A third Texas Tech basketball player is headed to the portal.
The Athletic reported Sunday night that Kevin Overton will enter his name into the transfer portal, a social media post that Overton shared from his personal account. He will have two years of eligibility wherever he winds up.
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Overton joins Darrion Williams and Eemeli Yalaho as Red Raiders to enter the portal. As of Sunday night, Williams — who also declared for the NBA Draft — is the only one to have officially entered.
Overton’s one year in a Texas Tech uniform was a mixed bag. The 6-foot-5 guard’s playing time was sporadic and became increasingly limited as freshman Christian Anderson garnered more playing time as the second backcourt option alongside Elijah Hawkins while Chance McMillian rarely came off the floor when he was healthy.
McMillian’s injury late in the season opened the door for Overton to garner more playing time. He tied his season-high with 20 points against Arizona in the semifinals of the Big 12 Conference tournament.
Overton finished the year averaging 7.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game and was a 33% shooter from 3-point range.
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More: Texas Tech basketball transfer portal tracker: Red Raiders add length out of portal
What Kevin Overton’s departure means for Texas Tech basketball
Overton’s departure felt obvious since the middle of January as on-court minutes kept declining. He called this season “a mental year” during the team’s run in the NCAA Tournament, which finished in the Elite Eight.
While Overton could have easily checked out, he stayed engaged with the team and put in the effort whenever he did get on the floor. That’s a credit to him in a tough situation where he was expected to have a bigger role that just didn’t materialize.
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As to why it took a couple weeks for Overton to officially enter, the calendar can tell that story. He committed to Texas Tech April 16, 2024, and officially signed a day later. Few players are going to say they’re leaving before the final check comes through.
Texas Tech has also been prepping for this move with their transfer portal additions, adding Donovan Atwell from UNC Greensboro and Tyeree Bryan from Santa Clara, who are both the same height as Overton (6-foot-5) and share his length and athleticism.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech basketball loses Kevin Overton to the transfer portal
