Texas Tech Basketball Ring of Honor charter class announced

March 4th’s game against the Texas Longhorns will have a higher meaning for the team, the program, and the entirety of Red Raider Nation. This day will be the induction of the inaugural Texas Tech Basketball Ring of Honor. There will be six former athletes and one former coach that will be inducted into the Ring of Honor and I believe that all of them are deserving. Here is the charter class of the Texas Tech Basketball Ring of Honor.

Jim Reed - 6’4” Forward, 1952-1956

Reed was the first superstar for this program. He averaged a double-double in all four years that he was in Lubbock. He led this program under the tutelage of another all-time Red Raider great, Polk Robinson, to 2 Border Conference Championships in both 1954 and 1956. Reed averaged 17 points and 14 rebounds in his four years at Texas Tech, scoring nearly 1700 points and grabbing 1300 rebounds. He won the Border Conference Player of the Year in 1956 when he averaged 21 points and 13 rebounds per game. Reed was also awarded AP Honorable Mention All-American in 1954.

Carolyn Thompson - Forward, 1980-1984

Thompson was a 4-year superstar the the Lady Raiders. She averaged a career double-double with 21.9 points and 10.3 rebounds per game throughout her entire career. Thompson became a better shooter every season in her career as she improved both her field goal and free-throw percentage by 10% from her freshman to her senior seasons. She is the Lady Raiders’ all-time leading scorer with 2,655 points. She is also first all-time in field goal attempts and makes. She also leads the Lady Raiders’ all-time list with 1,247 rebounds and is the only Lady Raider to average a double-double throughout her entire career.

Dub Malaise - 5’11” Guard, 1963-1966

Malaise was a small shooting guard for the Red Raiders in the 1960s. He averaged 20 points per game in his three seasons as a Red Raider. Malaise was on the Southwest Conference First-Team in all three of his seasons in Lubbock and also won the Southwest Conference Player of the Year in 1965, when he averaged 23 points and 3 rebounds per game. Malaise totaled 1,420 points in his three seasons with the team. He is also the only player to score 50 points in a game in Red Raider history when he hit that mark against Texas in 1966.

Rick Bullock - 6’9” Center, 1972-1976

Bullock was a force in his four season in Lubbock. Bullock averaged a double-double in his final three season at Tech and averaged nearly 20 points over his entire Red Raider career. Bullock totaled 2,118 points and 1,057 rebounds over his years here. He was awarded twice with AP Honorable Mention All-American in 1975 and 1976. Bullock became one of the best players in Southwest Conference history as he was awarded with first team honors in three seasons and won the Player of the Year award twice in 1975 and 1976. Bullock also played his way to the Conference’s Tournament MVP in 1976.

Sheryl Swoopes - 6’0” Guard, 1991-1993

Swoopes originally was recruited to the University of Texas. Fortunately for the Lady Raiders, she transferred to South Plains College in Levelland, Texas and then transferred to Texas Tech and had two legendary seasons. Swoopes averaged 25 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals per game in her time in Lubbock. Swoopes averaged 28 points per game in her senior season and scored 955 points, more than most players score in their entire careers. This earned her many honors including the National Player of the Year honors selected by USA Today. She was first team All-American and Southwest Conference in both of her seasons at Tech and as well as being named Southwest Conference Player of the Year in both of those years. Swoopes was also the key piece of the 1993 National Championship team that went 31-3.

Andre Emmett - 6’5” Guard/Forward, 2000-2004

Emmett is the most prolific scorer in Red Raider basketball history as he is the all-time points leader for the men’s program. Emmett averaged over 20 points per game in his last two seasons as a Red Raider. Emmett also averaged 6 rebounds per game during his career. His 2,256 points over his career has never been matched by anyone to suit up for the men’s program. He was named to the Big 12 1st team in three seasons as a Red Raider and was named Preseason Player of the Year before the 2003-2004 season. Emmett was a Consensus All-American in his senior year as a Red Raider when he averaged 20 points and 6 rebounds. He was also a finalist for the Wooden Award, given to the best player in college basketball. Emmett also won the NCAA dunk contest at the Final Four in 2004.

Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Marsha Sharp - Head Coach - 1982-2006

Coach Sharp is no doubt the most accomplished coach in Texas Tech history in any sport. Coach Sharp won 572 games over 24 seasons and led this program to a National Championship in 1993. In addition to that Championship, Sharp led the program to 18 NCAA Tournament Appearances, including 11 Sweet Sixteen appearances and 4 Elite Eight appearances. She was also named National Coach of the Year twice, Southwest Conference Coach of the Year five times and Big 12 Coach of the Year twice. She totaled seven conference championships and coached six Conference Players of the Year, 20 Conference First Team selections, and 11 All-Americans.

Every single one of these people make a huge impact and changed the Texas Tech Basketball program and energized the game of basketball in West Texas. We certainly look forward to all of these fine individuals getting inducted in the inaugural Ring of Honor in March.