2022-23 Texas Longhorns Basketball Position Preview - Guards

Consistent roster turnover has become a fact of life for high-major college basketball. With the advent of the portal and the one-time transfer exception, not to mention the fact that Division I has over 300 schools, players are going to move up, down, and make lateral moves from team to team.

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Texas head coach Chris Beard understands this aspect of college basketball. In his 18 month tenure leading the Longhorns, Beard has both welcomed and bid farewell to good college basketball players.

That’s especially true for the guard position for the 2022-23 Longhorns. Texas saw four guards from last year’s team choose another path. Courtney Ramey transferred to Arizona. Andrew Jones left to play overseas. Jase Febres exhausted his eligibility. Tristen Lincon is now a manager.

All that’s left from last year’s second round team is Marcus Carr, yet the position is likely to be a strength in Beard’s second campaign.

2021-22 Big 12 freshman of the year and Iowa State transfer Tyrese Hunter joins the Longhorns, likely taking over as point guard and allowing Carr to move off ball more often and play in attack mode more as a scorer. Also added via the portal was New Mexico State’s Sir’Jabari Rice. A Missouri City native, Rice was a key component of an Aggie team that won titles in the WAC and made a run in last year’s NCAA tournament.

Beard didn’t only look toward the portal. He also added On3 Consensus five-star Arterio Morris and On3 Consensus four-star Rowan Brumbraugh from the high school ranks and could see contributions from one or both this year.

Is the position upgraded? The early returns are absolutely they are. Hunter and Carr have proven they have what it takes to be effective in the country’s best basketball conference, and Rice possesses the tools and drive to translate what worked in Las Cruces, N.M. in Austin, Texas.

Of course, with the roster turnover comes the task of getting the roster to gel. Not just on the court, but off it too. With three new players joining the ranks of the guards, that task falls upon Carr and walk-on Gavin Perryman. 

But all that written, Texas made it to the other side of “portal season” with a combination of high-level transfer guards with NCAA Tournament experience and talented high school prospects who won’t have team-carrying responsibilities in year one. 

Tyrese Hunter – SOPH.

Size: 6-foot-0, 175 pounds
2021-22 stats (Iowa State): 11.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.9 apg, 39.1% FG, 27.4% 3PT, 68.7 FT%

Adding the 2021-22 Big 12 Freshman of the Year is important not only because Texas is getting a great player who knows what the grind of the conference is like, but also because he allows for Carr to play in an off-the-ball role. Hunter had a strong performance in the recent secret scrimmage versus Houston, hinting that he has already found his groove in Beard’s program.

Hunter has experience playing alongside a talented off-ball player. Last year, he and Izaiah Brockington formed one of the conference’s strongest backcourts (though the rest of that Iowa State team was lacking). That should translate well to playing with Carr.

One area of his game that could use improvement is three point shooting. His 27.4 percent mark from three was buoyed by a 7-for-11 performance in the NCAA Tournament. That said, Hunter’s last ten games last year saw an uptick in his three-point percentage. Hunter hit four of eight from three against Houston Saturday.

Marcus Carr – Super SR.

Size: 6-foot-2, 175 pounds
2021-22 stats: 11.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 3.4apg, 39.4% FG, 33.8% 3PT, 76.9% FT

It took some time for Carr to get accustomed to his on-ball role for the Longhorns last season, but once he did he became one of the better scorers in the Big 12. He scored in double figures in 13 of 18 Big 12 games and both NCAA Tournament contests.

He also figured things out as a distributor, amassing a 1.8-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. That versatility will be valuable even though he’ll likely return to an off-ball role for the majority of his minutes now that Hunter is on the roster.

Carr also is important for his off-court role. Though Rice and Hunter have experience on the sport’s biggest stage, none have played in a Beard program. As the Longhorn head coach has said, this year is more about defending culture than establishing it. Carr will play a key role in that for his position.

Look for Carr and Hunter to be the starters this season.

Sir’Jabari Rice – Super SR.

Size: 6-foot-4, 175 pounds
2021-22 stats (New Mexico State): 11.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 3.1 apg, 39.1% FG, 34.1% 3PT, 77.9% FT

Rice was one of the top players on an Aggie team that won the WAC regular season and tournament titles and advanced to the round of 32. Looking at his statistics, both Rice’s shooting percentage and three-point percentage dipped from his 2020-21 numbers, but his assist numbers went up from 2.2 to 3.1 while his rebounding numbers stayed the same. That was due to Rice playing the point last season versus an off-the-ball role in prior seasons.

Rice was asked to do a lot for the Aggies along with Teddy Allen, brother of Timmy. He may not be a starter for this year’s Longhorns, but he’s likely to take over a sixth-man type role. Like Hunter, Rice had a strong secret scrimmage versus the Cougars.

Rowan Brumbaugh – FR.

Size: 6-foot-4, 190 pounds
2022 On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 85 (four-star)

With Carr, Hunter, and Rice taking most of the minutes, plus the acumen of Brock Cunningham, Timmy Allen, Christian Bishop, and Dillon Mitchell at forward, look for Brumbaugh to get spot minutes as he adjusts to competition level and refines his game for the Big 12 grind.

Arterio Morris – FR.

Size: 6-foot-3, 190 pounds
2022 On3 Consensus ranking: No. 19 (five-star)

Morris arrives as one of the top guards in his class on the court, and one of the top combo guard prospects in country in the 2022 cycle.

Morris played fast for Kimball, and look for him to be in a role that accentuates his strengths in that type of system. He’ll be the fourth guard for the Longhorns, and is going through an adjustment period as he becomes used to playing in a more structured environment. However, Morris’ presence on the roster should indicate Beard means what he says when he states Texas is going to be more up-tempo. Morris has excelled in transition thus far, and the ability to be a playmaker off the dribble from the wing position will only help Texas going forward.