Toddrick Gotcher: The Man, The Myth, The Legend

Toddrick Gotcher has played under 3 head coaches, been a part of a 8-23 (1-17) team, seen Texas Tech finish above .500 for the first time since 2009/2010, helped lead Texas Tech to what should be its first NCAA tournament bid since 2006/2007, and got engaged on the court after Senior Day. Even with all of that under his belt, Gotcher can still add to his Texas Tech legacy starting against TCU in the Big 12 tournament.

With that said, let's take a look at the team Gotcher was on his freshman year.

Texas Tech had welcomed in Billy Gillispie as its head coach and the season looked promising. Gillispie had done great things at Texas A&M and Kentucky, and the hope was for him to do the same at Texas Tech. He had a young team that featured 8 freshmen that he could mold into what he wanted in a basketball team.

It's to be noted that Gotcher received a redshirt his freshman season after injuring his foot after 9 games in which he started in 8 of those averaging just under 30 minutes a game.

I'm going to take a look at the freshmen on the above program from the 2011/2012 season that transferred and see where they are now since Toddrick Gotcher is the only one that is still a part of the Red Raiders.

Terran Petteway

Terran Petteway played in 28 games for the Red Raiders his freshman season and started 11 of those. After Texas Tech finished 8-23 he sought to transfer to another program. Petteway ended up transferring to Nebraska and played very well there. After two seasons he forgoed his senior year and declared for the NBA draft last April. Petteway went undrafted and signed with the Atlanta Hawks. He's since bounced around the league between the Hawks and Pacers and currently plays for the Pacers D-League affiliate the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

DeShon Minnis

DeShon Minnis started 5 games his freshman year at Texas Tech and saw action in 28 games. After his freshman season, Minnis transferred to Rhode Island. Minnis played two seasons at Rhode Island and then he transferred again last summer to Wright State. This year he averaged 7 points a game along with 3.3 assists. Minnis was a key player coming off of the bench and helped Wright State reach the Horizon League championship game.

Kevin Wagner

Kevin Wagner played in 17 games as a Red Raider and went the JUCO route following his freshman year. Wagner transferred to McLennan Community College. After a year at the JUCO level, Wagner played two seasons at Midwestern State. Since he went the JUCO route, Wagner did not have to sit any years during his transfers. Wagner wrapped up his college basketball career last season.

Cameron Forte

Cameron Forte never saw the court as a Red Raider. Forte decided Texas Tech wasn't the place for him and he transferred to Howard Junior College. After a season of JUCO ball, Forte found his way to Georgia. He played two seasons for the Bulldogs and again transferred this past summer to Portland State. As a Viking, Forte played nearly 30 minutes a game this season and scored 18.8 points along with 9.3 rebounds a game.

Jordan Tolbert

Jordan Tolbert started 29 games as a freshman and led the team in scoring (11.5) and rebounding (5.7). Unlike the players above, Tolbert hung around and played a few seasons as a Red Raider. After 3 seasons with Texas Tech, Tolbert looked to play his senior year elsewhere. SMU would be the landing spot for Tolbert and after sitting out a year he's had a big impact this year for the Mustangs. He averaged 11.6 points and 8.5 rebounds a game to help the Mustangs finish with a regular season record of 25-5. It's just unfortunate that he won't be participating in any postseason play because of the NCAA sanctions on SMU this year.

The Ones Who Stuck Around: Toddrick Gotcher, Luke Adams & Clark Lammert

Out off all the names mentioned above, Toddick Gotcher stayed with the Red Raiders along with Luke Adams and Clark Lammert. Adams didn't see many minutes as a walk-on at Texas Tech but he was a key contributor for the USA Deaf National Team. Lammert averaged 7.3 minutes a game last year and had a career-high 6 points against Houston in a loss last season.

Toddrick Gotcher knew he was talented and could've easily left after the team went 8-23 his freshman year, but instead he stuck it out with the Red Raiders. As a redshirt freshman, Gotcher played in 31 games with only 1 start. In his redshirt sophomore campaign he started in 22 games and played in 32 contests in total. Last Season Gotcher was the team's 6th-man in non-conference play but then picked up 10 starts in Big 12 play. In his last season as a Red Raider, he is leading the team in points per game (11.2) and 3-point shots made (60). Not only has he contributed on the court but Gotcher has provided senior leadership throughout the year. Even though he has set this team up to be successful in the future, Toddrick Gotcher will be truly missed when the season ends.