Texas Tech star Kevin Obanor announces plans for 2022 basketball season

Texas Tech star Kevin Obanor officially announced that he will be coming back to the Red Raiders for his fifth and final season of eligibility, he announced in a video that he posted to Twitter on Friday afternoon. He weighed the option of turning pro this offseason but opted to come back to Texas Tech because he said the team had “unfinished business”, in an article written by the Associated Press. The senior from Houston, Texas averaged 10.0 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game last season for the Red Raiders.

Check out his video below.

𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐂𝐄𝐒: KO is coming back.

𝙊𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙚: @_KevinObanor pic.twitter.com/Bu1JyPwLxq

— Texas Tech Basketball (@TexasTechMBB) April 22, 2022

Obanor was named All-Big 12 honorable mention following the 2022 season. He led Texas Tech with five double-doubles this year. A sharpshooter from beyond-the-arc, Obanor had eight games this year with three or more three-pointers, including a season-high five three pointers in a 17-point outing against the Texas Longhorns at home. He helped guide the Red Raiders on a run to the Sweet 16 in this year’s NCAA Tournament, where Texas Tech battled the Duke Blue Devils but lost, 78-73.

Before transferring to Texas Tech in 2021, Obanor played his first four seasons of college basketball with the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles. When he suited up for the Golden Eagles, Obanor led them in rebounding 24 times during the 2020-2021 season. The 6-foot-8, 235 pound forward also led Oral Roberts to the Sweet 16 in the 2021 NCAA Tournament and tallied three double-doubles in that tournament. He also briefly flirted with the NBA Draft process, before deciding to return to college and entering the transfer portal.

In high school, the Houston native played for Mount Zion Christian Academy (Durham, North Carolina). That’s the same high school that former NBA legend Tracy McGrady played for.

Obanor is likely to be a preseason All-Big 12 selection coming into the 2022-2023 college basketball season.