Tyrese Hunter's lack of points doesn't concern Texas basketball coach Rodney Terry
FORT WORTH — Texas will reach the halfway point of its Big 12 men’s basketball campaign Saturday when it visits TCU, and the Longhorns have a few certainties in their lineup.
Guard Max Abmas, the graduate transfer from Oral Roberts, ranks third in the conference with a 17.7-point average and has reached double figures in every game. Forward Dylan Disu provides a scoring presence in the paint and has had fewer than 14 points just once in the past seven games. Frontcourt mate Dillon Mitchell is the Big 12's second-leading rebounder, averaging 8.7 boards, and remains one of the league's most versatile defenders. The Longhorns even get a reliable jolt of energy off the bench from sophomore guard Chendall Weaver, whose all-out effort draws consistent praise from head coach Rodney Terry and his staff.
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But where does that leave Tyrese Hunter, Texas' three-year starting guard who returned this season after a brief flirtation with the NBA? He has scored seven points or fewer in four of the past six games, but Terry doesn’t equate that lack of points with a drop in production.
“I think Tyrese has been pretty consistent on offense, to be honest,” Terry said Thursday. “He’s at his best when he's been really dialed in defensively. Even though he didn't score a whole lot of points the last ballgame, I thought he played one of his better games of the year against an elite-level team.”
Rodney Terry: 'It's not always about points'
Terry was referring to Monday’s 76-72 overtime loss to No. 4 Houston, one of the top defensive teams in the nation. Hunter played 42 minutes but took a season-low four shots while scoring five points. He also dished out five assists with just one untimely turnover late in the game.
“It's not always about points,” Terry said. “It's about winning. It's about doing your job at a high level. It's about being a great teammate, and I thought he checked the box on all those things in the last game.”
Comparing Hunter's, Texas' numbers to 2023
Hunter’s production backs Terry’s point. He’s started every game for a second consecutive season after starting as a freshman at Iowa State in 2021-22, and he averages 11.7 points on 48.6% shooting with 4.2 assists and 2.8 turnovers a game. Hunter has also had a big-game moment, capping a 21-point performance with the winning layup at the buzzer against Baylor on Jan. 20.
His numbers compare favorably with those from last season, when he averaged 10.3 points on 39.4% shooting while starting 38 games for a team that reached the Elite Eight. He also posted 2.5 assists and 1.8 turnovers a game a year ago while playing more off the ball because of the presence of Marcus Carr.
As a team, Texas is scoring 76.6 points a game, which is just 1.4 points lower than last season.
But the primary goals for Hunter entering this season didn’t include more scoring, Terry said.
“The biggest jump we wanted Tyrese to make this year was to be a little bit more vocal on the floor,” Terry said. "And I think he's really trying hard to do that in practice and in games. We also asked him to come back and want to be a guy who gets on the all-defensive team because that’s something he's going to try to do the remainder of his career. He's got to be a guy that plays really hard defensively.”
Saturday's game
Texas (14-7, 3-5) at No. 25 TCU (16-5, 5-3), 1 p.m., ESPN2, 1300
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas basketball coach Rodney Terry not worried about Tyrese Hunter
