Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland has officially announced the signing of transfer Kevin Overton who is coming off a freshman season at Drake where he averaged 11.3 points and 3.3 rebounds.
"I'm excited about an opportunity to play with people I've been connected to my whole life and to play a role that hopefully is needed to continue winning at Texas Tech," Overton said. "I feel like I fit in the great culture behind Coach McCasland."
A 6-foot-5, 185-pound guard from Oklahoma City, Overton started all 35 games as a true freshman and will have three more years of collegiate eligibility remaining. He earned Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman honors, was a four-time MVC Freshman of the Week and helped his team win the MVC Tournament championship for an automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Overton shot 62-for-179 (34.6%) on 3-pointers in his first collegiate season with a career-best five 3-pointers in games against Murray State and Oakland. He scored a career-best 23 points against Murray State after going 5-for-8 on 3-pointers and 8-for-11 from the field and had a career-high nine rebounds and 43 minutes played in a double-overtime game against Missouri State. He finished the season scoring in double figures in 19 games and over 20 three times.
"I think I can bring a different energy and continued willingness to win no matter what," Overton said. "I always pride myself on just being a good person and somebody that's unselfish."
Before his one season in Des Moines, Iowa, he played a postgraduate year at Sunrise Christian in Kansas. At Sunrise Christian, Overton played for current Texas Tech assistant coach Luke Barnwell and led the team in scoring and steals along with team success of a 30-win season. He was ranked as the No. 7 player in Kansas and was a 3-star recruit following his prep career.
"Kevin is a great addition to our program," Barnwell said. "He had a successful freshman season at Drake, including a run to the NCAA Tournament. KO will bring great size as a guard with versatility on both ends of the floor."
Texas Tech is coming off a season where it advanced to the NCAA Tournament and finished tied for third in the Big 12 standings in McCasland's first season leading the program. The Red Raiders were 15-2 at home and reached the Big 12 Championship semifinals before falling to NC State in the NCAA Tournament to end its season at 23-11 overall. It was the 17th time in program history with 20 or more wins and the sixth time in eight tournaments to advance to the NCAA Tournament.