texas Tech, Monday, November 17, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. (Television - TTTN).

DTN's 2008-2009 Texas Tech Basketball Preview

Seth C — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:00:07 -0000

Basketball season is right around the corner and I thought it was high time to take a look at this year's squad. All numbers are based on last year's performances and you'll note that Texas Tech has quite a few new players that are expected to contribute immediately.

Probable Starters

No.	Player	Ht./Wt.	Pos	Year	Pts	Reb	Ast	A/TO	Stl	Blk
23	Nick Okorie	6'1"/195	PG/SG	Jr.	17.2	3.4	-	-	-	-
21	John Roberson	5'11"/165	PG	So.	12.3	2.5	3.3	1.2/1	0.8	0.0
20	Alan Voskuil	6'3"/181	SG	Sr.	13.1	3.8	1.4	1/1.2	1.4	0.0
32	Mike Singletary	6'6"/230	SF	So.	7.3	3.0	1.0	1/1.5	0.4	0.3
31	Darko Cohadarevic	6'9"/242	PF	Jr.	15.4	8.0	-	-	-	-
24	Trevor Cook	6'9"/241	PF	Jr.	4.9	2.4	0.6	1/1.9	0.3	0.6

I understand the rules of basketball and there are only 5 starters, but I've included 6 starters because I think that Pat Knight will utilize these 6 guys depending upon the opposing team. Junior Knight has already said that Cohadarevic and Okorie will start and I think that's a good thing. I think it's also safe to assume that Roberson and Voskuil will also continue to start. I think that Junior Knight would prefer to have an athletic 3-guard lineup, much like Texas has run out in recent years (Augustin, Abrams and Mason) and now, Texas Tech has something similar, although Voskuil is not quite as athletic as Mason, he's a much better shooter, is okay defensively (he does a good job of keeping his man in front of him) and with his shooting, makes up for some of the lack of true athleticism.

Okorie is supposed to be a jumping-jack of a guard and in JUCO he was a very good shooter. I think opposing teams are going to have a difficult time covering Okorie and he should have more than enough athleticism to cover opposing guards as well. Roberson's freshman season had some bumps along the way, but he was a true freshman and he'll improve on what he did last year, he just needs to watch the turnovers.

Singletary is another true sophomore who will need to improve defensively as well as adding to his offensive game. When I watched Singletary in the Futures Game he displayed a nice 3-point shot and I'm hoping that he continues to mature his game to the point that he's both an inside and outside threat, but would hate to see him abandon his inside game completely. Singletary has some good post moves and I think he can take advantage of opposing small forwards inside.

Cohadarevic is the wild-card. Cohadarevic adds intensity that this team hasn't seen, but worry about his ability to stay with opposing defenders. He should be able to cover opposing centers/power forwards. He certainly has the size to do that and with his offensive game, which is typical of a Euro, he's a good shooter and can handle the ball as well as a better than average passer.

Depending upon matchups, Cook could see more than a couple of starts. Cook has added some muscle to his frame, which should make him a greater asset defensively. Cook has always been able to shoot from the outside and much like Cohadarevic he's a decent passer.

The key for this unit, and hell for the entire team, is improving the rebounding. Last year's unit was awful rebounding the ball and if this team expects any improvement then Cohadarevic, Cook and Suljagic have got to improve the rebounding edge.

Key Reserves

No.	Player	Ht./Wt.	Pos	Year	Pts	Reb	Ast	A/TO	Stl	Blk
3	Tyree Graham	6'0"/190	PG	Fr.	-	-	-	-	-	-
5	D'Walyn Roberts	6'7"/194	SF	So.	2.5	1.8	0.2	1/4	0.3	0.2
41	Damir Suljagic	6'9"250	PF	Sr.	4.7	4.0	0.7	1/1.5	0.4	0.5
15	Robert Lewandowski	6'10"/240	C	Fr.	-	-	-	-	-	-
34	Esmir Rizvic	7'0"/262	C	Sr.	2.9	2.1	0.1	1/5.7	0.4	0.3
30	Michael Prince	6'7"/208	SF	Sr.	1.6	1.8	0.4	1.1.7	0.5	0.0
2	Rogdrick Craig	6'6"/217	SF	Sr.	0.9	0.4	0.0	1/1.2	0.4	0.0

Tyree Graham will be one of the first players off the bench, along with Suljagic and Roberts. Graham is especially important because he possesses a type of game much like Okorie's. A smaller guard who is capable of scoring, playing some point guard, and is all-kinds of athletic. This team is generally short on guards who can handle the ball and his development as a freshman will be important.

I'm hoping that Roberts makes some significant weight gains and improvement. Last year Roberts was somewhat hesitant and I think that in order for him to see significant playing time, he's got to improve his rebounding and defefnse. Roberts has a skill-set that this team doesn't have otherwise. He's incredibly athletic, has long arms and could be a force on the boards, again if added some weight, and defensively. Roberts has a nice outside shot, but for him to see significant playing time he needs to make his mark inside.

Suljagic is one of those players who has done quite a bit in his time at Texas Tech. When he first arrived he struggled to make layups, but he's become much more well-rounded offensively and is a good rebounder. I'd expect Suljagic to continue his improvement, although I'm not expecting a huge jump in skill, but enough to see significant time in the post.

Lewandowski is something that this team doesn't have, which is a true post player. Lewandowski has low-post moves, but I worry about him from a size and strength standpoint because he is a true freshman, but I'd expect Junior Knight to work Lewandowski in early because he could be a tremendous asset in conference play. I'm also guessing that Knight will favor Lewandowski over Rizvic because there's a much better offensive game there over Rizvic. Rizvic is good in very short spurts, but he shouldn't see significant time. Also keep in mind that Rizvic will need to set out this semester or next due to the broken jaw received from Longar Longar, and I'd expect Rizvic to see time during the second half of the year.

Prince and Craig should be at the very end of the key reserves because I'm not expecting each of them to see significant time, but it wouldn't bother me if they did, especially if the younger guys aren't playing well. Prince is a good defender, but lacks offensive assertiveness and often defers to the point that it's maddening. I don't really think we saw enough of Craig to know what he could bring, but he's a decent athlete that could contribute.

End of the Bench

No.	Player	Ht./Wt.	Pos	Year	Pts	Reb	Ast	A/TO	Stl	Blk
10	Wally Dunn	6'4"/194	SG	So.	-	-	-	-	-	-
4	Corbin Ray	6'7"/225	SF	Fr.	-	-	-	-	-	-

Walk-on Wally Dunn should be a deep reserve and could become a decent spot player. Dunn is a good shooter, but I don't know much else about him.

I'd love to see Ray redshirt this year. He's a decent prospect, but there are plenty of guys in front of him and Ray shouldn't play unless he forces Junior Knight's hand with excellent practices. If Ray plays that means that Singletary, Roberts, Prince, and Craig aren't playing well and that would probably not be a good scenario.

Basketball Anyone? Breaking Down the Big 12: Texas Tech

Zach B — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 04:54:16 -0000

Let's all take a deep breath after the Colorado football meltdown and focus on the hardwood. Continuing The Ralphie Report's breakdown of Big 12 basketball, we shift our focus to the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Bobby Knight stepped down a season ago in the midst of a mediocre season and handed the reigns over to his son and assistant coach Pat Knight. You can bet that Pat will have a very similar coaching style to his father; Pat has been at Texas Tech since 2001 and played under his father at the University of Indiana. He coached the last 11 games for the Red Raiders and went 4-7. It was an extremely up and down 11 games for Texas Tech as they lost to teams such as Nebraska and Baylor but then upset nationally ranked Texas and Kansas State. While the Red Raiders return three of their four leading scorers from a season ago, I don't think they will make much noise in the difficult Big 12 South. The younger Knight seems to be doing a solid job recruiting good talent in 2009 but this season will be difficult in Lubbock, Texas.

Last Season's Results: Whenever a coach departs in the middle of the season, the team is bound to struggle. For Texas Tech however, it was not really a question if Bobby Knight would leave but when. The General really started to wear down in recent years and he even realized it. He began grooming his son, Pat, for the head coaching job so when he decided to retire it wasn't completely catastrophic. Texas Tech went 12-8 in Papa Knight's 20 games and finished up the season 4-7 under Pat. They had some very good wins last season but their year was plagued by inconsistency and the aforementioned coaching change. As I mentioned before, Tech returns three of their four leading scorers for 2008-09. Leading the team in scoring a season ago was Martin Zeno with 16 points a game. Zeno's production will have to be replaced as he has moved on from Texas Tech and graduated. Alan Voskuil should help replace some of Zeno's lost points as he averaged 13 points a game. John Roberson was the other Red Raider in double figures last season with 12 points a game. While their guard play was tremendous a season ago, their interior play really struggled. Their leading rebounder was Zeno, a shooting guard, with 4.5 boards a game. They were killed inside and that may be their major flaw again this year.

New Faces: Improvements are being made in Texas Tech and the 2008 recruiting class is evidence of that. There will be five new Red Raiders this season, including two junior college transfers to give them a little more experience. Headlining the class is Darko Cohadarevic. Cohadarevic, originally from Serbia, is a 3-star recruit from Seward County Community College in Kansas. At 6'9'', 240 lbs, Darko should be able to step in immediately and start for Tech. He averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds a game for Seward last season. He's a very fluid big fella, and at 22 years of age, he should be mature enough to handle being thrust right into the action. Tyree Graham, Robert Lewandowski, Nick Okorie, and Corbin Ray round out the recruiting class for Pat Knight's squad. Graham and Okorie should make impacts this season for the Red Raiders at the guard position. Okorie is another junior college transfer from South Plains Community College and likens his game to that of Martin Zeno. He will more than likely be the back up shooting guard but will see quality minutes. Tyree Graham was an all-stater in his senior season at Southern Durham High School in North Carolina. He struggled qualifying academically for Texas Tech but finally got the grade and will be ready when the season starts. Lewandowski and Ray will need a year or so to full develop and contribute but you have to like what you see if you are a Red Raiders fan.

check out the rest of the Red Raider breakdown after the jump...

2008-09 Impact Players: Each year during the Bob Knight tenure saw the Red Raiders have one go-to player. Last season it was Martin Zeno and this year the Texas Tech faithful are relying on Alan Voskuil to carry this team. Voskuil, a native Texan, played in every game last season and started in 25. He scored 20 or more points in four games and ended the season averaging 13 points a game. Voskuil is a classic shooting guard who has excellent range and can light it up from anywhere on the court. He shot a sizzling 44% from beyond the arc and made at least four three-pointers in seven games for the Red Raiders. He will be a crucial piece of an athletic, yet inexperienced back court. Whenever I watched Texas Tech last season, which was only a handful of times, I was always impressed by the play of John Roberson. A silky smooth sophomore, Roberson is a pure point guard. He led the team in assists and was third in scoring as a freshman last season. He has an extremely high basketball IQ and his court vision is outstanding. Even though he is a sophomore, he has great experience playing at this level as he averaged 30 minutes a game last season. The talent is plentiful in the back court for Pat Knight's team but the major question lies with the big guys in the front court. Another super sophomore for Knight's team is Mike Singletary. The 6'6'' small forward plays with a serious mean streak and will do whatever it takes to get his team a win. While he is not the best shooter in the world, Singletary plays bigger than he is and that helps in a system that emphasizes toughness. He scored seven points a game a season ago and that should improve as he will slide into the starting lineup. Whoever draws the match up against Singletary better get ready to get beaten up because he is a fierce competitor and is not afraid to mix it up.

Projected Starting Lineup: Pat Knight should be very excited about his back court this season. He has four guys that on any given night can steal the show. The starting guards will probably be Voskuil and Roberson but newcomers Graham and Okorie will get plenty of action and make a significant impact. The bigs for the Red Raiders, although inexperienced and full of question marks, have plenty of upside and could be a force in the Big 12 if they develop properly. Singletary will get the nod at small forward and Darko Cohadarevic should be the starting center although he is better fit for the power forward spot. Rounding out the starting five for Tech will be Trevor Cook who started 11 games for the Knight's a season ago and averaged five points a game. Don't be surprised if you see D'Walyn Roberts start a few games for Texas Tech. He's a freak athlete who was very highly recruited coming out of high school. If he is able to show solid improvements, he may just work his way into the starting lineup eventually.

Projected Season Results: Looking at the Texas Tech schedule for next season, they only really play one meaningful non-conference game. They will be taking on one of the best teams in the nation in the Pittsburgh Panthers in November's Legends Classic. They play Stanford in Palo Alto but the Cardinal should be rebuilding this season after losing their coach and the Lopez twins. They'll struggle in the Big 12 South, as they have to play Baylor, Texas, and Oklahoma twice. I'd say that the ceiling for this team is about seventh in the Big 12 but they could also fall to around tenth. Iowa State and the Buffs should have the bottom two on lock. Tech was ranked as the tenth best team in the Big 12 preseason rankings but I'm a little more optimistic with this team.

		#4 Corbin Ray Sophomore Forward 6-7 \| 225 Katy, Texas Ray saw his first action as a Red Raider in the season opener against St. Francis, in which he played seven minutes, scored two points and grabbed three rebounds. He played in 17 games during the season, started against Sam Houston State, averaged 5.7 minutes per game and 1.6 points per game for the season, played 14 minutes in the home game against Texas A&M, had a season-high five rebounds over East Central University, and had his best showing in the win over New Mexico, in which he played 10 minutes and scored 10 points, was 4 of 6 from the field, and canned two 3-pointers.

		#5 D'walyn Roberts Junior Forward 6-7 \| 200 Dallas, Texas Roberts started the first 19 games for the Red Raiders; played in each game during the season and had 21 starts; averaged 16.5 minutes per game, four points per game, and 3.6 rebounds per game; played 20+ minutes in 13 contests; played 35 minutes at Lamar, made 7 of 8 field goal attempts, and recorded his season-high of 14 points; scored in double figures in six games; was perfect from the free-throw line six times for a combined 13-for-13; registered a double-double in the win over Stephen F. Austin, with 11 points and 11 rebounds; was second on the squad with 21 blocks for the season; and shot .545 from the field for the season.

		#10 Wally Dunn Junior Guard 6-4 \| 194 Midland, Texas Dunn saw his first action as a Red Raider in the season opener against St. Francis, in which he played eight minutes, had a rebound and scored 5 points. He played in 14 games during the season as a walk-on, played a season high of 12 minutes against East Central University, scored 16 points on 6 of 8 field-goal attempts and 4 of 5 3-pointers, shot .588 from the field and made .500 of his 3-point attempts, and had no turnovers for the season. Dunn graduated from Midland College, where the Chaparrals were the 2007 NJCAA National Champions. He was a redshirt his freshman season. The team garnered conference championship honors in 2007-2008, and he played in 32 games as a sophomore and averaged 4.3 points per game.

		#15 Robert Lewandowski Sophomore Forward 6-10 \| 240 Overland Park, Kan. The freshman from Blue Valley West High Sschool played and scored in the first game of the season against St. Francis. Lewandowski scored two points, made a block, and had three rebounds in his eight minutes on the court. He played in 32 games for the season and started 19 times; averaged over 15 minutes per game and played 20+ minutes in 13 contests; averaged 6.6 points per game and 3.7 rebounds per game for the year; shot .581 from the field for the season; scored in double figures 10 times, with 8 of those games during conference play; recorded his season-best of 20 points at Texas A&M, when he made 10 of 15 field-goal attempts and had four rebounds in the game; had a double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds) at Oklahoma State; grabbed 5+ rebounds in 10 games; and led the squad with 23 blocks.

		#21 John Roberson Junior Guard 5-11 \| 165 Plano, Texas Honorable Mention All-Big 12 (2009) U.S. Basketball Writers Association All-District 7 (2009) Roberson and Alan Voskuil were the only players on the 2008-2009 squad to start each game during the season. He was the leading scorer on the team, with 13.9 points per game, and second on the team with 35 steals for the year. Roberson's 212 assists top the previous single-season mark of 182 assists, set by Jason Martin during the 1995-1996 season. He was the assist leader for the Big 12. His 13 assists at Texas A&M were one shy of Stan Bonewitz's single-game record of 14 assists, set against Fresno State in the 1996-1997 season. Roberson's 6.4 assists per game for the season now are the best among all Red Raiders. His 71 3-pointers rank eighth among all Red Raiders in a single season. His 201 3-point attempts equal Bonewitz's mark in the 1997-1998 season and are fourth on the all-time single-season list. Roberson's 35.2 minutes per game were second on the squad. He played 40 minutes in five games; was second on the squad in free-throw percentage (.829), making 97 of 117 attempts; was perfect from the line in 15 games, totaling 58 for 58; averaged 3.5 rebounds per game and had at least five rebounds in six games; established a career high of eight rebounds at Iowa State; had a double-double performance at Texas A&M, with 13 assists and 20 points; and scored 20+ points in five games. Roberson's 33 points at UTEP were a career-best and made him the 36th Red Raider to score 30 or more points in a game, earning him All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and USBWA All-District 7 honors.

		#23 Nick Okorie Senior Guard 6-1 \| 195 Houston, Texas Okorie started his career as a Red Raider in the season opener against St. Francis. He played 19 minutes and scored 16 points. Okorie played in 29 games during the season and had 19 starting spots. He missed four games due to an ankle injury; averaged more than 25 minutes per game and played 30+ minutes in eight games; played 36 minutes at Texas and at Iowa State; was perfect from the free-throw line in nine games, totaling 40 of 40; was third on the team with 21 steals; averaged 3.1 rebounds per game; and grabbed 5+ boards in nine games. His scoring average of 11.3 points per game was fourth among squad members. Okorie scored 15+ points in nine games, with six of those games against conference opponents; sank 10 of 10 free throws and had 17 points against Kansas; scored 24 points at Oklahoma and at Texas; averaged 16.3 points per game over the last 10 games; and started nine times.

		#24 Trevor Cook Senior Forward 6-9 \| 241 Coppell, Texas Legends Classic All-Tournament (2008) Cook was awarded his undergraduate degree in May 2009. He played in 14 games during the season and had eight starts, but missed 19 games due to a back injury. Cook averaged 14 minutes per game and played 25+ minutes in three games, and was perfect from the free-throw line in four games, totaling 16 for 16. His eight rebounds against East Central University equal his top mark from the previous season. He had 13 blocks in his abbreviated season, averaged 7.6 points per game, scored in double figures six times and had 20 or more points in two games. His 24 points against Pittsburgh mark his best scoring performance as a Red Raider, and he was selected to the Legends Classic All-Tournament Team for his performances against Pittsburgh and Mississippi State.

		#31 Darko Cohadarevic Senior Forward 6-9 \| 242 Belgrade, Serbia Cohadarevic played his first game as a Red Raider in the season opener against St. Francis. He played 12 minutes, grabbed two rebounds and scored four points. Cohadarevic played in 26 games and started twice; averaged nearly 11 minutes per game and had five games in which he played 15+ minutes; was perfect from the free-throw line in four games; averaged 2.2 rebounds per game and had at least five rebounds in five games; scored double figures in three contests; had 12 points against East Central University and against Stephen F. Austin; and scored 10 points and had six rebounds in the win over Texas A&M in the opening round of conference championship play.

		#32 Mike Singletary Junior Forward 6-6 \| 217 Humble, Texas Second Team Academic All-Big 12 (2009) Big 12 Championship All-Tournament (2009) Singletary was one of four players to play in each game during the season. He had four starts and averaged 23.1 minutes per game; played 30+ minutes against six opponents; was perfect from the free-throw line in four games; attempted more free throws than all other teammates (187) and made more free throws than all other teammates (136); had three games in which he made 34 of 40 free-throw attempts; was the leading rebounder on the team, with 5.8 boards per game; had three games (Centenary, Kansas and at Iowa State) of 10+ rebounds and 12 games with at least seven rebounds; and had double-double performances against New Mexico, Kansas and at Iowa State. His 12.2 points per game were third on the squad and he scored at least 15 points in 13 games, averaged 18.2 points per game over the final nine games of the season, was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Second Team, and gained Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team honors after scoring 60 points in two games (Texas A&M and Missouri). Singletary made 21 of 33 attempts during those two games. He set a Big 12 Championship scoring record with 43 points in the opening round game against Texas A&M (the previous record was 38 points by Marcus Fizer of Iowa State vs. Baylor in 2000). His 43-point game equals Dub Malaise's 1966 performance against TCU as the fourth-highest scoring output in Texas Tech history. Singletary led the biggest rally in Big 12 championship history, erasing the Red Raiders' 21-point, second-half deficit and taking Texas Tech to an 88-83 win over Texas A&M (the previous record was 20 points by Texas two seasons ago). He scored 29 consecutive points for the Red Raiders, with no other Tech player scoring, to become the NCAA's No. 2 consecutive-points scorer, behind Temple's Bill Mlkvy's 54 consecutive points against Wilkes on March 3, 1951.