Texas Longhorns hoops: First practice in the books
The Texas Longhorns held the first practice of the 2022-23 season on Monday. Texas enters the season ranked among the top 15 teams in the country in way-too-early season polls with a new mixture of talent that will bring more explosive athleticism and versatility to the backcourt and forward positions.
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The first game of the 2022-23 season is just 42 days away. The Longhorns in year two under Chris Beard and staff are a two seed in the September 6 release of ESPN’s Bracketology.
The Longhorns will have a much more explosive and deeper backcourt this season due to the transfer of point guard Tyrese Hunter and versatile 6-foot-4 guard Sir’Jabari Rice, along with freshmen Arterio Morris and Rowan Brumbaugh. Hunter, Rice and Marcus Carr were all starting point guards on teams that advanced to the NCAA Round of 32 or better a season ago.
Texas 2022-23 schedule
The Longhorns begin the regular season November 7 with a home game against UTEP, the official basketball opening of the Moody Center.
Texas has a home schedule that includes games against Gonzaga on November 16 and Creighton on December 1.
The Longhorns schedule includes 11 teams that are in the latest ESPN Bracketology. Those are Gonzaga (1 seed), Tennessee (2 seed), Creighton (4 seed), Illinois (6 seed), Stanford (play in) , Baylor (2 seed), Kansas (2 seed), TCU (4 seed), Texas Tech (6 seed), Oklahoma State (9 seed) and Oklahoma (11 seed). That means more than half of the Longhorns regular season games are against projected 2023 NCAA Tournament teams.
Texas Longhorns 2022-23 roster
Tyrese Hunter, PG, 6-1, sophomore (11.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists at Iowa State in 2021-22)
Marcus Carr, CG, 6-2, super senior (11.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists in 2021-22)
Sir’Jabari Rice, CG, 6-4, super senior (11.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists at New Mexico State in 2021-22)
Rowan Brumbaugh, PG, 6-4, freshman
Arterio Morris, CG, 6-3, freshman
Timmy Allen, F, 6-6, super senior (12.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists in 2021-22)
Dillon Mitchell, F, 6-7.5, freshman
Brock Cunningham, SF, 6-6, senior (2.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.6 assists in 2021-22)
Alex Anamekwe, PF, 6-6, freshman
Christian Bishop, PF 6-7, super senior (7.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 0.9 blocks in 2021-22)
Dylan Disu, PF, 6-9, senior (3.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.8 blocks in 2021-22)
Texas Longhorns summer superlatives
*Most Improved – Brock Cunningham. To say the senior from Westlake High enjoyed a great summer may be an understatement. Cunningham converted 47.8% from three and 81.3% from the free throw line in limited attempts last season. Those huge gains and newfound confidence have carried over to the summer. Cunningham is in great physical shape, is a more confident player with ball in hand, and is the same heart and soul fearless competitor that is very key for a college team.
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*New look – Marcus Carr. The super senior guard has dropped nearly 15 pounds since last season. And it shows with the ability to play at a higher clip for longer stretches. Carr has completely bought into his role as off the ball playmaker as well. That doesn’t mean he won’t have ball in hand and get Texas into the offense, either. There are a lot of interchangeable parts on offense with Hunter, Carr and Rice are on the court together.
*Most undervalued – Sir’Jabari Rice. Rice has flown under the radar since transferring from New Mexico State. The 6-foot-4.5 long-armed guard was the starting point guard on the Aggies’ Round of 32 team last season. He played off the ball prior to last season. Rice will be the best defender on the team. He’s an upgrade over Courtney Ramey and Andrew Jones off the bounce from the wing. He’s also an upgrade as a rebounder. Inside Texas was told when Rice transferred to Texas that “he will play professionally overseas.” IT was told earlier this summer that “he may even be a little better than that.”. Rice is seen as a player that will have the opportunity to make an NBA roster one day. Rice averaged 11.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 2021-22 for NMSU. He shot 35.7% from three in three years as a starter in Las Cruces.
*Gym rats – Rowan Brumbaugh and Christian Bishop. One of the aspects of teams with good chemistry is they tend to spend a lot of extra time in the gym together. That is seemingly the case with this group. Of course, there are always the ultimate “gym rats.” And the Longhorns certainly have one. If the lights are on or the weight room is open, Rowan Brumbaugh will be there. Extra shots or and extra lift, the near 6-foot-4 point guard is always around. Bishop is one of the best drivers of the ball from the power forward position in the college game. And one of the better athletes overall. Bishop has put in plenty of extra time working on his perimeter game since the end of the season. It’s easy to see he has designs on making his last season in college one that left nothing in the tank.
*Mr. Consistency – Timmy Allen. Allen enters his final season in college basketball as a consistent, very competitive forward. He’s a consistent double figures scorer, and grabbed six or more rebounds in 23 of 34 games last season. His day-to-day effort is as consistent as they come. He competes on a very high percentage of possessions on both ends of the court. Getting a taste of being on a winning team last season has only pushed him more in the off season.
*NBA draft upside – Dillon Mitchell. Mitchell has been appearing in the 2023 NBA mock drafts as a lottery pick since arriving in Austin. The 6-foot-7.5 forward definitely looks the part athletically, and with his hoops IQ. Mitchell has the opportunity to be a lottery pick after one season without being a high-end scorer. He will score his share, but his best offensive basketball is way out in front of him. The mid-range game is under valued, but it’s the ability to play well above the rim and with an advanced feel in the half court that will keep him in the lottery discussion. Tyrese Hunter is also appearing on 2023 NBA mock drafts in the late first, and early second round.
*Another quality free-throw shooting team – Texas shot 74.9% from the foul line last season. That was the best for a Texas team in many years. The seven players on the roster that played college basketball last season converted 73.6% (427 of 580). With continued improvement by Tyrese Hunter and Christian Bishop, that percentage could approach last season. Of course, freshmen Dillon Mitchell and Arterio Morris factor in heavily in that team percentage as well.
Texas Longhorns basketball staff
Chris Beard, Head Coach
Rodney Terry, Associate head coach
Brandon Chappell, Assistant coach
Bob Donewald Jr., Assistant coach
Chris Ogden, Managing Director
John Reilly, Strength and Conditioning
Casey Perrin, Director of operations
