Forward Daniel Batcho expected to step into void for injured Fardaws Aimaq
Daniel Batcho isn’t difficult to find on the basketball court.
At 6-foot-11, 235 pounds, the athletic forward has done more than his fair share to turn heads during the offseason.
That includes growing a pair of sideburns and changing his number from No. 4 to 12.
“I feel like everybody knows that every player is growing up in different ways,” Batcho said, cracking a smile. ”And I felt like I needed a change.”
But, that’s not the only thing you’ll notice that’s different about Batcho, who averaged 2.7 rebounds and 2.2 points per game last season.
“You’re going to be surprised at Daniel Batcho,” Texas Tech coach Mark Adams told the Avalanche-Journal in the summer about the Paris, France, native. ”He might be the most improved player I’ve ever coached. He’s started to shoot 3-pointers, and improving, while also bulking up.
“He’s going to be somebody that will surprise.”
More:Guard Ethan Duncan announces his departure from Texas Tech men’s basketball program
With the foot injury sustained by Utah Valley transfer Fardaws Aimaq last week, Batcho will get to show how all of his offseason work turned him into a better all-around player.
It was on display Monday afternoon as the Red Raiders — touting 10 news faces, and consisting of four returners — conducted the program’s first official practice inside United Supermarkets Arena.
Batcho, soaked with sweat in a white Texas Tech practice uniform, showed new sides of his game — besides his shot blocking and rebounds skills. The close to 7-foot talent was putting the ball on the floor, providing skip passes and even taking several three-point shots to spread the defense.
It’s a bevy of new facets that is expected to make him a dangerous threat to opponents in the regular season.
“I’m trying to do whatever the team needs from me,” Batcho said. ”It’s going to be hard to put up stats like Fardaws, but I’m going to do my best.”
And his biggest fan? Fardaws Aimaq.
“The time I had practicing with him, he’s got abilities that you really can’t learn or teach,” said Aimaq, who’s on a month-to-month timetable with the injury to his left foot — which was in a cast Monday. “He just plays hard and his ability to play 110% every-single second that he’s on the floor just puts him in the right position. The sky’s the limit for him.”
More:Coach Krista Gerlich says depth, versatility to define Texas Tech women's basketball
Batcho is hoping to live up to some big expectations, showing his improvement once the calendar flipped to December last season. He finished with a season-high 13 rebounds in an overtime win over then No. 13 Tennessee in the Jimmy V Classic and turned in a four-block performance, a season best, to help the Red Raiders defeat West Virginia for just the second time in Morgantown last season.
“Last year, I knew that guys like Bryson (Williams), KO (Kevin Obanor) and Marcus (Santos-Silva) were in front of me,” Batcho recalled of his first season with the Red Raiders. “So, with that, I knew that if I wasn’t the best guy in practice, then I would not play. So I knew I had to step up.”
And after getting a year of experience, which included 329 minutes on the floor, Batcho is not ready to proclaim he knows everything. But, the Arizona transfer feels as though he’s put in the work and earned a spot in the rotation.
“I feel like you can never really figure it out,” he said. “Like, last year, I had my ups and downs. But, I know I need to be more consistent. Maybe, that’s how I figure it out. Be more consistent.”
That all starts with workouts that start at 4:30 a.m. — something he’s done to keep in touch with former teammate Terrence Shannon, Jr. The two built a bond last season and have kept up with each other by sending videos of their workouts, ensuring both are, ”sticking with the process.”
”He always told me how great I can be, and is watching me,” Batcho said of Shannon, who transferred to his home state university in Illinois. ”He told me to outwork him, always get my shot up and make sure I’m in the building before anybody else. … He’s making sure I get my work done.”
More:Texas Tech learns Big 12 Conference slate, completes regular season schedule
The ritual has been noticed by teammates, including guard De’Vion Harmon. The Oregon transfer was impressed with the commitment by the redshirt sophomore, who missed the 2018-2019 season after undergoing surgery for a knee injury.
“Batcho’s different,” Harmon said. ”I’ve been studying Batcho since June. You talk about someone who improves everyday? You actually see it. …. I mean, everything. He wakes up at 4:30 a.m everyday to shoot. He started that last week. I come in at 7 a.m., …. and I walked in the other day and there was music really loud. I peaked my head in the door, and it’s Batcho shooting. And this is at 6:30 a.m.
“I love Batcho. He’s a great teammate and he’s going to be great for us, especially with Daws (Fardaws Aimaq) being out. We’re going to need a lot from him. And I’m going to do everything I can to have his back.”
First-day notes
➤ Richard ”Pop” Isaacs was a full participant. The freshman guard underwent hip surgery, similar to what Clarence Nadolny had last season per Adams, and was an energizer on the court. Like many of his freshmen counterparts, there were learning lessons to take away.
➤ Kevin Obanor and Daniel Batcho are the only two returners who played against Duke in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament last season. KJ Allen and Jaylon Tyson, a mid-year transfer from Texas, are the only other returners from last season.
➤ Ethan Duncan, who missed all of last season with a torn labrum in his shoulder and redshirted, elected to depart the Texas Tech men’s basketball program by entering his name in the NCAA transfer portal, announcing those intentions through social media Monday.
“I will always be appreciative of Texas Tech," Duncan said in a Texas Tech news release. "From the coaches, players, managers and the best fan base in the country. TTU will always have a place in my heart.”
As a senior at Trinity Christian, he averaged a reported area-best 27 points, 7.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game en route to securing Lone Star Varsity Boys Player of the Year honors. The walk-on guard committed to Texas Tech back in 2021.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech's Daniel Batcho expected to cover for injured Fardaws Aimaq
