For the last four weeks we’ve probed Texas Tech head basketball coach Tubby Smith with the same question: Why isn’t Justin Gray starting?
He’s leading the Red Raiders in scoring since the trip to Iowa State, and even dating back to last year, when healthy, Smith has called him the best player on the roster.
So could this be the week he earns his first start of the year?
Well, with Norense Odiase out for at least the next six weeks, they will be forced to go small, and Smith even hinted, they need Gray in the starting fold.
“Losing him [Odiase] you lose your most physical presence inside on the team,” Smith said. “To make up for it we’ll have to get Justin Gray to play some four, you know some power forward. He raises the intensity level. I don’t care what group he’s with.”
When senior guard Toddrick Gotcher was asked whether or not going small meant Gray would start, he responded with guarded uncertainty.
“I’m not sure, I’m just saying we can go small, because at TCU we went small when Norense went out,” Gotcher said with a smirk of subtle confirmation. “Not sure what the starting lineup is, that’s up to coach Smith.”
Now to clarify there was no official confirmation that Gray will start, but facing a Mountaineers team that is very guard-oriented, I expect his name to be called in the starting five.
Click on the video provided above to watch!
