The hits keep on coming for the Texas’ basketball program.
After the Longhorns were shockingly upset by Abilene Christian in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament, it was expected that the roster would undergo major changes. The first domino to fall came on Tuesday, when Royce Hamm announced he was entering the transfer portal. Now, Texas has lost a key underclassman.
Forward Kai Jones, who played a key role in helping Texas win its first Big 12 tournament and took over for Greg Brown in the starting lineup, announced via Twitter on Wednesday that he will enter the upcoming NBA Draft.
🙏🏾✨ solo out 🤘🏾 pic.twitter.com/PrIsXyd4TQ
— Kai Jones (@242_jones) March 24, 2021
Jones had a strong sophomore season averaging 8.8 points and 4.8 rebounds in 22.8 minutes per game, all while shooting 58% from the field and a three-point percentage of 38.2%. He took over for Greg Brown towards the end of the season and earned the 2020-21 Big 12 Sixth-Man of the Year award.
The loss of Jones is a big one — offensively and defensively — both as a starter and off the bench. We can expect other Longhorns to follow suit and declare for the NBA draft in the coming weeks.