Red Raider Personnel
(* indicates probable Starters)
*#6 Joe Toussaint – 6’0″ Sr. 14ppg, 3rpg (West Virginia)
- Head of the snake;
- Play-maker PG;
- Solid three-level scorer;
- Capable of making the three off the dribble;
- Loves to run until stopped in transition; Will flop to attract the ref’s attention on his drive (play with hands out or up…don’t reach!);
- Phenomenal free throw shooter at 88.57% (#13 in the nation);
- Great at the drive and kick;
- Pesky defender.
*#2 Pop Isaacs – 6’2″ So. 16ppg, 3pg
- Has a “funky” style of play; Weird looking jumper; Erratic when driving and passing; But a dynamic player;
- Really good three-level scorer;
- Leads team in three-point shot attempts (36/117); Next closest teammate has attempted 77 three-point shots;
- Solid three-point shooter (especially from the corner);
- Not afraid to shoot from anywhere;
- Nice floater in the paint; Can finish with either hand around the rim.
*#22 Warren Washington – 7’0″ Sr. 10ppg, 8rpg (Arizona State)
- Extremely long/athletic post player;
- Good shot-blocker;
- Great rebounder on both ends;
- Good footwork and post moves;
- Nice jump hook with either hand;
- Patient in the post;
- Can catch at the top of the key and drive to the basket.
*#24 Kerwin Walton – 6’5″ Sr. 7ppg, 2rpg (North Carolina)
- Three-point specialist;
- Capable of attacking the rim;
*#5 Darrion Williams – 6’6″ So. 10ppg, 7rpg (Nevada)
- High motor;
- Outstanding offensive rebounder;
- Best when driving to the rim; Really good free-throw shooter;
- May play in the post some if he feels like he has a mismatch;
- Solid shooter.
#0 Chance McMillian – 6’3″ Sr. 9ppg, 3rpg (Grand Canyon)
- Really good three-point shooter;
- They love to set multiple screens to get him three-point attempts.
#1 Lamar Washington – 6’4″ So. 3ppg, 2rpg
- Likes to attack the rim;
- Not a great three-point shooter;
- Hard worker;
- Solid offensive rebounder;
#25 Robert Jennings – 6’7″ So. 3ppg, 2rpg
- Best when around the basket.
#35 Devan Cambridge – 6’6″ Sr. (Arizona State)
- Injured (Out for Year)
Keys to Victory
- Defend the paint without fouling. Tech guards are looking to attack the paint. I saw them constantly flop their head back on their drive to make it appear they were getting fouled. UH needs their best guards on the floor as much as possible. They must play with their arms out or up but not reach. Tech is #11 in the nation in free-throw %.
- No wide-open looks for their better shooters. If the TTU guards can’t score when attacking the paint, they love to look to the opposite corner or wing for open shooters. It is imperative for the UH guards always to be close enough in help-side that they can recover quickly to get to Kerwin Walton, Pop Isaacs, and Chance McMillian. Those three guys will make you pay if left open!
- Speed them up. Tech wants to play at a snail’s pace and get you into a rock fight. They are not an extremely deep team. They have six players averaging over 25 minutes per game. UH should look to run in transition and pick up the pace on offense. Their traps should bother the TTU guards on their pick-and-roll and dribble hand-off plays.
- Attack the paint on offense. The Coogs must get back to where they are the most effective: attacking the paint on offense. Shooting the three when the ball is coming from inside rather than side-to-side is much easier. This also opens up lob opportunities for the athletic big men and drive and kick opportunities for outside shooters.
- Toughest team wins. Coach McCasland said the Texas Tech motto is “Toughest Team Wins.” That’s my line! It’s in our scouting reports for almost every game. We’ve seen in the past two games that one or two possessions can make the difference in the game. Who will fight for extra possessions in this next game? Who will be the first on the floor? Grab the tough rebound? Take the big charge? Who will be the tougher team? Give me the Coogs!!
