Tag: Brock Cunningham

Texas Basketball: 2023-2024 roster tracker

Texas basketball is putting together a roster overhaul for the 2023-2024 season. 

Texas basketball is putting together a roster overhaul for the 2023-2024 season.

The Longhorns are losing a majority of its roster from last season’s Elite Eight run. Seniors Marcus Carr, Sir’Jabari Rice, Christian Bishop and Timmy Allen are graduating, while another handful of players are weighing their options for the future.

Texas lost Arterio Morris and Rowan Brumbaugh to the transfer portal along with five-star signee AJ Johnson to the Australian NBL.

Good news came for the Longhorns on Sunday as starting big man Dylan Disu announced his return to school. Disu played as well as anyone in the country down the final stretch of the year and in the NCAA Tournament. He scored a career-high 28-points in Texas’ second-round win over Penn State.

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Here is an ongoing offseason roster tracker for Rodney Terry and Texas basketball. Expect Texas to hit the transfer portal and high school ranks to build its team going forward.

Texas F Dillon Mitchell declares for NBA Draft, retains eligibility

Texas basketball is going to look a lot different next season.

Texas forward Dillon Mitchell made big news on Wednesday. The big time player declared for the NBA Draft.

While the news is suboptimal for the Longhorns next season, Mitchell still appears open to returning to the team. The talented forward posted to social media announcing that while he declares for the draft, he still maintains eligibility.

There aren’t many players from the team’s Elite Eight roster that intend to return for next season. Not long ago, Rowan Brumbaugh announced his transfer to play basketball at Georgetown. Arterio Morris let the public know he would enter the transfer portal as well.

Forward Brock Cunningham is one of the few set to return to the team. There’s a possibility that NCAA Tournament scoring hero Dylan Disu returns as could Tyrese Hunter and Mitchell if they are turned down by NBA teams.

Frankly, Texas needs all four of those possible returnees and as many as 6 transfers to field a team comparable to last season’s squad. After striking out on multiple early targets, new head coach Rodney Terry needs to start winning some of his portal recruitments quickly.

Texas will hold out hope that Mitchell, Disu and Hunter return to the team next season.

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LOOK: Texas men’s basketball team takes off for the NCAA Tournament

No. 2 Texas will take on No. 15 Colgate in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday evening in Iowa.

No. 2 Texas is officially on the way to Iowa to face No. 15 Colgate in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday evening. Continue reading “LOOK: Texas men’s basketball team takes off for the NCAA Tournament”

Predicting which Texas players will return after the Chris Beard hire

The Chris Beard hiring sent shockwaves around the NCAA. Now that he’s in, which Texas players will choose to stay?

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.

Predicting which Texas players will return after the Chris Beard hire

The Chris Beard hiring sent shockwaves around the NCAA. Now that he’s in, which Texas players will choose to stay?

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.

ESPN ranks Texas basketball in top five of latest Power Rankings

The Longhorns rebounded from a heartbreaking loss to Texas Tech with a 15-point win over Kansas State.

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Despite the loss to Texas Tech over the past week, prior to the 15-point victory over Kansas State, the Texas men’s basketball team is still one of the top five teams in the country.

Shaka Smart’s squad has started out 11-2 for the first time under the sixth-year head coach. The Longhorns began the season 10-3 last year.

ESPN recently released their college basketball power rankings and Texas narrowly remained in the top five.

No. 5- Texas Longhorns

Texas’ momentum — and winning streak — was suddenly stopped at home against Texas Tech on Wednesday, and the Longhorns just didn’t have the same aggressiveness and edge in the second half as they did in the first to build a double-digit lead. But they bounced back on Saturday with a 15-point home win over Kansas State, and that victory came without Greg Brown, Kai Jones and Brock Cunningham, who all did not travel. Without those three, Shaka Smart still easily went eight-deep and also gave Kamaka Hepa his first start since last February — and Hepa responded with 15 points and five 3-pointers. Hepa had played just nine minutes all season until Saturday night. It’s just another sign of the depth that Smart has in his program this season. – Jeff Borzello, ESPN*

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The Baylor Bears and Kansas Jayhawks were the only other Big 12 programs ranked in the top 15 of the power rankings. Baylor sits at No. 2 and Kansas at No. 8.

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The Longhorns will have to wait until Saturday to get back on the court when they travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to take on the TCU Horned Frogs. It remains to be seen if Kai Jones, Greg Brown, and Brock Cunningham will be available as they are currently in COVID-19 protocols.

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Shaka Smart: Brock Cunningham’s ankle is ‘swelled up pretty good’

Texas is in KC to face off against Texas Tech in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals. However, they may be without forward Brock Cunningham.

The Longhorns are in Kansas City to face off against Texas Tech in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals. The winner of Thursday’s game will more than likely heading to the NCAA Tournament, while the loser could be going to the NIT.

Going 1-1 against the Red Raiders this season, when Texas got a win in Lubbock, freshman forward Brock Cunningham was a key contributor, having eight points, five rebounds, and an assist.

Now, the Longhorns could be without him on Thursday afternoon as Cunningham rolled his ankle in practice on Wednesday. Head Coach Shaka Smart said Texas is evaluating the injury and said the ankle it “swelled up pretty good.”

Cunningham was a solid piece during the five-game winning streak, averaging 4.2 points and 5.0 rebounds over that stretch. His minutes have gone up since the injury to Jericho Sims, playing at least 15 mins in six out of the final seven games.

Texas will face Texas Tech on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. CST on ESPN2.

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