1. Bryson Williams stands among elite company with conference honors
Bryson Williams became the first Red Raider since Jarrett Culver to garner an All-Big 12 First Team selection. He stands with only Ochai Agbaji, the Big 12 Player of the Year, Nijel Pack, James Akinjo and Izaiah Brockington. Williams and Ogbaji were the only unanimous selections on the list.
The Tech forward leads the Red Raiders with 14 points per game to go along with 4 boards, and his season has been highlighted by 33 points against Kansas and 15+ points in 3 of his last 4 games.
2. Parker Kelly’s record-setting weekend
Tech’s third baseman had a dream outing Saturday against Merrimack with a pair of grand slams to coat the Red Raiders’ dominant, 21-5 victory.
Kelly entered the game with just two home runs on his Tech career and left the opening game with three of his own, including a school-record 9 RBIs.
No Red Raider has hit 2 grand slams in the same week since Tyler Neslony 8 years ago.
3. Trio of Red Raiders take on the NFL Combine
Former Tech OL Dawson Deaton, WR Erik Ezukanma and DB DeMarcus Fields competed in the NFL Combine over the weekend and showed some promising results.
Ezukanma separated himself from the start as one of the tallest and most physical receivers at the camp, but his athleticism gave way to a new look as well.
Only 8 receivers at the combine beat Ezukanma’s vertical measurement of 36.50”, and similar efforts went for the former Red Raiders’ distanced broad jump.
For Deaton, his abilities were highlighted on the mobility portion of the combine, tallying a top-10 finish in the 3-cone drill and having only 4 players complete the 20-yard shuffle in a faster time.
DaMarcus Fields also showed his leaping ability, checking in with a 34.50” vertical to place himself 7th among corners.
4. Mac McClung…Again
McClung just can’t keep himself out of the limelight wherever he goes, and as of right now, he’s pushing harder and harder to make it into the NBA.
To cap off the weekend, he dropped 35 points in 35 minutes of action accented by 11 rebounds for the South Bay Lakers in a win.
McClung has now scored 30 points, three times this season.
5. Tech baseball wins 9 in-a-row before big road test
The Red Raiders got their share of dominant victories with a combined 70 runs over the past four days against Merrimack to cap off a 9-game winning spree.
But the season tests will take a sharp turn in competition level when Tech faces last year’s National Champion Mississippi St. team.
The two-game series will commence Tuesday at MGM Park.
6. Lady Raider signee dominates en route to state championship
Playoff basketball season is where standout players become great, and the head of the Lady Raiders’ incoming signing class instilled her greatness in dominant fashion by leading Gruver to its second state championship in three years.
Bailey Maupin’s 16-point, 14-rebound performance gave way to UIL State Championship MVP honors and the icing on an all-around dominant season.
Rated as the No. 54 player in her class, Maupin showcased she belonged in that exact spot over the weekend.
7. Ludvig Aberg No. 2 golfer in the world
Although not quite yet a golf school, Texas Tech’s Ludvig Aberg is forcing his way among the best golfers in the world and winning.
6 wins and 17 top-10 finishes in the past 2 years put Aberg in elite status, with only 1 golfer ranked higher than him in the entire country, according to WAGR.
8. Tech basketball signee finishes season strong
Robert Jennings had one last dominant showing before hanging up the shoes on his high school career forever.
The powerful forward helped lead his team to the SWAIC consolation championship win with 18 points and 15 rebounds, both game-highs.
9. Trio of Red Raiders earn honorable mentions
Three of Tech’s senior leaders joined McCullar in garnering Big 12 Honorable Mentions after stout regular season performances.
Kevin Obanor, Adonis Arms and Marcus Santos-Silva were alongside McCullar in receiving the awards.
10. OPINION: Mark Adams got snubbed
Scott Drew is a great coach, and his accomplishments by no means should be overlooked, but Mark Adams not getting Big 12 Coach of the Year was a bit shocking, and in my opinion, a snub.
Coming into the season unranked, 4th in the preseason poll, having one other coach and 5 players left in a scalped program, and transferring that to one of the best resumes in college basketball with 7 top-25 wins and an undefeated, 18-0 home record seems deserving enough to me. Not to mention he swept the coach of the year. What Mark Adams has done with the Tech basketball program was improbable, and despite not being recognized with the award, his accomplishments will go down in Tech history forever.
