Brock Cunningham reveals major factor in decision to return to Texas

Texas forward Brock Cunningham is set to return to the Longhorns for a sixth season in 2023, and the 3-and-D threat is expected to continue on the career numbers he had last year.

The Longhorns vet revealed the main reasons that played into his return for his final season of eligibility.

“My decision for coming back for year six is centered around winning another Big-12 Championship, making another run in March Madness — and getting two degrees doesn’t hurt anyone,” Cunningham said. “I’m getting my master’s later this year.”

The decision to come back also comes with expectations. Cunningham averaged 4.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game in 18.3 minutes per game — and is expected to play a similar, if not larger role during the 2023-24 season.

He shot 47.6 percent from the field last year, including a 41.3 percent mark from behind the three-point line. At the foul line, Cunningham made the most of his attempts, knocking in a career best 87.1 percent. The most impressive improvement may have come at the three-point line. In 2022, Cunningham made more three-pointers (26) than he took during the entire 2021 season (23).

Cunningham coming back for year six also means he has even greater veteran leadership responsabilities.

“With this year’s team, you’ve got a bunch of really good guys. Guys that love being in Austin and chose Texas for the right reasons,” Cunningham said of this year’s roster. “They came here to win and that’s what we’re focused on right now.”

There will be five newcomers to Texas basketball’s ranks in 2023. Beginning with the newest addition — Chris Johnson. Johnson, a four-star point guard out of Montverde Academy and former Kansas signee, committed to the Longhorns on June 26 and is the only incoming true freshman on this year’s roster as of this report.

Five Star Plus+ recruit Ron Holland and four-star guard AJ Johnson both decommitted from Rodney Terry’s program earlier this year.

Instead, the new Longhorns head coach has turned to the transfer portal to nab a couple of highly-acclaimed players to his squad. Former Oral Roberts star Max Abmas will be a key figure for the Longhorns in 2023. In 123 career games, Abmas averaged 20.8 points on 43.7 percent shooting, including 38.8 percent from three. He is also a career 88.3 percent free throw shooter, and earned All-Summit honors three times as well as the conference’s player of the year in each of the last two seasons.

Following him into the program is big man Kadin Shedrick. Last year, he averaged 6.2 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game for Tony Bennett and the Virginia Cavaliers. One of the better defenders in the ACC, he also averaged 1.4 blocks per game this season. CG Chendall Weaver and PF Ze’rik Onyema round out Terry’s 2023 portal class.

It remains to be seen whether or not this group has the makings of piecing together a run like last year’s Big-12 Championship-winning squad, as they’re still trying to make up for the losses of Holland and Johnson. At least one more roster move this season is plausible for the Longhorns before the season begins.