Texas Tech picked up its highest-ranked commitment of the 247Sports era on Thursday, when five-star small forward Elijah Fisher committed to the Red Raiders over Kansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma State, among others. The 6-foot-6 Canadian wing is considered the No. 24 overall player and No. 5 small forward in the 2023 recruiting class by the 247Sports Composite.
However, Fisher is expected to reclassify into the Class of 2022 and be available to play for Texas Tech next season. Having Fisher next season would help the Red Raiders in replacing a significant group of contributors from a team that reached the Sweet 16 in coach Mark Adams’ first season. Among those departing from that team are Bryson Williams and Davion Warren, who are graduating, along with departing transfers Kevin McCullar (Kansas) and Terrence Shannon (Illinois)
In Fisher, Texas Tech is getting a player who was labeled as a candidate to be Canada’s next basketball prodigy early in his career. While the expectations of inevitable NBA stardom may have been overblown, 247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein wrote in April that “he’s a physically imposing combo-forward capable of changing a high-level game on both ends of the floor.”
Elijah Fisher’s game
Considering Texas Tech coach Mark Adams’ reputation as a defensive mastermind, it’s fitting that Fisher’s defense is regarded as his strong suit.
“First, Fisher’s frame allows him to body up and switch onto bigger players when necessary,” Finkelstein wrote. “Second, while his technique and footwork are still a work in progress, he gets low in a stance, contains the dribble, and actively contests shots. More subtle, and maybe even most impressive, was his IQ on the defensive end as he rotated off to guard against slips, took away the corner on OBU’s (a baseline out-of-bounds play), and proactively communicated from start to finish.”
What it means for Texas…
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