While Texas Tech basketball fans were anxious for any news about the roster for the 2026-27 season, Grant McCasland was getting advice from, well, everybody.
McCasland said he lost count of how many people offered their services for the team. Not from a financial aspect, but rather having a warm body on the floor. At the time, Texas Tech had about a third of its roster unaccounted for.
During his time as Texas Tech's head coach, McCasland has earned a longer leash in building a roster. Important pieces for his inaugural team didn't arrive until July. JT Toppin didn't get to Lubbock until after the NBA Draft Combine wrapped.
But extending into August? That was
longer than fans were willing to go. McCasland and his staff, though, remained steadfast in their approach. They weren't going to add players simply to satisfy the numbers counters. That's where he screwed up last year.
"I'll tell you there was a lot of conviction in regard to who we wanted a part of our team," McCasland said around the Red Raiders' second day of practice on Tuesday, Sept. 22. "That's where we, in the offseason before, I looked at a numbers approach and I took the wrong approach in the overall aspect of what I felt like we needed as coaches, and I'll talk about myself."
Texas Tech ventured down several avenues to fill out the 2026-27 roster. The ultimate path gained the Red Raiders one of the deepest teams in the country, but roadblocks remain.
Texas Tech basketball assembled its 2026-27 roster through patience
First on McCasland's docket was figuring out what was happening with last year's two best players. Christian Anderson figured to be headed to the NBA, but there was always an off chance the point guard could return to Lubbock.
Then there was the Toppin factor. Any kind of offseason plan McCasland and general manager Kellen Buffington would've had in January was sidetracked just after Valentine's Day when Toppin tore his ACL.
Toppin was expected to return to Texas Tech one way or another. His availability for the following season came into question. Rumors swirled for months about the NCAA passing the five-for-five eligibility system, which would directly impact Toppin's next move. Without it being passed, Toppin would likely be taking a medical redshirt, returning to the floor in the 2027-28 campaign. With it, Texas Tech could account for him being part of the team at some point — when that comes remains the question.
Through all that, Texas Tech had to recruit the transfer portal. The Red Raiders brought in a number of prospects. But McCasland reconsidered several of them.
"We had some guys that we wanted to come here that we had communicated with, that we felt like we had the right talent," McCasland said, "and I pulled the plug on it because I didn't feel like it was the right fit based off what I experienced last year."
Having quality offensive numbers wouldn't matter if those same players didn't buy into the defensive end. McCasland wanted to refocus.
"This is where I'll tell you, in all humility, I did not do that well the year before," McCasland said. "I probably thought too highly of what I was capable of doing with a defensive team, and with an offensive approach in what made our offense look good, and just the competitive spirit of the team was not right from a depth standpoint."
Texas Tech basketball's holding pattern to round out roster
Texas Tech added three players out of the transfer portal: Cruz Davis, the point guard from Hofstra whom McCasland and Buffington have known for some time; Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, the high-scoring guard who has spent time at Illinois and UNLV; and Damarion Dennis, the reserve guard from Wyoming.
And then nothing. Rumors trickled out about Texas Tech trying to land internal prospects, but not much else. Months went by, leaving many in Red Raider land wondering if McCasland had lost his touch. The head coach and the general manager, McCasland said, spent time praying together in his office, trying to hold steadfast in their approach.
"Our staff brought a lot of people to the table that could be on our roster," McCasland said. "Then I ended up saying I wanted a deeper level of conviction of who, and we probably held on longer than everybody wanted, but I think in the end this five-for-five component is going to be interesting to see how it all plays out."
As the five-for-five fight for eligibility came to reality, the Red Raiders had more wells to tap. Darrion Williams was the first domino, one that started to fall well before the new NCAA rule was implemented in June.
Williams hung around the program for months, re-enrolling at Texas Tech and paying his own tuition as he waited for the opening to sue for a year of eligibility. He and Donovan Atwell joined a suit in North Carolina before pulling out and embarking on their separate journeys to return.
While searching for bodies, McCasland said he told his staff to look for players like Jamichael Stillwell, a junkyard dog willing to do the dirty work. It just so happened that Stillwell had the same idea as he fought for his own eligibility. When looking for his next destination, another former Red Raider gave him the nod towards Tech.
"One of our best recruiters was Devan Cambridge," McCasland said. "When this happened, that's the irony in all this. They're all close with Dev, and Dev's awesome, and he's been a great teammate for a lot of our guys. And he reached out to Stillwell and said, 'You should go play for Mac. You're perfect for him,' and so Stillwell contacted us when this five-for-five became available."
Meanwhile, Texas Tech continued to pursue international prospects. The tricky part was NCAA eligibility. McCasland said several players wanted to come to Tech, but there was no guarantee they'd get through the system.
Instead, the staff focused on Bassala Bagayoko, a 6-foot-10 forward who some have said has the potential to be a high NBA draft pick. Texas Tech had him signed for a while before being able to announce his arrival in mid-August.
How Grant McCasland is handling other roster matters with Texas Tech basketball
While the roster is currently in place, uncertainty remains surrounding key members.
Williams and Atwell, as of Wednesday, Sept. 23, have temporary restraining orders making them eligible, with more legal processes coming in October. Stillwell was initially granted a preliminary injunction in the state of Georgia, but the NCAA earned a stay in that case, deeming the UCF transfer ineligible earlier this month.
Many factors are playing out. Clarity should come before the Red Raiders open the season Nov. 2 in United Supermarkets Arena against Jackson State. With that hanging over Texas Tech's prospects, McCasland is taking it just as he did through the offseason.
"This isn't hard at all, honestly," McCasland said. "... I can just tell you that we're just moving forward and this is our team. No matter who can play when, and this is always kind of the way you'd want it to be. It's like, who's ready to play when it's their moment?
"... Whoever's able to play, whether you're healthy or whatever the case may be, this group will be ready to go."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Why Texas Tech basketball exercised patience in building 2026-27 roster
