Former Texas basketball players Jabari Rice, Marcus Carr, Timmy Allen sign free-agent contracts
It didn’t take long for former Texas men’s basketball players Jabari Rice, Marcus Carr and Timmy Allen to find NBA homes.
Hours after Thursday’s NBA Draft ended without the selection of any Texas players, Rice, Carr and Allen signed NBA free-agent deals that will at least give the trio a chance to make an impact at next month’s Summer League in Las Vegas
Per reports from ESPN, San Antonio signed Rice to a “two-way deal,” which means the 6-foot-4 guard can simultaneously be rostered on both the Spurs as well as their G League affiliate in Austin. That’s good news for Texas fans, who quickly embraced Rice after he transferred to Texas prior to the 2022-23 season after four years at New Mexico State.
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A native of the Houston area who helped Fort Bend Marshall reach a state title game in 2017, Rice raised eyebrows from NBS scouts while earning MVP honors at the Portsmouth Invitational, which is a tournament comprised of selected college seniors. He also received a call-up to the NBA Draft Combine after impressing scouts at the G League Elite Camp in May. The Big 12’s Sixth Man of the Year this past season, Rice averaged 13 points and 3.5 rebounds in 25.3 minutes a game for a Texas team that won the Big 12 Tournament and reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
Undrafted free agent point guard Marcus Carr out of Texas will play Summer League for the Phoenix Suns, his agent Chris Grier Luchey of @CGLSports tells @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport. Carr was First-Team Big 12.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 23, 2023
Carr could join Rice in the Summer League after signing a contract with the Phoenix Suns, according to his agent, Chris Grier Luchey. Like Rice, the 6-2 Carr has participated in workouts with multiple teams. A physical guard who can play the point and provide suffocating on-ball defense, Carr earned All-Big 12 first-team honors while starting all 38 games for Texas and leading the team in scoring (15.9 points per game), assists (157), steals (62) and minutes (33.9 minutes per game). He converted 36.8% from three-point range and posted an impressive 2.66 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Allen will also get his chance to make an impact in the Summer League after signing with Memphis on Friday. The 6-6 wing received All-Big 12 honorable mention after leading Texas in rebounding (5.6 rebounds per game) and ranking second in assists (122) and third in scoring (10.5 points per game). Allen doesn't attempt many three-point shots, but his defensive versatility and ability to score in the paint could help him claim a roster spot in the NBA or G League, according to scouts.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Jabari Rice, Marcus Carr, Timmy Allen sign NBA contracts after draft
