Next year and the portal is now open

Horns11 said:
From the mothership: way-too-early predictions for 2024-25 -

21. Texas Longhorns
Previous ranking: 20

Texas is another school that has had a love-hate relationship with the transfer portal and offseason. Out the door went Tyrese Hunter and Dillon Mitchell, while top-50 recruit Cam Scott decommitted. Incoming are Tramon Mark (Arkansas), Jayson Kent (Indiana State), Julian Larry (Indiana State) and Jordan Pope (Oregon State). At least three could start. Rodney Terry also landed top-five prospect Tre Johnson, one of the elite scorers in the 2024 high school class. Whether Kadin Shedrick can play with some consistency will be key.

Projected starting lineup

Jordan Pope (17.6 PPG at Oregon State)
Tramon Mark (16.2 PPG at Arkansas)
Tre Johnson (No. 5 in ESPN 100)
Jayson Kent (13.5 PPG at Indiana State)
Kadin Shedrick (7.7 PPG)

I don't disagree. I still think nabbing Omier would have been the icing on the cake and having Kent back him up at the 4, but we can work with this lineup that Terry has put together.

Looks like Hawkins is going to stay in the NBA Draft based on all of his quotes this week.

Hookem Headlines says Toppin is going to commit to us as soon as the NIL dust clears. Great Osobor really did all the bigs remaining in the portal a favor by disclosing what he was looking for, and now the expectation is that they'd have to use that as the bar for remaining available bigs. If we get Toppin, we're pretty much done:

Pope - Larry
Mark - Weaver
Johnson - Pryor - Presley
Toppin - Kent - Codie
Shedrick - Onyema

Talent-wise has a slight edge for 2024-25 (solely because of Johnson). I'm actually pumped about the depth:
  • Larry is a real PG and was credited with a lot of IndSt's success, especially in the NIT.
  • Weaver is Weaver and will probably be the first guy off the bench when we go small ball.
  • Kent is solid, and while he doesn't have the athleticism of Mitchell, he's better at playing solid minutes for longer stretches of time. My guess is that he'd be called for the "Brock Cunningham" role on D.
  • Little worried about rotating Shedrick and Onyema, but if that became a problem, we could play a smaller lineup with Toppin at the 5 and move everyone else up a slot (Weaver, Mark, Johnson would be 2, 3, and long-range 4).
Click to expand...
Former Lobo JT Toppin has big first day at NBA Draft Combine | Sports | abqjournal.com

Toppin looking at a cool NIL Mil to come play ball at Texas for one year and get arguably, into better next level shape; still needs to work on his D and switching without getting beat. While he may have showed well at the NBA combine, I still don't see him much better off than a late 2nd round-to-GLeague prospect. If he comes back for one more year of development, he could be an early first rounder for 2025.

C'mon JT! Texas Texas Yeehawww!
 
Is Texas basketball nil that flush with cash that it can offer Toppin a mil? I had no idea, but then maybe that is just the floor in this day and age?
 
We need another big and damn the pickins are slim. I could see a Mark-recruit-Brazile from piggy connection potentially.
 
txlandagent said:
We need another big and damn the pickins are slim. I could see a Mark-recruit-Brazile from piggy connection potentially.
Click to expand...

I don't necessarily mind the slim pickings because of how we're going to play in 2024-25 (the bigs aren't going to lead us like Disu had to on many occasions).

You're right about Brazile. I still prefer Hawkins from Illinois but I think he's had some personal issues. The other one I mentioned way back up the thread (Burns from Youngstown St) is still available and he reminds me of the swing-and-a-miss Omier who went to Baylor.

When it comes down to it, Texas isn't going to be shy about showcasing how it wins next year, and it's all going through the Tre Johnson station. Get on board. I have a feeling this season is going to be a lot like 2006-07, but hopefully with a better postseason result.
 
Horns11 said:
I don't necessarily mind the slim pickings because of how we're going to play in 2024-25 (the bigs aren't going to lead us like Disu had to on many occasions).

You're right about Brazile. I still prefer Hawkins from Illinois but I think he's had some personal issues. The other one I mentioned way back up the thread (Burns from Youngstown St) is still available and he reminds me of the swing-and-a-miss Omier who went to Baylor.

When it comes down to it, Texas isn't going to be shy about showcasing how it wins next year, and it's all going through the Tre Johnson station. Get on board. I have a feeling this season is going to be a lot like 2006-07, but hopefully with a better postseason result.
Click to expand...

Hawkins would be the best get of what's left but he is almost certainly not coming back to college. 2nd best for sure is DJ Burns, he is a Windex man, which would complement what we have running next season. He would be my pick over Brazile. Did Texas offer him? Brazile-Mark would add a level of chemistry.
 
Yeah Powell would fill the hole that Vinson can't... a physical presence near the blocks.

Vinson went from a 6'5" banger in early HS to a 6'11" beansprout who tends to stay out of actual post responsibilities. Watching a lot of his clips, it looks like Vinson was going to be a swingman from his freshman/sophomore ones. We already kind of have that filled. It'll be nice to have him as forward depth.

Powell would be a 6th man type of forward. First guy out there if Kent or Shedrick got into foul trouble. His frame reminds me of that Burns and Omier group. He looks good.
 
According to ON3, 6/21/2024, Arthur Kaluma, the top uncommitted player left in the transfer portal, reportedly has a visit set to Texas early next week. He spent two years at Creighton and last season at Kansas State where his numbers were 14.4 points, seven rebounds, and two assists per games in 33 games with 32 starts. ON3 lists him as a 6'-8", 225 lb power forward. ON3's College Rating for him is 93.00 points and four stars. Perhaps Kaluma will fill Texas' last scholarship position.
 
BudreauReye said:
According to ON3, 6/21/2024, Arthur Kaluma, the top uncommitted player left in the transfer portal, reportedly has a visit set to Texas early next week. He spent two years at Creighton and last season at Kansas State where his numbers were 14.4 points, seven rebounds, and two assists per games in 33 games with 32 starts. ON3 lists him as a 6'-8", 225 lb power forward. ON3's College Rating for him is 93.00 points and four stars. Perhaps Kaluma will fill Texas' last scholarship position.
Click to expand...

He was supposed to be our last big haul for the 2023-24 season, and then signed with KSU at the last minute. I could look up what I wrote about him last offseason, but here's some highlights:
  • Went 24-12-3-1-1 against KU in the Round of 32 as a freshman. Basically the best player they had in spurts down the stretch that year.
  • Played well enough against us in the loud December 2022 game but missed some open threes and that cost the Blue Jays.
  • Lost to us in Austin as a member of the Wildcats but made up for it by beating us in the conference tourney.
His reliance on the 3-point game needs to be toned down. Tre Johnson is the lanky one who's going to be taking all of those. Kaluma shows really good physicality and strength, so it's a tad perplexing why he's always hanging out behind the arc.

I honestly don't think he's coming to Austin if he can't get starter's minutes. With Mark and Kent due for those already, I'm not optimistic that Terry would be able to sell him on that.
Conference change? XII is already decent at basketball.
Just wants a challenge? Alright.
Maybe he has gained weight or something and wants to play on a block more. That's pretty much the only scenario that would work out well for him. We'd be golden either way.
 
Horns11 said:
He was supposed to be our last big haul for the 2023-24 season, and then signed with KSU at the last minute. I could look up what I wrote about him last offseason, but here's some highlights:
  • Went 24-12-3-1-1 against KU in the Round of 32 as a freshman. Basically the best player they had in spurts down the stretch that year.
  • Played well enough against us in the loud December 2022 game but missed some open threes and that cost the Blue Jays.
  • Lost to us in Austin as a member of the Wildcats but made up for it by beating us in the conference tourney.
His reliance on the 3-point game needs to be toned down. Tre Johnson is the lanky one who's going to be taking all of those. Kaluma shows really good physicality and strength, so it's a tad perplexing why he's always hanging out behind the arc.

I honestly don't think he's coming to Austin if he can't get starter's minutes. With Mark and Kent due for those already, I'm not optimistic that Terry would be able to sell him on that.
Conference change? XII is already decent at basketball.
Just wants a challenge? Alright.
Maybe he has gained weight or something and wants to play on a block more. That's pretty much the only scenario that would work out well for him. We'd be golden either way.
Click to expand...

Horns11, I appreciate your comments. This time of year, there is not much conversation about Longhorn basketball ... at least on free forums. Also, the game has really changed since I started watching Leon Black's teams a an undergraduate, wishing we could have players like Tech's PF Rich Bullock, 6'-9" 240. Of course, about that time, Leon had a pretty good one, 6'-7" 195 SF/PF Larry Robinson.

It seems to me that for the first time in a long time, Texas has a plethora of tall athletic "Larry Robinson" wannabee's that can play the three and slide/stretch to the four. What we need to fill that 13th slot is one more "Rich Bullock" wannabee.

Seems to me that unlike in Leon's, Rich's, and Larry's day, Coach Terry has either recruited toward playing a lot of a perimeter oriented team with four out and one in, with a lot of taller players on the perimeter ... or that he has been forced there because of who he has been able to recruit. The thing that concerns me is that if Shedrick is a no go for whatever reason ... well, do we try to play five with some tall guys on the perimeter with Chendall Weaver inside?

Maybe that is not such a bad idea since Chendall seems to fit the bill as the next "Uber Brock Meister".

Anyway, all comments are appreciated on a slow day in the off season.
 
BudreauReye said:
Horns11, I appreciate your comments. This time of year, there is not much conversation about Longhorn basketball ... at least on free forums. Also, the game has really changed since I started watching Leon Black's teams a an undergraduate, wishing we could have players like Tech's PF Rich Bullock, 6'-9" 240. Of course, about that time, Leon had a pretty good one, 6'-7" 195 SF/PF Larry Robinson.

It seems to me that for the first time in a long time, Texas has a plethora of tall athletic "Larry Robinson" wannabee's that can play the three and slide/stretch to the four. What we need to fill that 13th slot is one more "Rich Bullock" wannabee.

Seems to me that unlike in Leon's, Rich's, and Larry's day, Coach Terry has either recruited toward playing a lot of a perimeter oriented team with four out and one in, with a lot of taller players on the perimeter ... or that he has been forced there because of who he has been able to recruit. The thing that concerns me is that if Shedrick is a no go for whatever reason ... well, do we try to play five with some tall guys on the perimeter with Chendall Weaver inside?

Maybe that is not such a bad idea since Chendall seems to fit the bill as the next "Uber Brock Meister".

Anyway, all comments are appreciated on a slow day in the off season.
Click to expand...
With tall, skinny guys like Vinson and Codie, our S&C team and nutritionists need to be all over them. If Vinson was 6'11" 235-240 lbs, he might be a more effective rebounder and interior force than at 6'11" 210 lbs. Likewise with Codie--take him from 6'9" 200 lbs up to 6'9" 225 lbs. And I'm talking about the "good kind of weight" and not so much added size as to reduce their agility. They need some more muscle to bang around inside against the sort of inside-the-paint competition we're sure to see.

Rebounds ---> not sexy, but they win games.

:bevo::bevo::bevo:
 
Chop said:
With tall, skinny guys like Vinson and Codie, our S&C team and nutritionists need to be all over them. If Vinson was 6'11" 235-240 lbs, he might be a more effective rebounder and interior force than at 6'11" 210 lbs. Likewise with Codie--take him from 6'9" 200 lbs up to 6'9" 225 lbs. And I'm talking about the "good kind of weight" and not so much added size as to reduce their agility. They need some more muscle to bang around inside against the sort of inside-the-paint competition we're sure to see.

Rebounds ---> not sexy, but they win games.

:bevo::bevo::bevo:
Click to expand...

We used to be known for this. Guys like James Thomas would come in, gain 20 pounds of muscle, and then be a force to deal with on D. The game has changed a ton in 20 years. I don't put a lot of stock in any Under Armour league coaches (hustlers) who say "oh yeah all you gotta do is fix his ____ game and then he'll be your next ____ (insert NBA player here)."

With easy transfers and video going all the way down to the depths of DIII, I think you watch a lot of film and take a chance on guys who already have elements of their game that don't need to be changed. I think Pope is a good example of this.

With freshmen, it's just hard to know what you're getting unless they've been doing it at the UA camps and tournaments since middle school.
 
BudreauReye said:
Horns11, The thing that concerns me is that if Shedrick is a no go for whatever reason ... well, do we try to play five with some tall guys on the perimeter with Chendall Weaver inside?

Maybe that is not such a bad idea since Chendall seems to fit the bill as the next "Uber Brock Meister".

Anyway, all comments are appreciated on a slow day in the off season.
Click to expand...
Weaver is the defensive stopper (pest) on the perimeter and fits the Brock role there. If Shedrick can't go, the banger down low will probably be Onemya, Kent or Pressly. I would expect that the defense would switch on most screen situations since all the Texas Players other than maybe Shedrick and Onemya are of similar size and build.
 
Chop said:
With tall, skinny guys like Vinson and Codie, our S&C team and nutritionists need to be all over them. If Vinson was 6'11" 235-240 lbs, he might be a more effective rebounder and interior force than at 6'11" 210 lbs. Likewise with Codie--take him from 6'9" 200 lbs up to 6'9" 225 lbs. And I'm talking about the "good kind of weight" and not so much added size as to reduce their agility. They need some more muscle to bang around inside against the sort of inside-the-paint competition we're sure to see.

Rebounds ---> not sexy, but they win games.

:bevo::bevo::bevo:
Click to expand...

You get where I am coming from.

It could be very interesting with the current roster ... several tall small forwards with potent scoring at the one through four in a four out, one in line up. But, we could suffer if for any reason Shedrick can't go.

I like Onyema's physicality, but he needs to take a step forward. Last year he played less as the season progressed. A lot of folks seem to be penciling in Jayson Kent at the four, yet most seem to evaluate him as a small forward.

A part of me gets all excited about running around them, running past them, and scoring a lot of points.

I remember that Abe Lemmons in his day was not afraid to put up some points, but I also remember him crowing about recruiting La Salle Thompson and Mike Wacker, saying that he had himself an Aircraft Carrier and a Destroyer. Those guys got themselves some rebounds.

I like the way the game has changed. It will be interesting to see how Coach handles this roster.
 
Walking Boss said:
Weaver is the defensive stopper (pest) on the perimeter and fits the Brock role there. If Shedrick can't go, the banger down low will probably be Onemya, Kent or Pressly. I would expect that the defense would switch on most screen situations since all the Texas Players other than maybe Shedrick and Onemya are of similar size and build.
Click to expand...

These are all assuming Shedrick is playing.

With the swing-and-a-miss on Toppin (guess we couldn't do Lubbock style NIL), my best guess for small ball would be:
Pope
Weaver
Johnson
Mark
Kent

Our "stoppers" lineup if we had foul trouble and had to rotate guys after timeouts or loose balls:
Larry
Weaver
Presley
Kent (Powell if we sign him)
Shedrick (Onyema if he can't go)

Our "have to score 7 points in less than a minute" lineup:
Pope
Larry
Johnson
Mark
Shedrick (Kent if he can't go)
 
Horns11 said:
These are all assuming Shedrick is playing.

With the swing-and-a-miss on Toppin (guess we couldn't do Lubbock style NIL), my best guess for small ball would be:
Pope
Weaver
Johnson
Mark
Kent

Our "stoppers" lineup if we had foul trouble and had to rotate guys after timeouts or loose balls:
Larry
Weaver
Presley
Kent (Powell if we sign him)
Shedrick (Onyema if he can't go)

Our "have to score 7 points in less than a minute" lineup:
Pope
Larry
Johnson
Mark
Shedrick (Kent if he can't go)
Click to expand...


Thanks Horns11 ... This is what I need to see. Love it. Gonna take me a while to digest it. This reminds me of the "Old Hornfans" days. ;. - }.
 
This from "HOOK'EM HEADLINES", Kansas St transfer Arthur Kaluma visiting Texas next week


Texas among top 2 for K-State transfer F Arthur Kaluma
SMU and Texas reportedly make up the two schools transfer forward target Arthur Kaluma will decide between when he's ready to announce this summer.
By Andrew Miller


"Texas basketball and head coach Rodney Terry hosted former Kansas State Wildcats junior transfer forward Arthur Kaluma for an official visit early this week. Kaluma's trip to Austin wrapped up on the afternoon of June 25.

This was the second visit Kaluma has taken within the last week, with the other being to see the SMU Mustangs in Dallas.

Texas basketball a top option for Kansas State transfer F Arthur Kaluma early this summer
Kaluma told Horns247 on June 25 (paid content) that he loved the opportunity to get to see the city of Austin and the campus at Texas. He reportedly hadn't been around the city to see much despite being from just a few hours up I-35 from Dallas.

The 6-foot-7 and 220-pound third-year forward said he knows new Texas junior point guard and former Oregon State Beavers transfer Jordan Pope from when they played against each other in high school.

"I mean, Timmy Allen was a good example that they used when we had conversations. I'm a plug-in guy. You can put me in anywhere and I'll be able to succeed."

Terry and the Longhorns staff pitched Kaluma to play in a Timmy Allen-type role playing at the three or the four, where he can handle the ball and create offense and distribute the basketball from inside the arc. He's seen the type of wings and forwards Terry and staff can develop at Texas.

Kaluma also sees the potential with the rotation Texas has built so far this offseason, largely with immediate impact transfers who can fill key roles in the starting lineup next season in the SEC. The fact that Texas has the potential to make a deep tournament run next season appeals to Kaluma, as does getting to play close to home for the next campaign.

It sounds like Kaluma's decision will come down to SMU and Texas. A decision is likely coming soon from Kaluma since he reportedly doesn't plan to take any more visits this summer."
 
BudreauReye said:
This from "HOOK'EM HEADLINES", Kansas St transfer Arthur Kaluma visiting Texas next week


Texas among top 2 for K-State transfer F Arthur Kaluma
SMU and Texas reportedly make up the two schools transfer forward target Arthur Kaluma will decide between when he's ready to announce this summer.
By Andrew Miller


"Texas basketball and head coach Rodney Terry hosted former Kansas State Wildcats junior transfer forward Arthur Kaluma for an official visit early this week. Kaluma's trip to Austin wrapped up on the afternoon of June 25.

This was the second visit Kaluma has taken within the last week, with the other being to see the SMU Mustangs in Dallas.

Texas basketball a top option for Kansas State transfer F Arthur Kaluma early this summer
Kaluma told Horns247 on June 25 (paid content) that he loved the opportunity to get to see the city of Austin and the campus at Texas. He reportedly hadn't been around the city to see much despite being from just a few hours up I-35 from Dallas.

The 6-foot-7 and 220-pound third-year forward said he knows new Texas junior point guard and former Oregon State Beavers transfer Jordan Pope from when they played against each other in high school.

"I mean, Timmy Allen was a good example that they used when we had conversations. I'm a plug-in guy. You can put me in anywhere and I'll be able to succeed."

Terry and the Longhorns staff pitched Kaluma to play in a Timmy Allen-type role playing at the three or the four, where he can handle the ball and create offense and distribute the basketball from inside the arc. He's seen the type of wings and forwards Terry and staff can develop at Texas.

Kaluma also sees the potential with the rotation Texas has built so far this offseason, largely with immediate impact transfers who can fill key roles in the starting lineup next season in the SEC. The fact that Texas has the potential to make a deep tournament run next season appeals to Kaluma, as does getting to play close to home for the next campaign.

It sounds like Kaluma's decision will come down to SMU and Texas. A decision is likely coming soon from Kaluma since he reportedly doesn't plan to take any more visits this summer."
Click to expand...

Kaluma can really shake up the depth chart. I like the Timmy Allen comparison but that's definitely "believe it when I see it" based on his play from these past couple seasons. Timmy Allen wasn't hanging out behind the arc for a third of the possessions.

Best case scenario is that he's put on some muscle and wants to play from within 18 feet (which was Timmy's angle) and we wouldn't need to worry about going small because he'd be able to defend the other team's 4. I was really high on him joining us last year, so maybe it's just "sloppy seconds" regrets on my part. I think he could be a one-year leader kind of guy... hopefully providing the same kind of spark as Sir'Jabari Rice but at a different spot on the floor.
 
Horns11 said:
Our "have to score 7 points in less than a minute" lineup
Click to expand...

Hopefully there will be some D played there.

It reminds me of something Charles Barkley once said about a player (name slips my mind but it might have been Cedric Ceballos):

"He's instant offense... on both ends of the floor."

Nice.
 
On paper it looks like Terry has put together an overall better mix of players than last year. We'll just have to wait and see if it comes together into a cohesive whole.
 
Walking Boss said:
On paper it looks like Terry has put together an overall better mix of players than last year. We'll just have to wait and see if it comes together into a cohesive whole.
Click to expand...
And for this Terry supporter, I see this coming year as an acid test. If we don't get solid results (everybody will have their own definition for that phrase) then, like Peirce, it may be time to kick the tires on an upgrade.
 
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