Grant McCasland knows better than to ask trainer Mike Neal when he'll have players back on the floor.
The Texas Tech basketball coach has been through this plenty in his time in Lubbock. McCasland works with who he has, even if it hurts to do so. He has to take that approach this season with All-American forward JT Toppin, who tore his ACL in February, missing the tail end of the regular season and the postseason, which included a second-round loss to Alabama in the NCAA Tournament.
Toppin's return to action has been teased by Tech's basketball social media feed. That, however, was merely confirmation that the 6-foot-9 forward will play during the 2026-27 season. When can he take the floor is still the question.
"Mike Neal is unbelievable," McCasland
said on Tech's second day of practice inside United Supermarkets Arena. "We've gone through every injury possible together, and JT Toppin wants to play, so don't get confused on that part. If there's anybody that wants to be out here, watch him on the sideline in practice and he wishes he was playing.
"He's rehabbed. He's rehabbed in a way that I think reflects his desire to play. But I'm not rushing it in any way, shape or form because if we have JT when he's ready, then we'll have a great team, and that will be the best thing for our team."
McCasland confirmed what was suspected, that had the NCAA not passed the five-for-five eligibility rules this summer, Toppin wouldn't be suiting up at all for the 2026-27 season. Instead, the former Big 12 player of the year would have taken the medical redshirt and returned for the 2027-28 campaign rather than waste his final year of eligibility on a handful of games.
Toppin was well on his way to being a first-team All-American, and challenging to repeat as the conference's player of the year prior to the injury. He was averaging 21.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and shooting 54.8% from the field before going down on a drive to the basket during the Feb. 17 game at Arizona State.
Texas Tech isn't going to rush Toppin back to the floor, in part because McCasland doesn't feel the team needs to with the talent it has brought in over the past six months. Those moves have the Red Raiders thinking about the bigger picture.
"I think finishing the season with JT is more important than when he starters," McCasland said. "And that's my heart for him, and that's my heart for JT specifically is let's get him 100%, and Mike has a great plan for that.
"So there is no timetable in regards to my own mentality, and I'm sure there is with Mike. But I'm not asking about it, nor am I in any way trying to figure out when. We're trying to win this season as if he's not playing, knowing that anytime you add JT, he's the best basketball player in college right now, and we'll be OK when he comes back. Won't be hard to add."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: What's JT Toppin's injury timeline to return to action for Texas Tech basketball?
