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Texas Tech lands commitment from four-star Texas-native

West Virginia v Texas Tech

LUBBOCK, TX - JANUARY 13: Head coach Chris Beard of the Texas Tech Red Raiders hugs assistant coach Mark Adams after his team defeated the West Virginia Mountaineers 72-71 on January 13, 2018 at United Supermarket Arena in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)

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Fresh off of a run to the 2018 Elite 8, it does not appear that the momentum Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard has built is going to slow down anytime soon.

On Thursday afternoon, the Red Raiders landed a verbal commitment from Duncanville High standout Jahmius Ramsey, the No. 33 player in the Class of 2019, according to 247Sports Composite rankings. A 6-foot-4 combo-guard, Ramsey picked Texas Tech over the likes of Louisville, Indiana, Memphis and Miami.

Ramsey is the fourth player in Tech’s 2019 recruiting class, joining a trio of three-star prospects, and is now the highest-rated recruit to ever commit to the program; current freshman Khavon Moore was the No. 54 player in the Class of 2018.

This commitment is important for two reasons. For starters, keeping in-state talent in-state is the most important thing that a school in Texas can do. Known as football country, the state is overflowing with basketball talent. If Beard can divert the flow of the four- and five-star kinds from Texas, or Baylor, or TCU, or Texas A&M to Lubbock, that’s unquestionably a good thing.

The other part of this is that Beard has gotten the most out of just about every team that he has coached in recent years. We documented his rise from the ABA to the Big 12 last season, a year where he took Tubby Smith’s leftovers, combined them with a pair of three-star recruits -- Zhaire Smith, who was the No. 16 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, and Jarrett Culver, who led the team in scoring in their opener on Tuesday -- and earned a No. 3-seed to the tournament; I’ll go to my grave saying that the Red Raiders would have won the Big 12 regular season title if it hadn’t been for Keenan Evans’ broken toe.

The larger point is, if Beard is able to do that with players that were overlooked, what happens when he starts coaching up the dudes that everyone wants? What happens when he gets his hands on a team full of pros?

We might find out sooner rather than later.