Texas Longhorns head coach Rodney Terry walks with Texas Longhorns guard Tyrese Hunter (4) during the first half of a Sweet 16 college basketball game between the Xavier Musketeers and the Texas Longhorns in the Midwest Regional of the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 24, 2023, at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. Photo: Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
Back in May, I wrote an article describing all of the (at that point) recent updates and signings with the Texas Men’s Basketball Program. Yet, in just two months, a lot has changed. Let’s take a look at all that has happened with Rodney Terry and Co.
May 18th: G Tyrese Hunter withdraws from the NBA Draft and decides to return to Texas. Hunter will most definitely retain his starting role with the team after transferring from Iowa State before last season and put up a respectable 10.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists. Yet, he did struggle a bit throughout the season. Texas fans want to see more from him this year, especially after a year in Terry’s system already.
June 1st: F Dillon Mitchell also withdraws from the NBA Draft to return for his 2nd season with the Longhorns. Before last season, Mitchell was projected by many to be a top-10 lottery pick but fell down the ranks as his playing time and success on the court decreased. Regardless, Mitchell’s potential is still through the roof and is expected to have a major role for the team this coming season. A huge win for Terry and the Horns.
June 26th: 2023 Four-star guard Chris Johnson commits to Texas. Johnson, who was formerly committed to Kansas, joins a now young and talented backcourt already in Austin for the coming season. Johnson is a 6-4 Texas native who was mentored by Longhorn legend T.J. Ford in his youth and has good size, speed, and length. Expect him to make an immediate impact this coming year.
July 6th: G Ithiel Horton, a grad transfer from UCF, transfers to Texas. He averaged 12.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game last year and should provide some nice depth and a strong bench presence in his last year of eligibility for the Horns.
July 10th: F Devon Pryor commits to Texas. He was a part of the 2024 class and was also committed to LSU, yet now both of these have changed as he will be reclassified to the 2023 class and join the Horns this season. At 6-7 and 180 lbs, Pryor adds even more length and talent to a team that already has Dylan Disu, Kaden Shedrick and Dillon Mitchell.
Even though Rodney Terry lost some big-time recruits a few months ago, including 5-stars Ron Holland and A.J. Johnson, he has been able to form what seems to now be a team that can truly compete for a Big 12 title. Here’s a list of projected starters and main bench players Texas has currently:
G: Tyrese Hunter, Max Abmas, Chris Johnson, Brock Cunningham, Chandall Weaver, Ithiel Horton
SF/F: Dillon Mitchell, Devon Pryor, Ze’Rik Onyema
F/C: Dylan Disu, Kaden Shedrick
-Twitter: @Rswantkowski
