Spotlight on... Texas Tech's Robert Lewandowski

It's no secret that the Texas Tech Red Raiders weren't good last season. They ended the season at 13-19, 5-11 in conference play. Add to that the fact that they lost 86.3% of their scoring off that team and what you have is a team desperately looking for some senior leadership.

Enter Robert Lewandowski.

Lewandowski comes in as the team's leading returning scorer and rebounder.  Despite that his averages were a pedestrian 8.5 ppg and 4.8 rpg - good for fifth and third on last year's Red Raiders team respectively - Lewandowski has the size to become a legitimate scoring option in a Big 12 packed with men in the middle.

And seeing that he is the lone senior listed on the Tech roster, the 12 underclassmen - including nine freshman - suiting up for the Red Raiders need that guy to help them with the difficult transition from high school to Big 12 basketball.

Lewandowski isn't a flashy player, more so he is a grind-it-out type of guy who shot 55.4% from the field last season while averaging 23.5 minutes per game.

Even with the additions of two Junior College transfers, 6-10 Kader Tapsoba and 6-11 Dejan Kravic [Ed Note: Kravic is actually a transfer sitting out this year], Lewandowski should be the focal point of the Red Raider offense.

Whether Lewandowski is strong enough to carry the team on his back this season is something that will become evident as the games roll. But one thing is for sure, when the Red Raiders need to look for leadership in the locker room, Lewandowski is the one they'll all turn to.