Now what for Texas basketball? With portal open, Longhorns are ready to rebuild the roster

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In the painful moments following its taut 62-58 loss to Tennessee, the Texas basketball program got an immediate reminder that the college basketball season never really ends.

With the transfer portal already opened, Longhorns players and coaches patiently answered questions in their crowded locker room at Spectrum Center about the future of the program, even if it proved hard to accept the end of the season.

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“We've been locked into trying to get back to the second weekend,” Terry said, referring to his team’s trip to the Elite Eight last year. “I feel like we were a second-weekend team, and we played like a second-weekend team (in Charlotte). So that's been a whole focus, to try to get to the Sweet 16 and keep our feet moving.

“You know, we'll obviously get back to Austin and let things kind of decompress a little bit. We'll get a chance to visit individually with our guys and then obviously, you know, there's a date and time with the landscape of college athletics. We’re just going to try and put together another roster for next season.”

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Rodney Terry, Longhorns start answering offseason questions

Some questions about Texas seem to have answers after finishing its final season in the Big 12 with an overall 21-13 record and a third straight opening win at the NCAA Tournament.

Yes, the program looks in its best shape since the glory days of Rick Barnes — Saturday's winning coach for Tennessee, in case you haven’t heard — in the 2000s. After all, Terry has led Texas to four NCAA Tournament wins in his two seasons, which is more than the combined total in the 13 previous years under Barnes, Shaka Smart and Chris Beard.

Yes, the program should reload considering it's welcoming in three top-75 national recruits to replace the four departed graduates Dylan Disu, Max Abmas, Brock Cunningham and Ithiel Horton.

Yes, NIL should also help replenish the roster considering the deep interest — and deep pockets — that’s a part of all of Texas athletics.

And, yes, the awkward timing of the NCAA portal rules doesn’t allow any time for Terry and his staff to take a breath.

Who's back and who's not? We asked the Longhorns

A quick chat with many of the players after Saturday’s loss hints at how the coming months will shake out.

Sophomore forward Alex Anamekwe entered his name in the transfer portal last week after playing in just six games and not traveling with the team to Charlotte. Along with the four graduates, that leaves roughly five roster spots for scholarship players, three of which will be filled by the 2024 class of five-star guard Tre Johnson, four-star guard Cam Scott and four-star forward Nic Codie.

That means two or three spots will open for transfers, based on the players who said they will return to Texas next season.

Freshmen guard Chris Johnson and freshman forward Devon Pryor both said they'll be back, and both expressed an eagerness to get back into the gym as soon as possible and start prepping for next season.

“They’ve got a chance to see a lot from the sidelines this year, and they got a chance to go up against older guys every single day in practice, which forced them to grow a lot,” Terry said, referring to the potential of both of those players. “In the game of basketball, man, you’ve got to just put the work in. It's no secret. We always say there's no secret in the dirt. Come in and work to be the best version of yourself every single day.”

Sophomore guard Chendall Weaver and graduate forward Kadin Shedrick also said they will return after playing key roles in the rotation this season as first-year transfers. Weaver, who arrived from UT-Arlington, got better as the season wore on and looks like a pivotal player next season while Shedrick flashed his skills after recovering from off-season shoulder surgeries.

“You know, I’m proud of what I did this year and proud of what the team did,” Weaver said. “I just want to get to work and get better. Be a better shooter, be a better player. I’ll be in the gym all summer.”

That’s music to the ears of Terry, who loves the rhythm that Weaver brings into the program.

“Chendall’s best basketball is ahead of him,” Terry said. “He had a terrific year being a star in his role. He's going to continue to get better, and he’s going to have a big summer where he's going to continue improving in a lot of different areas.

“There’s no doubt about it that had an impact on our program this year. He was so coachable and a great kid to be around every single day.”

Three Longhorns are up in the air about 2024-25

Junior forward Ze’Rik Onyema, yet another junior transfer in his first season at Texas, did not comment. He only saw minimal action in 23 games but did play for Terry at UTEP.

That leaves forward Dillon Mitchell and guard Tyrese Hunter, who have each started the past two seasons. Both explored their draft options a year ago but decided to return to school after receiving their evaluations from NBA scouts. Both have said they’ll likely follow a similar approach this year, which leads to some uncertainty that could stretch into late May. Of the two, the 6-foot-8 Mitchell seems like a more likely player to leave based on his length, athleticism and high ceiling.

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Dylan Disu: Future bight for Texas has he leaves program

Regardless of the roster moves, Disu sees a bright future for his beloved Longhorns. The 6-foot-9 All-Big 12 forward said Texas “will be like a NBA-talent type of destination,” especially with NIL making collegiate athletics more appealing for players that will only spend a year or two playing NCAA basketball.

“Texas, they’ve got all the right things: great city, great school, great coaches,” Disu said. “What they offer goes beyond basketball. I think they’ll be just fine moving forward.”

While Terry understands the importance of finding the right pieces on the court, he also wants everything to fit together away from basketball as well as after Texas.

“I mean, we want to win a lot of games,” he said. “We're going to win a national championship at some point here, but I think it's bigger than basketball. When you work with young people, you try to instill in those guys how important it is to have incredible professional habits and always prepare themselves for the game in life. Be great fathers and great husbands. And hopefully your experiences that happen in basketball can help you navigate through life.”

He then motioned to Cunningham and Disu and several of the other players as they slowly walked out of the Spectrum Center locker room and toward the team bus.

“We have winners right there, and they’re going to be winners in the game of life,” he said.

Texas' 2024-25 roster

Coming back: G Chendall Weaver, F Kadin Shedrick, G Chris Johnson, F Devon Pryor

Not coming back: departing graduates F Dylan Disu, G Max Abmas, F Brock Cunningham and G Ithiel Horton; F Alex Anmekwe (portal)

Stay tuned: F Dillon Mitchell (NBA evaluation), G Tyrese Hunter (NBA evaluation), F Ze'Rik Onyema

On the way in: incoming freshmen G Tre Johnson, G Cam Scott, F Nic Codie

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas men's basketball begins to shape next season's roster