Red Raider Roundball | Will Texas Tech Play Three Guard Lineup?

There's still so much in the air, but I had mentioned in a links post that the official site has released the rosterroster and the basketball schedule. That's a good thing, now all the program needs is a coach.

But we can't focus on what is not happening, we have to focus on what is happening and all of the things that I wrote about the team leading up to the season, about how tall this team is and how the height will be a significant advantage for this team. With Rodrigo Silva signing a contract in his home country of Brazil, with Wannah Bail not attending classes in the fall and with Aaron Ross tearing his ACL this is now not a tall team with a lot of post depth. In fact, I'd say that there are really just four post players, Jaye Crockett, Jordan Tolbert, Kader Tapsoba and Dejan Kravic. That's it.

Of course, there is a hope that Bail will return to Lubbock, and supposedly that is something that could happen if Chris Walker is named as the permanent head coach. But we can't really focus on what might happen, but we have to focus on the here and now.

But how does Texas Tech combat the overall lack of height? Well, it's going to have to start with some of the two guards perhaps playing against bigger competition. When SG Jamal Williams signed with Texas Tech, I somewhat wrote this off a bit because he had the worst statistics of the JUCO players that arrived. Now, he may be the most important, along with Toddrick Gotcher and maybe Trency Jackson.

The thing that Williams and Gotcher have going for them is more height than their counter-parts. Williams is 6'4" and Gotcher is 6'3". This is obviously not ideal height for small forward, but if this team is going to be forced to play a three-guard lineup, and I think they are, then Williams and Gotcher now become incredibly important.

If I try to imagine some sort of lineup or depth chart, here's my best attempt:

POINT GUARD: Josh Gray (6-1/175); Daylen Robinson (6-0/190); Luke Adams (5-9/170)
TWO GUARD: Trency Jackson (6-2/185); Ty Nurse (6-1/185)
THREE GUARD: Jamal Williams II (6-4/190) Toddrick Gotcher (6-3/195); Dusty Hannahs (6-4/210);
POWER FORWARD: Jaye Crockett (6-7/200); Jordan Tolbert (6-7/220); Clark Lammert (6-8/190)
CENTER: Dejan Kravic (6-11/230); Kader Tapsoba (6-10/215)

I think there are some players that can be inter-changed for a number of positions. Gray can flip to the two guard as can Gotcher. Jackson can apparently play the point or the two and and I'd also guess that he might be able to play some at the three guard given his athleticism.

Get up young sir.

But overall, this seems right and I think that whoever is the head coach is going to be forced to play a three guard lineup for the most part next year. There just are not a lot of options in the post and with Williams, Gotcher and Hannahs there will be minutes and opportunities. I still don't know about Williams at all, but he is supposed to be a defensive guy and he's actually a point guard by nature. Technically, Texas Tech could roll out three guys, Gray, Jackson and Williams, who all played point guard to an extent last year. Gotcher was always tough and always a good defender. I didn't get to see enough of him, but I like what he does. Hannahs is also a question mark in that I don't know what he can do and I also think that maybe having him at a three guard spot might earn him some more time because he's not having to cover what I think will be more athletic shooting guards. I also really didn't realize he's 210. He's bigger than every guard on the team.