Texas Tech made a splash with the signing of star forward Jamichael Stillwell from UCF to put finishing touches on next year's roster.
After a waiting game throughout the offseason, Texas Tech landed its first huge punch with a surprise switch from a familiar face.
The Red Raiders' big swing came in the form of luring fellow Big 12 starring forward Jamichael Stillwell from UCF to join Grant McCasland and company next year in Lubbock.
The phenomenal forward averaged nearly 12 points and eight rebounds for a Knights squad that made a trip to the NCAA Tournament and even knocked off Texas Tech in the process.
Stillwell's decision comes as a somewhat surprise, but not for lacking of trying from Texas Tech. The pair had been linked since the season wrapped up earlier this year, however, Stillwell faced issues getting a fifth year of eligibility.
During this fight to earn a waiver for one final run, Stillwell was adamant that he would only suit up for the Knights if he was fortunate enough to earn this extra year.
Despite this reassured messages from Stillwell, rumors continued around the potential of a meeting between the forward and one of his conference foes. And these whispers turned into a roar once Stillwell posted a cryptic yet sobering message for UCF faithful on his social media.
"I'm sorry Knight nation, just know y'all have a spot in my heart forever ...." wrote Stillwell alongside broken heart and sword emojis.
While the wound cuts deep for the Knights, Texas Tech could not have a more opposite reaction to the blockbuster shift.
As previously mentioned, the Red Raiders had been relatively quiet in the offseason after being notable factors in the past few years.
This combined with key departures of Christian Anderson to the NBA and Jaylen Petty to UCLA, as well as the uncertainty around JT Toppin following a late-season ACL tear led to questions about the near future of the program.
Recent developments from the program that confirmed Toppin will appear at some point this upcoming season for the Red Raiders and the landing of Stillwell is expected to put Texas Tech back in the good graces of fans and those crafting various polls and rankings heading into the season.
There are still a few spots available to finish filling out the latest lineup for McCasland in what has been a fruitful stint in Lubbock, with one potential reunion heavily hinted at for the Red Raiders. But it seems that Texas Tech is ready to run things back, even if it took a while longer for the team to take shape.
