Tag: texas longhorns basketball recruiting

Virginia transfer F Kadin Shedrick commits to Texas

Kadin Shedrick becomes Texas head coach Rodney Terry’s first transfer portal commitment.

Virginia forward Kadin Shedrick announced his commitment to Texas on Sunday night.

Shedrick becomes the first addition to Rodney Terry’s 2023-24 roster from the transfer portal. His announcement snaps a long offseason drought to bring in a player from elsewhere.

The Virginia player averaged 6.2 points and 3.8 rebounds for his team last season. Not surprisingly, the player who hails from Virginia head coach Tony Bennett’s system is known as an excellent defensive player. Albeit, he does bring an element Texas desperately needs in next year’s squad: Height.

At 6-foot-11, Shedrick would have been the tallest player on last year’s squad. He joins 6-foot-9 forward Dylan Disu on the front line for Texas. The Longhorns will hope to get rim protection from the veteran transfer, or at least good enough defense that prevents opponents from getting to the basket.

As for next season’s roster, the Longhorns are in need of two more impact scoring guards and the return of guard Tyrese Hunter and forward Dillon Mitchell. Keep an eye on Oral Roberts guard Max Abmas who is considering the Longhorns as his recruitment comes to a close.

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Texas forward Dylan Disu announces return for another season

Dylan Disu is coming back!

Texas forward Dylan Disu is returning for another season of Texas basketball. He took to Twitter on Sunday to let fans know his intention to come back.

The announcement is colossal news for the basketball program who has had a conspicuously uneventful offseason in the transfer portal. Disu’s return is the type of news the program might need to spark action on that front.

The Pflugerville product looked like a future NBA player last season, particularly in the Big 12 Tournament and NCAA Tournament. Disu was near automatic in mid-range and rescued the team from offensive lulls late in the season.

With his return, Texas now has a go-to scorer with solid shooting range for a post player. Now new head coach Rodney Terry will look to build around him for the 2023 season.

For now, Disu is joined by veteran forward Brock Cunningham, returning reserve players Gavin Perryman and Alex Anamekwe, and highly regarded forward Ron Holland. The team will look to add veteran guards and post presences with what remains of the transfer portal.

Texas hoops stifles panic meter with positive transfer portal news

The ‘Horns are in serious contention for big time portal players.

It’s been a wild last few days on the Forty Acres. The suspense surprisingly isn’t coming from Texas football. Continue reading “Texas hoops stifles panic meter with positive transfer portal news”

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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Texas, UConn, Indiana to play in Empire Classic hoops series

Texas could face UConn, the 2023 NCAA Champions early next season.

The Texas basketball schedule appears to be ramping up next season. After a respectable schedule saw the Longhorns face Gonzaga, Creighton, and Illinois, the team is already set to play high profile games next season.

Earlier this week, we learned that Texas would reunite with former head coach Shaka Smart and the Marquette Golden Eagles in the Big 12-Big East Battle. Smart pulled off a surprising AP National Coach of the Year bid this season after helping his team to a No. 2 seed. Marquette fell to the Michigan State Spartans in the Round of 32.

Now it appears the Longhorns will join UConn, Indiana, and Louisville in New York for the Empire Classic in early November. The early season series gives Texas the opportunity to face two of the top coaches in college basketball, UConn’s Danny Hurley and Indiana’s Mike Woodson.

The low stakes series of games gives Texas head coach Rodney Terry and company a chance to simulate tournament style basketball with their new look team. The games kick off Nov. 19 toward the start of next season.

CBS Sports ranks the top basketball players in the transfer portal

The college basketball transfer portal is loaded with talent.

Texas head coach Rodney Terry has plenty of positions to fill following multiple departures from his Elite Eight roster. Fortunately for Terry, the transfer portal is not short on talented players looking for a change of scenery.

The Longhorns’ most pressing needs are well known. Texas needs scoring guards to replace the production Marcus Carr and Sir’Jabari Rice gave the team last year. In addition, they’ll need more height than the past two teams to combat the length of teams such as Purdue and Tennessee have had of late.

On Wednesday, CBS Sports gave an idea of some of the better players Texas could target in the portal. Here’s a look at their top 10 transfers for the 2023 offseason thus far.

Texas head coach Rodney Terry claims a big role in roster construction

“I recruited three starters on this roster. Don’t get it twisted.”

Texas head coach Rodney Terry proved he can coach this season. His track record of recruiting stands up to scrutiny. Now, he is tasked with rebuilding a team through the transfer portal. Terry believes he can make it happen.

In an interview in Houston over Final Four weekend, Terry aimed to set the record straight on his involvement in building the Texas roster.

Chris (Beard) was a great coach. But he didn’t put this roster together by himself. We did. I’m not one to pat myself on the back, but I recruited three starters on this roster, don’t get it twisted.

Terry wasn’t in any way trying to discredit Beard as a head coach. He drove his point home by stating that recruiting is a team effort. Moving forward it will still be a team effort. Albeit, he pushed back against the notion that he cannot recruit the portal.

Despite his track record, he’ll face the new test of recruiting players to his program, not a program led by Rick Barnes or Chris Beard. If his confidence in his ability of building the program is any indication, Texas is in good hands.

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Looking at a potential best-case lineup for Texas basketball next year

Texas could be primed for a massive portal haul. We project a possible lineup for the team.

The Texas Longhorns basketball program could be one player away from a trip back to the Elite Eight. What if I told you that player is a portal transfer from Northern Colorado?

On Thursday night, we learned that Texas had contacted 6-foot-6 Northern Colorado guard Dalton Knecht and shared their interest in bringing over the athletic talent.

Knecht averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds over the last season. He commands a list of suitors that includes Texas, Arkansas, Gonzaga, Illinois, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oregon and UCLA.

The largely unknown talent scores in a handful of ways. Knecht connects on step back long range baskets like former BYU star Jimmer Fredette and throws down highlight dunks like Mac McClung. And while it’s often unlikely that a team is one transfer away from contention, the mid-major star might fit that billing for Texas.

Here’s a look at a potential best-case lineup for Texas.

LOOK: Texas basketball head coach Rodney Terry hits recruiting trail

Rodney Terry has his sights on locking down and expanding his first recruiting classes.

Texas head coach Rodney Terry isn’t wasting any time in building his program. Terry took to the recruiting trail this week after being named the next head coach of the Longhorns men’s basketball program.

The new leader of the program visited two program-elevating players from the Dallas area. Terry met with the team’s highest rated 2023 prospect, Ron Holland, from Duncanville High School. Holland ranks as the No. 6 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class.

As for the 2024 class, Terry is all in for the nation’s No. 1 recruit in the class. It was all smiles for elite shooting guard Tre Johnson and Rodney Terry when the two met on Wednesday. The coach that once helped win over Kevin Durant to Austin appears to be making inroads toward winning Johnson’s commitment.

Johnson, who hails from Lake Highland High School, is the type of versatile scorer that could transform the Longhorns offensive attack like Kevin Durant years ago.

Terry will aim to use his recruiting abilities once again with Holland, AJ Johnson, Tre Johnson and other key recruits.

Texas Basketball: Outlook for head coach Rodney Terry’s first full season

The next few months will decide how good Texas basketball is next season.

Texas recently completed one of its best basketball seasons in school history. Continue reading “Texas Basketball: Outlook for head coach Rodney Terry’s first full season”