Brad Underwood Discusses Former Illini Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn Ahead of Texas Tech Clash

Illinois "has got a great challenge" on Tuesday night against Gibbs-Lawhorn, a current Red Raider and former Illini

Texas Tech's Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn reacts to hitting a 3-pointer against Bethune-Cookman during a Division I non-conference men's basketball game, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, in United Supermarkets Arena. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Aside from the revelation of Illinois’ blistering pace of play, we haven’t learned a great deal about the Illini through two games of the 2026-27 season. They have indeed looked spectacular. But they are the No. 3-ranked team in the country. Against Penn and other mid-majors, they’re supposed to look spectacular.

On Tuesday, we’ll finally get a look at Illinois against a worthy foe in a harsh environment – No. 16 Texas Tech in Lubbock. And guess who sits atop the scouting report for the Red Raiders? None other than former Illini Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn. Coach Brad Underwood discussed the matchup in his pregame press conference:

Brad Underwood on Illinois preparing for Texas Tech guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn

Nov 4, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood talks with Illinois Fighting Illini guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (2) during the first half against the Eastern Illinois Panthers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

“Dravyn, we obviously know, went and had a spectacular year at UNLV and is there [at Texas Tech] now,” Underwood said. “We know what he’s capable of as a scorer.”

Last year at UNLV, Gibbs-Lawhorn led the Mountain West in scoring at 20.7 points per game. And he wasn’t just putting up empty numbers. Gibbs-Lawhorn shot 41.4 percent from three-point range (2.9 per game) and was 57.1 percent from inside the arc – the latter figure being an almost unfathomable number for a 6-foot-1 guard.

“He went and gained some confidence,” Underwood said. “In essence, he went down a level to UNLV, and that’s not to downplay them. But he was just turned loose.

“And Dravyn’s always had tremendous capabilities of scoring the basketball. We witnessed those things in practice a lot. Very, very gifted athlete. He can facilitate. He can be a playmaker as well. 

“And he’s a guy that can put the ball in the basket. And, always throughout his life, has had a lot of success doing that. So we’ve got our hands full and we’ve got a great challenge there.” 

Underwood didn’t go into a lot of detail – but we can. Gibbs-Lawhorn has an absolute burner from deep. He can shoot it off the catch or the bounce (he loves a secondary transition pull-up three). He can hit contested midrange jumpers. He has an advanced floater game. 

With his change of pace and burst, Gibbs-Lawhorn can also get all the way to the rack, where he can finish with either hand in a variety of ways. And, as Underwood touched on, he’s very athletic, which allows him to elevate and convert among the trees. 

The only question: Can his scoring success carry over to the high-major level? He would get hot on occasion at Illinois. Gibbs-Lawhorn is more than capable of getting a bucket on anybody on a given play.

But can he consistently generate good looks, night after night, against tall, lengthy, athletic opponents such as the Illini? The answer may determine whether Texas Tech can hang around for 40 minutes on Tuesday night.