Reports are coming that J.F. Thomas is unlikely to qualify and will attend Trinity Valley C.C. Plus, a Texas Tech target is set to decide later today.
Photo via Charles Henry @ Flickr.
Baseball
Clark is Top 20. Texas Tech commit Trenton Clark is the 17 best high school prospect in the nation as the MLB draft is coming up June 8th through the 10th. If he joined Texas Tech (that’s a big if), he’d be pretty good:
Clark’s swing is awkward, and he seems to stop after contact instead of swinging through. But he makes consistent contact and led Team USA at the Pan-Am Games in batting average, home runs and RBI. Clark’s skill set will be dependent upon his speed. While he has power to his pull side, he also has the ability to beat out infield singles. His lone subpar tool is his arm, which probably pushes him out of center field and into left.
Admin
Gio’s Role. Via the DT’s Andrew Gleisner we get an idea as to what what he will be doing in his new role at Texas Tech, managing director of Texas Tech Public Media:
Giovannetti will oversee ticket sales and operations, promotions and fan engagement, athletics communications and sports broadcasting, according to a Tech Athletics news release, and he said he realizes handling these different departments together will present a challenge.
Football
Thomas Unlikely to Qualify. Wreck’em 24/7’s Daniel Paulling writes that according to a source, one of Texas Tech’s higher rated recruits, WR J.F. Thomas, is likely to attend Trinity Valley C.C. rather than Texas Tech this fall:
Four-star wide receiver J.F. Thomas will attend Trinity Valley Community College this fall, according to a source close to Thomas. Wreckem247 first reported last month that Thomas signed in February with the Red Raiders and Trinity Valley.
A source at Trinity Valley said it’s “more than a coin flip [Thomas is] coming [to Trinity Valley]” and that the team feels “like it’s a good chance that he’s playing for Trinity Valley in the fall.”
The easy way to write this is that Thomas is waiting on some test scores. Paulling writes that Thomas is waiting on the STAAR test results, but as it was astute readers last week or so, it is not the STARR, but the STAAR. The results of the STAAR should be already out and if he’s having problem passing the STAAR then the SAT or ACT will be much tougher.
The other interesting thing here is that it was well-reported that Thomas was originally committed to TCU, but the situation with the grades tends to be one of those things that coaches eventually find out about, and Thomas eventually flipped his commitment, maybe in part because of Texas Tech’s hiring of Emmett Jones, but also because Patterson didn’t want Thomas taking an official visit. I don’t know if the lack of an invitation for an official visit, especially when I am almost positive that Texas Tech extended an official visit, will payoff for Texas Tech if Texas Tech has to re-recruit Thomas at TVCC.
Best Under 40. Athlon’s David Fox is ranking the best coaches, both head coaches and coordinators, under 40, and your head coach, Kliff Kingsbury, ranks #5 among head coaches:
Kingsbury is still Coach Cool even if his stock has dropped since starting his career 7-0 in 2013. Since then, Kingsbury is 5-13 overall and 2-12 in the Big 12. The Red Raiders’ offense remains formidable, but Kingsbury needs new coordinator David Gibbs and the defense to turn his program’s momentum.
Satellite Boys. Pretty sure I used the same joke last year and you really only get that if you listen to the Ticket. In any event, starting today throughJune 12th, Texas Tech will be touring the state, putting on these satellite camps to take a look at the various players. RedRaiderSports’ Will McClay writes about these various camps and their importance. Honestly though, these sorts of camps are important to just about every program and Texas Tech is no different. It’s a way to expose players to coaches and vice versa.
Hinton Ready. RaiderPower’s Zach Tanner talks with incoming freshman D’Vonta Hinton, who talks about why he chose Texas Tech”
Hinton: “Exactly, on the visit, that’s when I figured out I wanted to be a Red Raider. I just like Texas Tech, I like the vibe, I like the community, it’s a close-knit town. They enjoy football a lot and I love playing football. I had a bond with the coaches and they believed in me as far as my height. Some schools were second-guessing because of my height, but Tech offered me and they believed in me. I appreciated that.”
Vasher to Choose Today. Eric Ward’s alma mater at Wichita Falls Rider has another talented receiver (and basketball player) in T.J. Vasher, and at at 6 pm today on KFDX Vasher will make his college choice. A ton of programs are in the mix, including Ohio State, although Texas Tech offered first.