This list of players is the list of players that Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard was recruiting at Arkansas-Little Rock via VerbalCommits. The old saying is to recruit to the school and not the coach, but that doesn’t happen all that often. I do think that recruiting is about relationships and I think we should watch this group of players. As you know, Texas Tech currently has one commit in Keon Clergeot. He’s awfully talented, but he could ask out of his letter of intent and want to follow Smith to Memphis, assuming Memphis has an available scholarship spot. If Clergeot and Beard keep their commitment to each other, Texas Tech would have two open scholarship spots. If Clergeot wants out of his letter of intent, then Texas Tech would have three scholarships available.
Player: Che Bob
Position: Shooting Guard
Height/Weight: 6’5″ / 215
Location: South Plains College, TX
Bob is at South Plains College, right in Texas Tech’s back yard and he’s a shooting guard that does a lot fo little things really well. Bob averaged 15.5 points a game, shot 50% from the field, which is the most impressive thing, made 71% of his free throws and averaged nearly 8 rebounds a game. The weakest point of his game is three-point shooting, where he only made 28% of his three-point attempts, but where Bob absolutely excels is getting to the line, where he shot 147 free throw attempts, which would have led Texas Tech’s team.
Player: Corbyn Jackson
Position: Power Forward
Height/Weight: 6’7″ / 240
Location: South Georgia Tech, GA
Jackson signed in the early signing period and you wonder if Little Rock would let him out of his Letter of Intent. Jackson averaged 11 points a game on 46% shooting, while shooting 76% from the charity stripe and averaging 7.2 rebounds a game. Jackson is a big-bodied forward and very athletic for his 6’7″ frame. He carries the 240 really well. Texas Tech could use another forward as Texas Tech will need to replace Aaron Ross after this next year and he could be an excellent replacement.
Player: Andre Jones
Position: Shooting Guard
Height/Weight: 6’4″ / 190
Location: Malvern HS, Arkansas
Malvern’s Hudl profile lists him as a point guard, but Verbal commits has him as a shooting guard. At 6’4″ you would think the transition would be shooting guard that can handle the ball. The tough thing about Jones is that he’s in Arkansas and that might be tough to try to pull hm away and he’s already signed his letter of intent.
Player: Ryan Pippins
Position: Point Guard
Height/Weight: 6’1″ / 190
Location: Little Rock Parkview HS, Arkansas
Pippins is another guy who has signed his letter of intent, along with Jones. I think, like Jones, Pippins, would be a guy that would stick with his letter of intent with him being from Little Rock and then playing in Little Rock.
Player: DeShawn Corprew
Position: Small Forward
Height/Weight: 6’5″ / 190
Location: Quality Education Academy, Hampton, VA
Corprew is projected to commit to TAMU and according to 24/7 Sports, he has narrowed his choices to TAMU, Kansas and Missouri. I would be surprised if Texas Tech was able to land a player like Corprew, but stranger things have happened.
Player: Keith K.J. Gilmore, Jr.
Position: Small Forward
Height/Weight: 6’4″ / 180
Location: Southwest Dekalb HS, GA
Gilmore is relatively lightly recruited player, so he’s high on potential more than anything else. His offers are generally Furman, Appalachian State, Austin Peay, etc., along with Arkansas Little-Rock. He averaged about 16 points a game, 3 assists and 7 rebounds. He seems to have handled the ball quite a bit as a forward and I think the term small forward is misleading. He’s probably a guard long-term, but he could fill out to a forward.
And in addition to these guys, there very well could be players in the JUCO circuit that we just don’t know about yet. It’s tough to track who would consider Texas Tech since Beard just got on the job.