At various points last season it seemed like Sean Miller’s first season at Texas was going to be a disappointment, but he led the Longhorns to the Sweet Sixteen as an 11-seed. Texas won three straight NCAA Tournament games before falling in a close battle against Purdue, turning a mediocre season into a great stepping stone for Miller’s vision for this program.
Regardless of that vision, things look very different on the court moving forward. Dailyn Swain opted for the NBA while senior guards Tramon Mark, Jordan Pope, and Chendall Weaver all departed. The significant returnee is no slouch in Matas Vokietaitis, the 7-footer from Lithuania who averaged 15.6 points and 7.1 rebounds last year and should be an even bigger star as a junior this season.
The roster got an upgrade
Impressive additions from the recruiting and transfer classes should keep Texas nationally relevant. 5-star forward Marcus Spears Jr. is a Top 10 recruit while 4-star’s Austin Goosby and Bo Ogden both definitely have roles this season. A similar splash made through the transfer portal was highlighted by former TCU forward David Punch. A depleted backcourt got plenty of new faces, notably adding Amari Evans from Tennessee, Elyjah Freeman from Auburn, and Mikey Lewis from Saint Mary’s.
It’s one other backcourt addition that has our attention in Isaiah Johnson and he’s hoping to excite the fans in Austin in the months ahead. He’s a 6-1 guard from Los Angeles who wasn’t exactly a widely-anticipated prospect when he opted for Colorado. Regardless, he turned in quite the freshman campaign with the Buffaloes, averaging 16.9 points and 3.0 assists while starting a handful of games, emerging as one of the league’s most efficient performers.
The expectations at Colorado and Texas are certainly different, but plugging the Buffaloes leading scorer into a major role with the Longhorns is a fantastic move for Miller and his staff. We mentioned the depletion in the backcourt and Johnson looks like the most important of those new guards. He’ll likely start at the point and slide into a major role in this offense both as a scorer and facilitator and Texas really needs him to perform if they want to follow up last season with even more success.
Skin of their teeth
Texas was 18-14 and barely deserved their bid to the NCAA Tournament but they made the most of that opportunity. Many of those notable players are gone, meaning it’s up to new pieces like Johnson, Lewis, and Punch to lead the way this season. The Longhorns shed significant talent but no doubt added plenty of remarkable pieces. At the very least, they’re going to need great leadership out of Johnson, who just might take a big step forward heading into his sophomore campaign.
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