Texas Basketball: What does Courtney Ramey’s commitment mean?

With Courtney Ramey committing to Texas basketball, Shaka Smart is on the verge of his best roster yet. How will the guard help the Longhorns?

There are rarely many top-100 recruits left by this time in the recruiting season. Yet, Texas basketball was just able to snag one of the best class of 2018 high school players in the country. Courtney Ramey, a 6’3″ guard from Missouri who is ranked No. 40 in the class, just committed to the Longhorns. This is a tremendous addition during the final stretch of recruitment for the class. The commitment launched Texas to the eighth-best recruiting class in the country, a remarkable achievement for head coach Shaka Smart.

In addition to just being a talented player, Ramey fills a need for Texas. Even though Matt Coleman and Kerwin Roach Jr. are returning to Austin next season to start in the backcourt, the team is losing plenty of talent at the guard position. Most notably, Eric Davis Jr. has elected to turn professional and Jacob Young is transferring. These departures leave a massive hold in Texas’ backcourt depth that Ramey will be able to fill.

While playing for the Webster Groves Statesmen as a senior this past season, Ramey posted averages of 21.8 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game. His all-around skill was well-noted at the high school level as he attracted interest from some of the top programs in the country. In fact, Ramey, a former Louisville commit, made his final decision to attend Texas over the likes of South Carolina, SMU, Oklahoma State, and Missouri, among others.

Arguably the most important skill that Ramey will bring to Texas is his ability to shoot from beyond the arc. Last season, the Longhorns ranked 321st in the country (out of 351) in 3-point percentage with a dreadful 32.0% clip. Considering Ramey dropped in threes at a 39.2% rate in his final high school season, his presence will be welcomed on the perimeter. If necessary, his ability to create for others might also be found to be vital when Coleman needs a breather.

Ramey joins three fellow top-100 recruits (and another commit as well) in Shaka Smart’s 2018 recruiting class. With this influx of talent to go along with a reasonable amount of returning players, Texas is looking poised for their best season yet under Smart. The Longhorns made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 10 seed this past year but it seems like a guarantee that they will be even better this next season.

Next: Way-too-early 2019 Bracketology

Even though it seems extremely likely that Kansas will win the Big 12 once again in 2018-19, Texas could be one of the teams fighting for a top-half finish. The program is definitely on the rise thanks to the recruiting prowess of Smart. Hopefully, this is the year that the results of that really start to show up on the court.