The Texas Tech basketball team underwent another major facelift this offseason as Grant McCasland enters his second year as head coach of the Red Raiders.
Able to get a jump on the transfer portal earlier this time around, McCasland managed to reinvent this year’s team with high-quality additions in the likes of Elijah Hawkins (Minnesota), Kevin Overton (Drake), JT Toppin (New Mexico) and Federiko Federiko (Pittsburgh). A few late high school-recruiting additions in Christian Anderson and Leon Horner added some youthful depth.
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These new faces will be blended in with five key returners to Texas Tech, headlined by do-it-all wing Darrion Williams along with sharpshooters Chance McMillian and Kerwin Walton, versatile post Devan Cambridge (when he’s cleared to resume play) and post Eemeli Yalaho.
How will all these new pieces fit together to make up the 2024-25 Red Raiders? Here’s a guess and what the top lineups and rotations will be for Texas Tech this season.
Texas Tech basketball backcourt
Projected starters: #3 Elijah Hawkins (Sr., 5-foot-11, 160), #1 Kevin Overton (So., 6-5, 200)
Projected reserves: #0 Chance McMillian (S-Sr., 6-3, 190), #24 Kerwin Walton (S-Sr., 6-5, 210), #4 Christian Anderson (Fr., 6-2, 165), #6 Leon Horner (Fr., 6-4, 215), #2 Jazz Henderson (Fr., 5-11, 175), #10 Jack Francis (Jr., 6-3, 185)
The breakdown: There are many different options in the backcourt and there’s much, much more depth at the guard position than last season. Hawkins will be the unquestioned No. 1, orchestrating the offense through his passing ability (tied for second in the country in assists per game last year) while being a scoring threat.
Overton gets the starting nod now but it wouldn’t be overly surprising if McMillian started either. For now, this setup gives Texas Tech two of the best shooters in the country coming off the bench, which creates a unique dynamic for the Red Raiders. Anderson will get some solid run as Hawkins’ backup. Horner could see spot minutes as the freshman progresses.
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Texas Tech basketball frontcourt
Projected starters: #5 Darrion Williams (Jr., 6-6, 225), #15 JT Toppin (So., 6-9, 225) and #33 Federiko Federiko (Sr., 6-11, 215)
Projected reserves: #23 Eemeli Yalaho (So., 6-8, 240), #35 Devan Cambridge (S-Sr., 6-6, 210), #22 Corbin Green (Jr., 6-5, 230)
The breakdown: This is assuming McCasland wants to go with the best true lineup from 1 to 5, which will probably be the case to start games this season. Toppin (6-9) and Federiko (6-11) provide more size in the frontcourt and allows Williams to play more on the wing where he excels the most, especially on offense.
When Cambridge becomes available (recovering from last year’s season-ending knee injury) he’ll be a good plug-and-play option at either the 4 or the 5. Tech’s best lineups when he was healthy saw Cambridge playing the small-ball 5, allowing maximum mobility. Yalaho showed good flashes of growth when he was thrown into the fire late last year. What Green’s role is with the team remains to be seen, but he’s got good size and Division I experience (Air Force). At the least, he’s another body available. At most, he becomes a key depth piece throughout the season when he gets more comfortable with the team.
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Projected Texas Tech basketball situational lineups
Going big: Overton-Walton-Williams-Toppin-Federiko
This group lacks a true point guard, but Williams thrived with the ball in his hands last season, making decisions for himself and others. The switchability between Overton, Walton, Williams and Toppin is also a strong case for this group.
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Going small: Hawkins-McMillan-Walton-Williams-Toppin
There are actually several different variations of a small-ball lineup that could work well. My best guess is most will see Toppin at the 5 with Cambridge sliding down there in other scenarios. This puts four proven shooters on the floor together and Toppin is capable of hitting from beyond the arc as well.
Need a 3: Hawkins-McMillan-Overton-Walton-Williams
Obviously this lineup would depend on who’s hot from 3-point range during the season. Looking at it in the preseason, this is the best group to get off a deep shot.
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Need a stop: Hawkins-Overton-Williams-Cambridge-Toppin
This group gives Texas Tech max versatility to fly around the court to put pressure on the opponent. Against bigger opponents — think Kansas’ 7-foot-2 Hunter Dickinson — Federiko could be swapped in for Cambridge or Toppin.
Closing time: Hawkins-McMillan-Overton-Williams-Toppin
I see this as probably the most frequent lineup to be used throughout the season, especially in tight games late. Four proven shooters, ability to move throughout the floor and five capable rebounders (McMillan is probably underrated in this regard).
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