Texas Tech heads into 2021 season with revamped roster

Texas Tech has a whole new roster and coaching staff going into 2021.

Going into the 2021 season, we don’t know what to expect. While the roster isn’t complete, we have a really good idea of what the roster will look like. Tech has collected a handful of transfers and returned a few players from last years team. There will be a lot of questions going into the season, some we won’t be able to answer until the season opener. The squad coming in though has loads of potential and with or without Terrence Shannon Jr, they should have a great opportunity to make the NCAA tournament and be successful once they get there.

Returning players

Kevin McCullar

We know exactly what we are getting with Kevin McCullar. A tough, gritty player that is only going to improve. McCullar will be stepping into a much larger role offensively, possibly even the #1 scoring option for the 2021-22 season. Defensively, most the time he will be assigned to most teams top scorers. McCullar will have to lead this team, but he should be up to the task.

Marcus Santos-Silva

Marcus Santos-Silva elected to take advantage of his extra year of eligibility. He will bring veteran leadership to a team that will need it. We don’t necessarily know what version of MSS we will be getting. The VCU version that was a double-double machine would be the preferred option. MSS struggled near the rim at times last year, but if he cleans that up he should be primed for a big bounce back season.

Chibuzo Agbo

Agbo was only a freshman last year who saw really inconsistent playing time. This year he will be asked to step into a much larger role, and one that could see a big spike in minutes and numbers. Agbo has the ability to be an elite shooter and showed last year that he can be a great defender. He has the potential to be one of the best 3 and D players in the Big 12, the question is just whether that will be unlocked this year.

Clarence Nadolny

Nadolny last year showed so many glimpses of great potential. While he can get sped up and make some bad decisions at times, Nadolny showed he can be a great facilitator and can attack the rim when needed. When he came in for Mac McClung last year, he was a fantastic energy guy, and was a big reason to why we won the NCAA tournament game against Utah State. Nadolny should see a big increase in minutes and we should see great results with that increase.

Overall, we have some great veterans returning to the roster this upcoming season and a good core to build around. We also have a lot of reinforcements being brought in by Mark Adams.

Transfers

Chandler Jacobs- Dallas Baptist (D2)

Jacobs was one of, if not the best D2 transfers on the market. He was a D2 All-American and the Lone Star conference player of the year in 2020-21. Jacobs averaged 20.8 points along with 7.4 rebounds a game and should be bringing a huge offensive threat along with a great defensive boost as well. It’s unknown what Jacobs full role will be, but it should be a big one.

KJ Allen- East Los Angeles College (JUCO)

KJ Allen was seen on Netflix series Last Chance U. If you watched, Allen was the standout from that ELAC team and was an athletic monster. Allen while at ELAC averaged 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds. Although he only stands at 6’6, Allen is still a great guy to have down low. He will most likely have a very similar role to Mark Vital of Baylor from the past couple years, and will most likely be used in a lot of different ways.

Adonis Arms- Winthrop

Adonis Arms was apart of last years 24-1 Winthrop team that eventually fell to Villanova in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Arms had made a jump from a different level before as he was once at the D2 level before coming to Winthrop. Arms has great size and length for a guard and should bring a much needed boost off the bench whether it’s scoring or defending.

Davion Warren- Hampton

Davion Warren was an elite level defender while at Hampton and still put up 20 points per game. He also brings great size and length to this team. His best features are his on ball defense, as he was one of the top players in the nation in steals per game. With his elite defensive skills and his ability to score, he should be giving a lot of Big 12 teams trouble.

Mylik Wilson- Louisiana

Wilson will be bringing some youth to a team that definitely needs it. He is one of the few transfers with multiple remaining years of eligibility coming in, as he still has 3 years of eligibility. Wilson averaged just under 14 points a game while at Louisiana and averaged over 2 steals per game. He’s going to be a vital part of the 2021-22 team, but also could be one of our best players past this season.

Sadaar Calhoun- Florida State

Calhoun didn’t get the playing time he wanted at Florida State last year and was ready for some new scenery. Before being at FSU, Calhoun was highly regarded as one of, if not the best JUCO transfers on the market. He is an elite 3 point shooter and stands at 6’6, so he will give a lot of Big 12 wings trouble on both sides of the ball. Calhoun is also crazy athletic and should create some exciting plays for Tech.

Daniel Batcho- Arizona

Calling this a transfer is honestly a little misleading. Batcho never played a minute for Arizona due to not being healthy, but before being injure, Batcho was a top 120 recruit for 2020, and has a ton of potential. The 6’11 frenchmen brings a lot of much needed size for the Red Raiders and should be able to disrupt a lot of Big 12 bigs.

This years transfer market had over 1500 players in it. Tech was able to snatch up some amazing players from it, and has made a great building point for the future. We’ve seen what transfers can do for Tech, and this is a great start for the Mark Adams era.

Incoming Freshman

Ethan Duncan

Duncan was a very late signing for the 2021 class. He will bring some great shooting and scoring ability, as he lead his team in scoring in the 2020 season. Duncan might not have a very big role right away, but should be a great addition for Tech’s future.

Undecided

Terrence Shannon Jr- NBA Draft

Shannon is most likely gone, but he still hasn’t made a final decision. Shannon coming back could make this team a top Big 12 team. Either way, I believe Tech is still a tournament team, but Shannon coming back could mean a much different, and much more talented team.

There is a lot to look forward to in the 2021-22 season for Texas Tech basketball. There are a lot of new faces on the squad, but faces that Red Raider nation will soon come to love. Tech fans should be optimistic about this new roster. Keep in mind, there are still 3 roster spots left, so we still could see some new faces, but we have a great building point now.