Texas Tech Basketball: Grant McCasland on why JT Toppin returned for one more year
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When Texas Tech convinced JT Toppin to return for another season in Lubbock, the Red Raiders retained a key piece of their championship hopes for the 2025-26 campaign. Toppin, who led the team with 18.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, was so dominant that he earned Big 12 Player of the Year honors. He recorded 19 double-doubles, including one in each of the Red Raiders' four NCAA Tournament games, helping the team reach the Elite Eight.
It reportedly took a $4 million NIL deal to seal the decision, but Toppin ultimately chose to return, believing that another year at Texas Tech would help bolster his NBA aspirations. During a recent podcast appearance with college basketball analyst Andy Katz, head coach Grant McCasland discussed the reasons behind Toppin's decision to come back.
Why did JT Toppin decide to come back to @TexasTechMBB for another year? 🤔
— Andy Katz (@SidelinewithAK) July 18, 2025
🎧: https://t.co/IEYTb3Y6UB pic.twitter.com/guxoOq9BCG
"One thing that I think worked to our advantage, he went through the draft process last spring and summer, so he'd gone through it and known that you travel a lot, you're working out for all these teams. You're going through all of this, and I think he was just scratching the surface at the end of the season," McCasland said. "His role was inside initially, and then he got more comfortable making plays from the perimeter and attacking from the outside. And he's such an underrated passer."
That versatility is one of the reasons why Toppin asserted himself as the top player in the conference. But according to McCasland, there are still things that Toppin can work on in order to set himself up for bigger success in the NBA.
"He's just such a versatile guy. I think one thing about playing in college is it is difficult because of the space. But you get the opportunity to be such a focal point of what we're doing, and in a preparation way where we can keep building with the things that he's improved on.
"He's got to get better defensively, especially on the perimeter, too. Just being able to guard multiple actions, and he's super capable. But to be able to have the ramp-up of last year and hopefully have a whole season where he can continue to improve, I just think he'll elevate his ability to be what he can be best at the next level with another season here at Texas Tech."
With Toppin back in the mix, along with Christian Anderson and a whole host of incoming transfer talent, the Red Raiders are expected to make another deep run in the NCAA Tournament. And if Toppin performs as well (or better) than he did last year, Texas Tech is going to be a problem for any opponent standing in the way of a national championship.
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Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. In January of 2025, he took over as Publisher for Maryland On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.
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