Report: Texas men's basketball team officially releases Ron Holland from letter of intent
While the door hasn’t slammed shut on the chances of heralded high school star Ron Holland playing for the Texas men’s basketball team next season, the crack keeps getting smaller and smaller.
According to CBS Sports, Texas has released Holland from the national letter of intent he signed in November. The site also reported that the move coincided with Holland’s visit to the G League Ignite in Las Vegas.
More: Guard Tyrese Hunter: I'm coming back to the Texas men's basketball team
Ignite has become an increasingly popular option for high school athletes who don’t want to spend their mandatory one year between the age of 18 and the NBA playing college ball. Started in 2020, Ignite consists of high school and college-age prospects and a handful of veterans. It plays a 30-game schedule against the G League’s 29 NBA-affiliated teams.
Ignite alumni include Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green, Golden State forward Jonathan Kuminga and guard Scoot Henderson. Green was the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NBA draft, Kuminga was the No. 7 pick in 2021, and Henderson is projected as a top-five pick in this year's draft.
Holland, a 6-foot-8 forward from Duncanville and a McDonald's All-American, ranks as one of the top 2023 prospects in the nation. He decommitted from Texas in April but said that Texas remains a possible landing spot for next season.
"I want to take this time to thank (UT coach Rodney Terry) and the entire Texas coaching staff for their consideration," Holland said in his social media announcement in April. "I would also like to thank the Longhorn Nation for all their love and support. While this has been a difficult process, I have decided to decommit from University of Texas and re-open my recruitment. Texas will still be one of my top schools of choice."
While Ignite looks like an increasingly likely option, a representative for Holland told Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News that the forward plans to “visit four to five colleges after he graduates from Duncanville at the end of May.”
Recruiting experts have linked Holland with Arkansas, which heavily recruited him in high school.
If Holland does sign elsewhere or join Ignite, that will leave Texas without a recruit for the class of 2023. A.J. Johnson, a five-star point guard from California, had also signed with Texas but chose to play professionally in Australia.
Terry, who was hired in March after leading Texas to a 29-9 record and a spot in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament as interim head coach, rebounded from those losses as well as other departures by signing four players in the transfer portal.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Hoops recruit Ron Holland reportedly released from Texas LOI, eyes G League
