Even though not a single Longhorn heard their name in the 2016 NBA draft, Texas will have former players starting their professional basketball careers this weekend.
Isaiah Taylor, Cameron Ridley and Prince Ibeh will be playing in the Las Vegas Summer League, which starts July 8 and runs through July 18. Former Longhorn Jonathan Holmes, who graduated in 2015, will be playing as well, trying to continue his professional basketball career.
Taylor, who left Texas with a year of eligibility left, will be playing with the Houston Rockets. The point guard left UT ranked No. 7 in career assists (415) and No. 20 in scoring (1,254) on the school’s all-time list. Many thought Taylor left college too early, needing to play his final year to prove himself draft worthy. Taylor played in a total of 92 games, averaging 13.6 points and 4.5 assists.
Ibeh, who had a standout senior year but still went undrafted, was picked up by the Milwaukee Bucks. The center played all four years at Texas, recording the most minutes during his senior season after Ridley went down in December. Ibeh started in six games prior to his final year and left the forty-acres with a total of 28 starts. The Texas native finished his career at UT ranked No. 4 on the school’s all time block list with 212 and earned Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors at the conclusion of his senior year.
Ridley, who missed most of his senior season because of a fractured foot, caught the attention of the Chicago Bulls and was added to its summer league team after the NBA draft. The center fractured his foot in practice on December 27 and did not return to play until March 10. He only played in a total of 13 games his senior season, creating a total of 115 career games at UT. Ridley left UT ranked No.3 in blocks (220) and No.10 in rebounds (720).
Holmes, who graduated in 2015, was named to the Memphis Grizzlies summer league roster. Last summer, Holmes played for the Boston Celtics summer league team. The Los Angeles Lakers signed Holmes in August but waived him in October after he separated his shoulder in a preseason game.
There are a total of 24 teams in the Las Vegas Summer League and every team is guaranteed to play at least five games.
