Hook'em Headlines
Fansided

The Shaka Six: Meet the Longhorns class that will reach 2018 Final Four

By James Caldwell

Dec 12, 2015; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Shaka Smart reacts against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half at the Frank Erwin Special Events Center. Texas beat UNC 84-82. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 12, 2015; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Shaka Smart reacts against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half at the Frank Erwin Special Events Center. Texas beat UNC 84-82. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
7 of 7
Next
Elijah Long
Mar 16, 2017; Buffalo, NY, USA; Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers guard Elijah Long (55) reacts in the first half against the Villanova Wildcats during the first round of the NCAA Tournament at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports /

6. Elijah Long

Elijah Long transferred from Mount St. Mary’s, making him ineligible to play this season. But, watch out for the 2018-2019 college basketball season when Long is eligible to play again.

Smart is smartly building a pipeline of transfer players who sit out a season and are eligible to make a big contribution after learning the system.

This year, it will be big man Dylan Osetkowski, who transferred from Tulane and is expected to be a huge part of the Texas Basketball team this coming year.

In two years, it will be Elijah Long helping run the show as a big, physical guard who Shaka Smart said reminds him of former Longhorn guard Javan Felix.

We’ll see if Matt Coleman will also be playing that season with Long, as he could be one-and-done with Mo Bamba. Hopefully Coleman will play at least two seasons with the Longhorns, but we’ll see how things play out this coming season.

Next: Where is the 2018 Final Four Location?

Overall, the Shaka Six recruiting class has the makings of a NCAA Title team. The destination is the 2018 Final Four in San Antonio. And, this is the team headlined by Mo Bamba and Matt Coleman will be the foundation for Shaka Smart to build on for years to come. It’s his Fab Five. And, it’s time to get the Texas Basketball machine revving again.

Home/Texas Basketball