JUCO guard Jordan Brangers commits to Texas Tech

Texas Tech recently picked up a commitment from South Plains College shooting guard Jordan Brangers . The 6-foot-2 sharpshooter picked up an offer last week, visited Lubbock on an unofficial visit this past weekend and then decided to pull the trigger on Monday.

The Kentucky native has had a whirlwind recruitment that began with an unexpected but welcome offer from a junior college powerhouse in West Texas.

“When I was first contacted (by South Plains), it caught me by surprise," Brangers said. "I knew that South Plains had a good history and that they were a great program. Coach (Steve) Green is in the Hall of Fame. It really caught me by surprise that we got in contact and offered. I had never been to Texas. I definitely had never heard of Levelland before.

“He (the assistant coach) was telling me that South Plains was one of the best junior colleges. They played in the best conference and that they would get me more exposure.”

And sure enough, the exposure Brangers was hoping a transfer to SPC would bring him worked out almost immediately. Within just a few weeks at South Plains, Brangers received an offer from Missouri and interest from programs such as Ole Miss, Washington State and many others. When an offer from Texas Tech came, though, Brangers shut his recruitment down immediately.

“I feel like it was an easy decision for me,” Brangers said. “From a past perspective, I saw that Texas Tech was in the tournament last year and they have had a few winning seasons recently. Last year with coach (Chris) Beard at Arkansas -Little Rock, he had a really good season, and I know what he can do with a program. Then when he got the job at Tech, it opened my eyes.

“I knew that whenever they offered, I was going there. I just know from his perspective how he works and how he enjoys the process and what he can do with players. It was just an easy decision for me.”

Interestingly, Brangers already had a previous connection with Beard because his brother, Jermaine Rutley, played under Beard at Little Rock.

“I really wasn’t sure if he would be interested in me or not,” he said. “The first couple of open gyms, Tech was out there watching me. Then I guess they told coach Beard that he should be interested (in me). And then coach Beard came and watched for himself and that is when he offered.”

Brangers recalls that it was about three weeks ago when assistant coaches Mark Adams and Al Pinkins first started watching him in Levelland go through open gym practices. He said they watched him a few times before making the call to Beard that he needed to come out and see Brangers in person. Beard came down and obviously really liked what he saw.

“I feel like I score the ball in a variety of ways. I’m a really good shooter. I’m a really good ball handler, I have a high IQ for the game, and I feel like that’s what stuck out to them. I’ll do whatever it takes to win.

“What I can bring to Tech is just a hard-nosed basketball player and just an all-around good player. I feel like the best aspect of my game is scoring the basketball and shooting it. When I get to Texas Tech, I feel like I’ll bring a very good work ethic and someone who just loves basketball and wants to win.”

Brangers will have two years of eligibility remaining once he gets to Texas Tech.