Texas Tech's Josiah Moseley finding his groove in abbreviated season

TAMPA, Fla. — When most players come down awkwardly on their ankle, it winds up being a sprain at worst.

Josiah Moseley wasn't so lucky. He did suffer a sprained ankle after landing wrong during an otherwise routine play in practice, but Moseley also suffered a fractured foot that prevented him from making his Texas Tech basketball debut until late January.

Moseley got just two days of practice in before stepping onto the floor against Houston. He delivered the goods in just 10 minutes, totaling six points and six rebounds in the Red Raiders' victory. It was a nice glimpse into what Grant McCasland hoped Moseley would be able to provide from the jump. The process has taken more time than anticipated.

"Josiah Moseley started practice January the 28th," McCasland said in his pre-NCAA Tournament press conference on Thursday, "so it just feels like we're getting him going in regards to what we want and dealing with the lack of success."

The Round Rock native began his college career at Villanova, citing the relationship he built up with the coaching staff during his high school recruitment. Moseley saw action in 30 games but didn't find much footing with the Wildcats. When Villanova made a coaching change, Moseley (and the rest of the roster) sought a new home.

"No one really thought the coach was going to leave or go away at the middle of the season," Moseley said of Kyle Neptune's firing last year. "I think that was the main thing that played into it."

Coming back to his home state of Texas was appealing, though Moseley said the idea of joining Texas Tech was enough of a drawing factor to make him a Red Raider. While Moseley himself didn't know Tech general manager Kellen Buffington that well, his parents did, and Buffington's reputation around the Texas AAU circuit spoke volumes.

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Before the season, Moseley was expected to play a key role in providing extra insurance in the paint, spelling the likes of JT Toppin and Luke Bamgboye. The fractured foot put a damper on that plan, though Moseley continued to make an impression on his teammates.

"He's a great guy, funny," Marial Akuentok said. "He's a guy you want to be around. Chill guy. He's nice. Kind. Will help you out with things a lot. I think he's a very great teammate.

Redshirt freshmen like Akuentok and Jazz Henderson each know what it's like to sit on the sidelines dealing with injuries. Akuentok joined Tech as a mid-year enrollee last year, rehabbing a partially torn patellar tendon suffered while still in high school. Henderson, likewise, didn't see the floor after he tore his plantar fascia in his foot. Each took it upon themselves to keep Moseley encouraged through the rehabilitation process.

"He kept himself encouraged a lot," Akuntok said, "but I think when he was out, it was a big missing piece to our team, because we were missing part of that physicality. But now that he's back, he's been showing what he can do and what we were missing for sure. I think having him back is a great thing for our team."

Moseley's playing time has greatly increased since the season-ending injury to Toppin. He's tallied double-digit minutes in each of the last six games, posting season-highs of 10 points and 9 rebounds in Texas Tech's win at Iowa State. In 12 games played, the 6-foot-8 forward is averaging 4.6 points and 3.7 rebounds with a 65.8% field goal percentage.

Finding your place on a new team is challenging enough. It was especially trying for Moseley, who stepped into a role that was very different from what it was just a few weeks ago. However, he knows the simple things on the court can go a long way.

"At first I was kind of trying to find my role on the team," Moseley said, "but I think that comes natural when you're just playing hard, kind of doing whatever you can to win. It's not really too much thinking about it. You kind of know what you have to do."

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Preseason injury delays Josiah Moseley's impact on Texas Tech basketball