Tre Johnson breaks Kevin Durant freshman debut scoring record vs. Ohio State

Rodney Terry has brought one of the country’s best freshmen into his program, as guard Tre Johnson is making his college debut Monday night. Texas traveled out West to face Ohio State and history has already been made. Johnson broke a record once held by Kevin Durant, one of the school’s greatest-ever players.

Going into the under-eight media timeout, Johnson has 23 points. It’s the most points scored by a freshman on his debut, a mark previously held by Durant. A great way to start your career with the Longhorns as expectations are only going to go up.

Johnson is 8-17 from the field with most of his damage from behind the three-point line. His four makes on eight attempts is something Texas will certainly take on a nightly basis. A perfect three for three at the free throw line is a great sign too.

He can add to the total as there is still a good amount of basketball to play in Las Vegas. Texas finds itself down five points to Ohio State in what should be a great finish.

Durant actually had a similar scoreline back in 2007, going for 20 points against Alcorn State. The future NBA star made 50% of his three-point attempts too and finished 8-13 from the field. Johnson had quite a different level of competition, though, going up against a high-major team.

While at SEC Media Days in Birmingham, Terry was comparing Johnson to Durant, somebody he coached during his lone college campaign. The big praise from his head coach is already being shown less than a game into the season.

“He’s a super competitor. I got a chance to coach Kevin Durant for one year at Texas, and he and Kevin have a lot of things in common – cut from the same cloth in terms of incredible work ethic,” Terry said. “He’s a guy that we have to literally push out of the gym because he’s in the gym 24/7 – much like Kevin was.”

Johnson played high school basketball at Dallas (TX) Link Academy, where he was a Five-Star Plus+ prospect. He was the No. 5 overall recruit in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.