The Morning Stake | 2019.06.06

Leading Off

Haboob. A Haboob rolled through Lubbock yesterday and it was everything that you want a haboob to be.

Texas Tech Track and Field

Texas Tech Golf

Texas Tech Tennis

Lady Raider Basketball

Texas Tech Baseball

McMillon, Freeman and Warren Drafted.

Congrats to three more players getting drafted!

RHP John McMillon: 322nd pick; 11th round; Detroit Tigers
RHP Caleb Freeman: 440th pick; 15th round; Chicago White Sox
1B Cameron Warren: 654th pick; 22nd round; Cincinnati Reds

As the press release notes, 48 players have been drafted in seven years under Tim Tadlock, and the total players drafted this year is 7, with 11 being drafted last year.

Texas Tech Basketball

Offseason Work, Part I.

Three-Point Line Moved. Via the NCAA, it has been determined that the NCAA has agreed to move the three-point line to the international distance of 22’1.34″ beginning for the 2019 season, previously at a distance of 20’9″. Additionally, the shot clock will reset to 20 seconds after a field goal attempt that is rebounded by the offensive team. I haven’t given this a ton of thought about how this affects Texas Tech, but I do know that Chris Beard will adjust to the move of the three-point line. I think that Davide Moretti, Kyler Edwards, and Deshawn Corprew are good shooters and we’ll have to see about the rest. Although I think T.J. Holyfield and Andrei Savrasov are my picks to click to be able to sneak outside and stretch things out a bit.

SI’s Top 25. SI has their top 25 after everyone has made their declarations for the NBA Draft and they’ve got the Red Raiders at 10th:

Who wants to bet against Chris Beard anymore? The Red Raiders retooled successfully after this yearโ€™s title run, with key grad transfers Clarke (Virginia Tech) and T.J. Holyfield (Stephen F. Austin) set to factor in immediately at forward. Ramsey should start immediately at guard next to Moretti, the lone incumbent starter. Kyler Edwards and Deshawn Corprew return. This should again be one of the better defensive teams in the country, and theyโ€™ll challenge in the Big 12.

Top 100 Draftable Players. SI ranks the top 100 players in the NBA Draft and has Jarrett Culver as the 3rd best player behind Zion Williamson and Ja Morant:

Culver noticeably took his lumps over the course of the NCAA tournament, but thereโ€™s still a lot to like. In a better draft, Culver wouldnโ€™t be flirting with a top-five selection, and this spot on the board is a tick higher than general consensus. Thereโ€™s an intuitive yet unflashy quality to his game on both sides of the ball thatโ€™s extremely appealing, and his size and developing handle profile nicely as an off-guard and secondary playmaker. Heโ€™s an instinctive finisher, plays an unselfish style, and should be able to fit in with a variety of lineups and systems. There are two key areas of improvement for Culver going forward, one being his jump shooting off the dribble, which is not quite natural yet. As a set shooter, itโ€™s easy enough to buy his future improvement, but heโ€™s not dynamic with it on the move. The second issue is a lack of elite athleticism, which was exposed against better defenders at times, and he may have to compensate by working diligently on his change of speed off the bounce. Still, when you factor in how much Culver was asked to do this season, how successful he was, and how much responsibility he assumed in a short span of time, itโ€™s encouraging. There are few bad habits here, and while he may not be a star, he offers more untapped ability than he gets credit for.

Culver Visits with Knicks. Via NYPost’s Brian Lewis, Jarrett Culver interviewed with the New York Knicks yesterday and he makes his case for being drafted by the Knicks:

โ€œI can come in and make an impact. Defense and offense, I feel like Iโ€™m an elite two-way player. So, just having that, I feel I can come in and make an impact,โ€ said Culver, who averaged 18.5 points and 6.4 rebounds as a sophomore.

His defense led Texas Tech to the NCAA Championship game, and heโ€™s convinced it will translate immediately in the NBA.

โ€œI think so, for sure. Nowadays, itโ€™s hard to find people who take pride in defense. But Iโ€™m one of them,โ€ he said. โ€œI take pride in defense. Being at Texas Tech taught me a lot, so I feel like on the defensive side Iโ€™m elite.โ€

Texas Tech Football

Offseason Work, Part II.

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