Royce Hamm is on his was to UNLV and Kai Jones declared for the 2021 NBA draft, but there are still several players that haven’t quite decided which route they will take. Will they remain in Austin under new head coach Chris Beard?
This past season, Shaka Smart undoubtedly had the most talented team that Texas has put out on the court in years. Despite winning their first Big 12 tournament championship, the season abruptly ended in the first round for the third time in six seasons.
As always when a program hires a new head coach, it impacts many players future plans. However, it’s still possible we could see the return of most of the main 2020 core.
Beard brings a fiery, championship-level competitiveness to a Longhorns program desperate for an ounce of the success he had while at Texas Tech. His hire will have a huge impact on recruiting, but even more so on the players that are already in-house to take another shot in the NCAA Tournament.
Here are six players that I realistically believe could and/or should return for another season under Beard’s guidance.