On Tuesday, news of Texas Tech forward Joel Ntambwe’s decision to leave the program broke, leaving Red Raider fans with many questions. One of which being: how will this affect Tech’s depth in the front court?
In each of the Red Raider’s first three games of the season, the team used all 12 active players on the roster, just three of which were forwards.
With the departure of Ntambwe, Tech was left with two forwards who have received playing time this season: Marcus Santos-Silva and Tyreek Smith.
It appeared Smith would step in the role as the go-to big guy off the bench, and early on Friday night he was. The freshman saw action in four of the first 10 minutes of the game versus Troy.
Smith quickly made his impact defensively. On a string of back-to-back defensive possessions in the first half, Smith forced two Trojan turnovers via a pass deflection. Both led to fast-break buckets for Tech on the other end.
Tech Goes Small-Ball
In the midst of a 19-0 run, all scored by guards, Tech went with a small-ball lineup.
Smith did not play in the latter half of the first 20 minutes. He would see only three more minutes of action leading up to the six minute mark of the second half.
During that span, Tech’s sole front court production came from Santos-Silva, who finished the game with three points and seven rebounds. The Red Raiders spent eight minutes of the game without a forward on the court.
Debut of Goldin
At the 6:25 mark of the second half, freshman Vladislav Goldin, the 7-foot-1 native of Russia, made his Red Raider debut after missing the first three games due to an injury he obtained during practice.
Just 21 seconds into his collegiate debut, Goldin pulled down a defensive rebound, drew a foul, and sunk a pair of free throws to extend the Tech lead to 72-36.
Goldin added two more with a right-handed shot from inside the paint a few possessions later, but the basket would be the last points of the night from the freshman. Coach Chris Beard said in the postgame press conference the decline of production from the big man was a result of tired feet.
Goldin played the final 6:25 of the game, which is a span of time where Tyreek Smith saw action for five of his 12 minutes.
The two big men off the bench played a combined 18 minutes, 11 of which were in the final six minutes of the game when Tech already had a 30+ point lead.
What are the Options?
The Red Raiders excelled with the small ball as 83% of the team’s points came from guards.
However, once the Red Raiders get into Big 12 play, which starts on December 17th, the team will look for an additional inside presence.
This can come from sophomore Kevin McCullar who started at the four-position for the final six games a season ago. He averaged 10.0 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game during that stretch.
McCullar has missed the first four games of the season, and he was seen on crutches during Tech’s win Friday night over Troy.
Beard said after the season opening win over Northwestern State, McCullar would have started the season in the Red Raiders starting five.
There is currently no timetable for McCullar’s return.
Up Next
The Red Raiders return to action on Sunday.
First tip from the United Supermarkets Arena is slated for 1 p.m. versus Grambling St.
Loading ...