The Texas Longhorns basketball team lost a few players over the last month with Royce Hamm and Donovan Wilson both deciding to leave for UNLV, while Kai Jones is on his way to the NBA draft.
However, things took a turn for the better for new head coach Chris Beard over the past week.
The first positive news appeared when Texas landed former four-star Texas Tech signee Jaylon Tyson. Next, Texas guard Jase Febres announced on Monday night that he will return for another year, which helps in experience as many key players have yet to announce their future plans (Greg Brown, Jericho Sims, Courtney Ramey, Matt Coleman). Shortly after the Febres announcement, Beard landed promising Kentucky point guard Devin Askew from the NCAA transfer portal.
On top of that, the team got a much-needed answer from one of their most important players on Tuesday. Texas guard Andrew Jones officially announced via Twitter that he would use his extra year of eligibility to return to Austin under Beard for the 2021-22 season.
After thoughtful consideration with my family, God, and the new coaching staff. I’m back for another year #hookem 🤘🏾 pic.twitter.com/lt3vZJh3QK
— Andrew Jones (@DrewdotCash) April 13, 2021
Jones led the team in scoring last season with 14.6 points per game while shooting 40.5% from the field and 34% from three-point range. He also averaged 4.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
Beard can breathe a sigh of relief as Jones’ return provides proven scoring from the guard position.