Texas Tech University Athletics
Men's Basketball Opens Regular Season Thursday
June 21, 1999 | Men's Basketball
November 16, 1998
RED RAIDER OPENER
The 1998-99 Texas Tech University men's basketball team, marking James
Dickey's eighth season as head coach, opens the regular season Thursday,
Nov. 19 at 7:00 p.m. CT against Texas-San Antonio. The Red Raiders were
13-14 overall last season, 7-9 (tie, 7th) in the Big 12. Texas Tech
returns five letter winners, including starters Stan Bonewitz, Cliff Owens,
Johnny Phillips and Rayford Young. Two-time letter winner Ross Carmichael
also returns for the Red Raiders. Texas Tech posted a 1-1 mark in its two
exhibition games. The Red Raiders defeated Arkansas Express, 80-73, but
lost to Global Sports Next Level, 88-82.
ABOUT UTSA
The Roadrunners won their first game of the 1998-99 season on Sunday with a
79-48 victory over Ouachita Baptist in San Antonio. Freshman Devin Brown
scored 20 points, while senior Steve Meyer added 18 to lead UTSA.
Texas-San Antonio was 16-11 overall last season. Head coach Tim Carter, in
his fourth year at UTSA, has a 40-42 record in San Antonio.
THE SERIES
The 99-51 win for Texas Tech over Texas-San Antonio (Dec. 17, 1996) in
Lubbock is the only meeting between the two men's basketball programs.
Tony Battie scored 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, while Gracen Averil
added 17 to lead the Red Raiders. Texas Tech shot 53.0 percent from the
field while limiting the Roadrunners to 32.1 percent from the floor. Steve
Meyer, one of only two Roadrunners to score in double figures, notched 22
points to lead UTSA.
HEAD COACH JAMES DICKEY
Texas Tech men's basketball coach James Dickey is in his eighth season
guiding the Red Raiders on the hardwood. A 1976 graduate of Central
Arkansas, he has posted a 132-72 record, a winning percentage of .650.
Dickey was named Tech's head coach on April 10, 1991 after serving one year
for the Red Raiders as an assistant under longtime coach Gerald Myers.
Over the last four seasons, Tech is 82-35 for a .701 winning mark. Dickey
has earned district coach of the year honors four times and has been
conference coach of the year on three occasions. He has guided Tech to two
NCAA Tournaments, including the '96 Sweet 16. Before his arrival at Tech
as an assistant coach in 1990-91, Dickey previously worked at Kentucky
(1986-89) and Arkansas (1982-85) as an assistant under Eddie Sutton.
RAIDER SCHEDULE
The 1998-99 schedule will require Texas Tech to blend the six newcomers in
with the returning players quickly, considering a hefty non-conference
schedule is awaiting the Red Raiders. The likes of WAC champion TCU plus
improving SMU, Tulsa and Southwestern Louisiana are among the teams Tech
will face prior to the 16-game Big 12 Conference slate. The Red Raiders
will travel to Hawaii to the BYU-Hawaii Pearl Harbor Classic, where Tech
will play Tulsa. The tourney field also includes Alabama, Michigan State,
Pepperdine, Oregon State and Weber State. In the third year of the Big 12,
Texas Tech will host Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska while visiting Iowa
State, Kansas State and Missouri. Texas Tech will play Big 12 South rivals
Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas A&M home and away.
ON THE TUBE
With the addition of four appearances on FOX Sports Southwest, the Texas
Tech men's basketball team is scheduled to play 12 televised games this
season. The Red Raiders will play SMU (Dec. 3), TCU (Dec. 8), and Baylor
(Jan. 2, Feb. 10) on Fox Sports Southwest. Tech will play one national
televised game on ESPN Feb. 20 against Nebraska at 8:30 p.m. Tech will
appear seven times on ESPN Regional via the Big 12 television package.
UNDER-RAY-TED
Point guard Rayford Young, a starter in all 27 games last season, was
named to the All-Underrated squad, selected by a panel of sports writers
who regularly cover the Big 12. The 5-11 Pampa, Texas, junior joined
Baylor's Patrick Hunter, Texas A&M's Shanne Jones, Oklahoma State's Adrian
Peterson and Kansas' Ryan Robertson. He is Texas Tech's top returning
scorer (15.4) and led the club last season in assists (116) and steals
(46). Young averaged 3.7 rebounds, grabbed three or more boards in 21
games and was third on the team with 11 blocks.
HOME TROUBLES
Texas Tech lost its last three home games of 1997-98 to Texas, Oklahoma
State and Oklahoma. The three-game losing streak is Tech's first at home
since early in the 1993-94 season. The three-game skid is also Tech's
first in conference action since the 1990-91 campaign. Texas Tech has won
51 of its last 60 games in Lubbock Municipal Coliseum for an 86.4 winning
percentage. From 1993-94 (against Texas A&M) until the Colorado game in
1996-97, Texas Tech won a school-record 35 consecutive games at home.
All-time, Texas Tech is 387-153 in the "Bubble." The Red Raiders own a
67-21 mark under James Dickey at home.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Texas Tech utilized four different starting combinations last season, any
of which would be among the youngest quintet in James Dickey's seven
seasons as head coach. For the first time since the 1993-94 season, Texas
Tech started only two upperclassmen. The Red Raiders have started at least
two seniors for the majority of the season in all but three of James
Dickey's previous seven years as head coach, 1992-93, 1993-94 and 1997-98.
ROOKIE HELP
A total of nine true freshmen have started at least one game for Texas Tech
during head coach James Dickey's seven previous years. Johnny Phillips
started the last 15 games of 1997-98 - the most by a true freshman since
Jason Sasser started 19 in 1992-93. Lance Hughes also started 19 during
his freshman year in 1991-92.
YOUNG FROM THE LINE
Rayford Young tied for second behind teammate Cory Carr in the Big 12 in
free throw percentage with an 84.3 clip. Twice last season he provided
late-game heroics from the stripe to help Tech win. He made four free
throws in the final 10 seconds against Kansas State, each time going to the
line with Tech up one point. Young sank two free throws - his first
attempts of the game - with four seconds remaining to send the game at
Nevada into overtime. He made all eight of his free throw attempts at
Nevada, six in the overtime period.
STAN THE REBOUNDER
Known for his long-range shooting and uncanny passing ability, Stan
Bonewitz added another facet to his game last season - rebounding. The San
Antonio junior came into the year with a career rebounding average of 2.1.
He doubled that mark last year with a 4.9 average and led the team on the
boards five games. He helped his average in the Big 12 Tournament against
Texas with 10 boards for his first career double-double in the points and
rebounds variety. Twice against Iowa State and Prairie View A&M, Bonewitz
grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds. For the year, Bonewitz had five or more
rebounds in 15 games.
FROM LONG RANGE
Stan Bonewitz, who hit a team-high 84 three-pointers last season, has made
at least three treys in the last 20 of 24 games. He now ranks third
all-time at Tech with 175 career 3's. Bonewitz tied the single-game school
mark of seven against Texas A&M on Feb. 21 in College Station. For the
year, Bonewitz ranked second in the Big 12 with a 41.8 three-point
percentage and 3.1 3's a game. He led the Big 12 in three-point percentage
as a sophomore with a 46.3 mark.
OWENS STRONG INSIDE
Sophomore forward Cliff Owens of Santa Fe, Texas, had a team-high 7.7
rebounds last season to rank in a tie for sixth in the Big 12. He finished
third in the league with 5.8 defensive rebounds. In league games, Owens
ranked in a tie for second with 8.4 boards and led the league with 6.9
defensive rebounds per game. Owens upped his totals to six double-doubles
and eight games with 10 or more rebounds. He notched two consecutive
double-doubles late in the regular season against Texas A&M and Nebraska.
