Arella Guirantes
Arella Guirantes is a lethal scoring weapon on the perimeter. *Photo by Ty Freeman.
Candi Whitaker and the Texas Tech staff added a third and final high school signee to their 2016 recruiting class by Arella Guirantes of Bellport, N.Y. The 6-foot four-star wing is ranked 44th in the class by ProspectsNation.com.
Guirantes brings a diverse offensive skill set that the Red Raiders don’t have on their roster currently. She can score from all three levels and can excel as a primary scoring option whenever called upon.
“Really good shooting guard. Confident demeanor and presence. Shoots off the bounce into a 1-2 step 3 really comfortably. Can play and score around the rim. She can get hot from beyond the arc in a hurry. Has a great build for the next level and looks ready to make the transition. Very capable and could be a huge impact player for a program.”
~ July 2015: PSB Summer Invitational, Mercedes Wetmore
Guirantes with her Exodus EYBL team at the PSB Summer
Invitational last July. *Photo by Ty Freeman.Guirantes joins fellow top 60 prospect Brittany Brewer of Abilene, Texas, a 6-4 post as well as 3-star-plus wing prospect Grayson Bright of Fort Worth, Texas. Those pieces give the Red Raiders fresh blood this coming season but this class is in hyper drive for Tech when you add the transfers from last years that will be eligible.
Texas Tech will have Larryn Brooks (Indiana), Recee Caldwell (UCLA), and Jada Terry (Texas A&M) eligible this season after all three sat out the NCAA-mandated red shirt transfer year.
This influx of talent along with returning last season’s top two scorers Ivonne Cook-Taylor (14.3 ppg) and Japreece Dean (12.5) will give the Lady Raiders depth across the board that should allow the program to move up the Big 12 standings. When this young group gets some experience the program will look much different than the first three years of rebuilding.
Chris Hansen is managing editor of ProspectsNation.com and serves on the McDonald’s All-American and Naismith Trophy selection committees. He was the national director of scouting for ESPN HoopGurlz from 2005 until 2012 and is the director of the Check Me Out Showcase. He can be reached at chris@prospectsnation.com.
