Texas Longhorns basketball: In-depth look at the roster
The Texas Longhorns hit a walk off grand slam Friday adding Iowa State transfer point guard Tyrese Hunter to the 2022-23 roster.
Hunter will combine with Marcus Carr, Sir’Jabari Rice, Arterio Morris and Rowan Brumbaugh to form a formidable backcourt for Chris Beard in year two. Hunter, Carr and Rice were all starting point guards on NCAA Tournament teams that advanced to the Round of 32 or farther. Carr and Rice can now slide off the ball and attack more with the capability to run offense when needed. The ultra athletic Morris and 6-foot-4 Brumbaugh give Texas tremendous depth, athleticism, court vision and ball handling. The 2022-23 Longhorns will be the best all-around ball handling team in many years in Austin.
Tyrese Hunter will run the show
The Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2021-22 will run the show in Austin next season. The 6-foot-1 point guard brings quickness, toughness on both ends of the floor, shot creation for others and shot making. Hunter is a plus athlete in terms of quickness and vertical ability. His ability to move without the ball is arguably the best among point guards at the college level.
Hunter was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year by the league coaches after averaging 11.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.0 steals in 35 games. He connected on 39.1% from the field, 27.4% from three, 68.7% from the free throw line.
A deeper dive into Hunter statistically reveals a player that played his best against the best. In 19 Big 12 games, Hunter averaged 11.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.7 steals. He hit on 40.5% from the field, 28.2% from three and 67.2% from the foul line.
Hunter had a season best scoring performance in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64 upset win over LSU. He posted 23 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals. He connected on 7-11 from three in the win. Hunter averaged 13.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.3 steals in three NCAA Tournament games leading the Cyclones to the Sweet 16.
Hunter averaged 11.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.9 steals in 22 combined Big 12 and NCAA Tournament games. He connected on 40.5% from the field, 31.2% from three and 68.3% from the free throw line. The expectation is that the three-point percentage and free throw percentage ascend in year two of college basketball.
Hunter is seen as a legitimate NBA prospect by the Texas staff. He entered some rarified air as a freshman.
Marcus Carr
Carr will slide over and play in more of a combo guard role in year two in Austin. Carr is more than capable of running a team, as long as the players around him are shooters. Playing alongside Hunter, Carr will be in position to attack more, and create from the wing, an area Texas needed to improve going into year two.
Carr averaged 11.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 2021-22. He connected on 39.4% from the field, 33.8% from three and 76.9% from the free throw line.
The super senior played his best basketball in the NCAA Tournament last season. He averaged 19 points, 8.0 assists and and 1.0 steals per game in two tournament games. He connected on 14-29 from the field, 7-13 from three and 3-5 free throws.
Carr enters his final season of college basketball with 1,747 points scored. He has career averages of 13.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists.
Sir’Jabari Rice
The transfer of the 6-foot-4, long-armed Rice is flying under the radar. The Texas staff feels like this is a huge piece of the 2022-23 puzzle, however. Rice has the ability to be a lock-down defender with his combination of height, length and quickness. Offensively, Rice will move back to the wing where he is most comfortable after running the point last season for New Mexico State. Rice is an undervalued rebounder from the guard position, averaging 5.1 rebounds three years straight.
Rice averaged 11.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 2021-22. He hit on 39.1% from the field, 33.5% from three and 77.9 from the foul line.
The deeper dive into Rice is years two and three Las Cruces. Over 48 games, he shot 46.8% from the field (206-440), 37.4% from three (83-222) and 82.4% from the foul line (126-153). The final tally in the 48 games was 12.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.
Rice’s ability to attack off the dribble from the wing is expected to be a considerable upgrade over Andrew Jones and Courtney Ramey. He’s a quicker player with the ball, and more decisive.
Arterio Morris
The On3 Consensus 4-star combo guard will bring high-end athleticism to the program. He’s quick and fast with the ball, excels in transition, can go get a shot in the half court and finishes well above the rim. Morris is also a sneaky offensive rebounder. He can score in bunches. His point guard team running skill will need time to develop, but the court vision is there in spades. Having Hunter and Carr will allow for a smoother transition for Morris, and allow him to play to his terrific strengths in year one.
Morris is a future NBA draft pick, likely after two years in Austin.
Texas will star three guards in 2022-23 for the most part. A combination of Hunter, Carr and Morris or Rice would be give Texas three players on the court at all times that have point guard skills.
Rowan Brumbaugh
On3 Consensus 4-star point guard Rowan Brumbaugh is the sleeper prospect headed into the program. Brumbaugh is seemingly taking off physically right now. He’s closing in on 6-foot-4, and is beginning to make plays above the rim.
Brumbaugh is a pure point guard. He has the ball on a string, plays with excellent pace, possesses hesitation in his game and sees the floor with ideal timing. Should Brumbaugh prove he can make three’s off the bounce, he will race past expectations in Austin.
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Brumbaugh should be considered an upgrade over Devin Askew in year one.
Timmy Allen back for one more run
Timmy Allen was the best player for the Longhorns in 2021-22. The 6-foot-6 forward is yet another player that can handle the ball and make plays. His ability to handle the ball against pressure defense makes the guards job easier. His mid-range game is among the best in college basketball.
Allen averaged 12.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists in year one in Austin. He converted 49.3% from the field and 73.9% from the free throw line. Continued improvement from beyond the arc will tall the long term story for Allen as a professional.
Allen scored 20 points or more three times last season, all close wins over Kansas, Oklahoma and West Virginia.
Dillon Mitchell
The On3 Consensus 5-star forward is a future NBA lottery pick. His athletic ability is beyond elite. Having grown to 6-foot-8.5, Mitchell’s upside will be the highest in the program. His ability to run the floor, finish at the top of the square and two bounce ball handling will allow for Texas to enjoy more transition scoring opportunities.
Mitchell’s mid-range game is undervalued, largely because he played on the most talented high school team in the country at Montverde. His shooting stroke is improving rapidly.
On3 Senior season scouting profile:
An explosive athlete with great length. Has high-level defensive instincts, can guard on or off the ball, and switch up and down a lineup. He can handle the ball and make plays, as an initiator, out of the pick and roll. The jump shot is inconsistent at best. Gets a side rotation on it. Needs to gain confidence in it to make it a weapon. Great in transition. Good off-ball cutter. Scores off movement. Can play out of the dunker spots. Very efficient on offense. Knows who he is.
Christian Bishop
When looking at the players that improved under Beard last season, the 6-foot-7.5 Bishop comes to mind. Improvement comes in more than scoring and rebounding averages. His stat line was better two years ago at Creighton.
Bishop made serious strides from the free throw line, and confidence facing the basket. He hit 67.5% from the free throw line, and had his first season over 57% in college basketball. Bishop didn’t look lost with the ball on the perimeter, thus setting up another ascending step or two next season. He was a more physical player, and improved as a team defender under Beard and staff.
Bishop averaged 7.0 points and 5.6 rebounds in 2021-22. He averaged 10.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in two NCAA Tournament games.
Brock Cunningham
Cunningham will bring the toughness, competitive fire and improving skill for one more season. He made strides in his shot mechanics under Beard and staff. He was much more ready to shoot the ball on the catch last season. His improved mechanics carried over to the free throw line as well. He’s the ideal culture player for Chris Beard’s program. He fully understands his role, and is willing to do all the little things to impact winning.
Cunningham averaged 2.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 2021-22. He connected on 11-23 from three, and 13-16 free throws.
Alex Anamekwe
The spring signee is a prospect the Longhorns staff is very excited about developing. Having grown to nearly 6-foot-6 with length and vertical power, Anamekwe has plenty of upside. He had multiple games of more than one three-point make as a senior. That offensive development will be key for him at the high-major level. Anamekwe will rebound in traffic, make plays on the ball defensively and can finish above the rim.
Dylan Disu
Inside Texas expects the 6-foot-9 Disu to return for one more season. A more healthy and confident Disu would add a key inside piece to the team defensively and rebounding. Offensively, gaining his confidence back to be a more aggressive player would add a needed element to the 2022-23 team.
Texas fans didn’t come close to seeing the Disu that average 15.0 points, and led the SEC in rebounding two seasons ago.
