Friday, Texas Tech fans were reminded how difficult it is to build a championship basketball team, even for a program coming off an Elite 8 run and coached by one of the true rising stars in the profession. Despite putting on the full-court press for the past month, Beard and the Red Raiders were unable to land 3-star Mansfield, Texas point guard Isaac Likekele.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pounder committed to Oklahoma State Friday, a mild surprise given the number of recruiting “insiders” that anticipated seeing him end up in scarlet and black. Likekele was also considering UTEP and had visited all three schools since being granted his release from Fresno State in April.