Tag: Texas basketball news

Texas and Kansas State in the mix for Oral Roberts transfer Max Abmas

It could be a two-team race for star transfer Max Abmas.

It could be a two-team race for star transfer Max Abmas. Texas and Kansas State continue their pursuit of the Oral Roberts standout.

Abmas is one of the top scorers in the transfer portal to date. He has scored over 2,500 points at the college level, averaging over 21 points per game in each of the last three seasons.

He was the star of Oral Roberts’ Cinderella run in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. The Golden Eagles entered as a No. 15 seed before upsetting Ohio State and Florida on the way to the Sweet Sixteen. Abmas helped lead ORU back to March Madness this season, winning 30 games in the process.

247Sports ranks Abmas as the No. 3 overall player available in the transfer portal.

Texas has been on the bad side of the transfer portal thus far, losing Arterio Morris and Rowan Brumbaugh in the last week. Abmas could be the first domino to fall in favor of Rodney Terry and the Longhorns this offseason.

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Five-star PG AJ Johnson decommits from Texas, opts for pro deal in Australia

Five-star point guard AJ Johnson has decommited from Texas to get a jump start on his professional career.

Five-star point guard AJ Johnson has decommitted from Texas to get a jump start on his professional career. Johnson is signing with Illawarra Hawks of the Australian NBL.

Johnson feels skipping the collegiate level is going to serve his career better in the long run.

“I feel like I thrive in more of an up and down system, getting up more shots and playing off feel but you are also still playing off of actions and stuff like that. I also want to get started on my professional career and taking it more serious so that I can really lock in on the game and try to be the best player I can be.”

247Sports ranks Johnson as the No. 1 prospect in the state of California and a top 15 overall player in the 2024 recruiting cycle.

The loss of Johnson is a significant one for Rodney Terry and Texas. The Longhorns are now forced to replace a majority of last season’s roster and one of their prized recruits. Texas is left with five-star forward Ron Holland as the Horns’ lone 2024 signee.

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Texas G Tyrese Hunter to test NBA waters in upcoming draft

Tyrese Hunter is set to test NBA waters.

Texas basketball’s Tyrese Hunter has declared for the 2023 NBA Draft. The second-year guard plans to maintain his college eligibility during the draft process.

Hunter started all 38 games for the Longhorns this season, averaging 10.3 points and 2.5 assists per game. He played a significant role in Texas’ Big 12 Tournament title and March Madness run to the Elite Eight.

While a return to college is still on the table for Hunter, Texas may be losing a majority of its excellent backcourt going into next season. A tall task for Rodney Terry to face as he navigates his first offseason as head coach.

Terry can use the transfer portal and high school recruiting ranks to build his roster for next season.

The deadline for college basketball players to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to school is on June 12.

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Texas fined $25,000 for rushing the court after Monday’s win over Kansas

Chirs Del Conte is probably happy to pay a fine like this in exchange for more top 10 victories.Ā 

The Big 12 announced the league is fining the University of Texas $25,000 for allowing fans to storm the court after Monday’s upset of No. 8 Kansas.

Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby stated Texas’ safety plan “did not adequately provide the protections necessary to safe-guard visiting team personnel.ā€

Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte is probably happy to pay a fine like this in exchange for more top 10 victories.

No. 20 Texas will not have to worry about storming the court for at least another week as they begin a two-game road stretch on Saturday. Texas will head up to Waco to play the No. 10 Baylor Bears before crossing the border to take on the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman on Tuesday.

The Longhorns are looking to close the season on a strong note with March Madness right around the corner. Texas currently sits as a No. 4 seed in ESPN’s latest bracketology.

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Texas forward Royce Hamm will enter the NCAA transfer portal

Texas Longhorns senior Forward Royce Hamm releases a statement that heā€™s entering the NCAA Transfer Portal.

The Texas Longhorns basketball season ended a few days ago after their first round defeat at the hands of Abilene Christian. It didnā€™t take long for things to change for the team as one of their own is moving on.

Senior forward Royce Hamm announced via Twitter on Tuesday that he has decided to finish his collegiate career elsewhere. He will enter his name in the transfer portal as a graduate transfer.

Hamm earned his degree in Physical Culture & Sports with a minor in Education. He appeared in 22 games for Texas this season where he averaged roughly two points and 2.5 rebounds per game.

During his 90 games played at Texas, he primarily came off the bench where he averaged 1.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.2 assists, 0.1 steals and 0.4 blocks per game. Hamm helped the Longhorns win their first conference tournament in school history this year, which earned Texas a three seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

Thereā€™s no word yet on where Hamm may end up. Since the Longhorns lineup was loaded with potential NBA Draft picks, he didnā€™t get as much time as he wouldā€™ve wanted. Heā€™ll likely look to transfer to a program where he could obviously receive increased playing time.

Social media reacts to Texas head coach Shaka Smart’s full head of hair

Texas men’s basketball head coach Shaka Smart was trending on Twitter after their 78-76 win over Davidson.

Although Texas pulled off an impressive 78-76 win over a talented Davidson squad on Monday, head coach Shaka Smart appeared to be trending on social media for a different reason. Continue reading “Social media reacts to Texas head coach Shaka Smart’s full head of hair”

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WATCH: Texas Men’s Basketball hype video ahead of season opener

Texas men’s basketball released a hype video ahead of their season opener at home against Texas-Rio Grande Valley on Nov. 25.

The Longhorns tip off their season opener at home against Texas-Rio Grande Valley on Wednesday, Nov. 25. Continue reading “WATCH: Texas Men’s Basketball hype video ahead of season opener”

Texas Basketball: Shaka Smart expected to hire SMU assistant coach

According to Horns247, Texas men’s basketball head coach Shaka Smart is expected to hire SMU assistant K.T. Turner.

After two leading candidates were considered, it appears that Texas men’s basketball head coach Shaka Smart has made a decision on which assistant coach to add to his staff. Continue reading “Texas Basketball: Shaka Smart expected to hire SMU assistant coach”

Thursday Big 12 Morning Rush: Headlines from around the conference

Each morning, LonghornsWire will provide the top headlines in the Big 12. Today, BR, Twitter, and TexasTech.com provide the headlines.

Each morning Longhorns Wire will share the top stories from around the Big 12 Conference. For this edition of the Big 12 morning rush, Bleacher Report, Twitter, and TexasTech.com provide the headlines.

Continue reading “Thursday Big 12 Morning Rush: Headlines from around the conference”

Texas Basketball: Kentucky trying to lure assistant per report

Shaka Smart may be losing an assistant, as UK is looking to steal Jai Lucas. KSR is reporting that Calipari wants Lucas to join his staff.

Head coach Shaka Smart may be losing one of the assistants on his coaching staff, as Kentucky could be looking to steal Jai Lucas away. Kentucky Sports Radio is reporting that John Calipari could want Lucas to join his staff.

ā€œWould be a big get if we could pull that off,ā€ a source close to the Kentucky basketball program told KSR Tuesday morning.

ā€œJai Lucas is a specialist, knows everyone in the country. Limitless resources,ā€ another source familiar with the situation told KSR on Monday evening. ā€œCould be an assistant like he is now but more of a connections guy. Fits like a glove [at Kentucky].ā€

He would be replacing Kenny Payne, who recently joined the New York Knicks’ coaching staff.

Lucas joined the Texas staff in 2013 and began as the Texas director of basketball operations. Smart then gave him a promotion, making him an assistant coach beginning in 2016.

He is responsible for the great 2017 recruiting class that included Mo Bamba, Matt Coleman, and Jericho Sims.

Before coaching, Lucas was a player at Texas for two seasons after transferring from Florida. He averaged just under three points a game with 2.9 and 1.2 assists per game during his time in Austin.

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