Texas basketball down forward depth with Kamaka Hepa transferring

The roster attrition is starting to take full effect for the Texas basketball program in the week following the hire of new head coach Chris Beard. Texas has already lost the likes of senior big man Royce Hamm and sophomore shooting guard Donovan Williams to the NCAA Transfer Portal early in the offseason, and yet another loss arrived this week.

According to a 247Sports Transfer Portal report on April 6, the Longhorns junior forward and former four-star recruit Kamaka Hepa put his name in the transfer portal this week. Hepa will reportedly enter the transfer portal this offseason as a graduate transfer that will be immediately eligible to compete next season.

This trio of transfer portal losses for the Longhorns this offseason also adds to two key losses in their 2021 recruiting/signing class within the last few weeks. Texas lost the commitment/signing of both four-star Brookfield Central power forward David Joplin and four-star IMG Academy shooting guard Tamar Bates in the last two weeks.

Texas is also bound to lose key players from last year’s team such as senior guard Matt Coleman, senior big man Jericho Sims, sophomore power forward Kai Jones, and freshman power forward Greg Brown. There are going to be a lot of new faces on the roster next season for the Longhorns no matter what.

Impact of the loss of Texas basketball transfer F Kamaka Hepa

Losing Hepa is likely going to hurt the Longhorns more so than seeing Williams and Hamm put their names in the transfer portal. Hepa was set to get key rotational minutes in all likelihood next season as one of the more capable and proven forwards on the roster.

And while there’s no guarantee that Hepa will take his talents elsewhere out of the portal this offseason, this is not great news for Texas.

Hepa only played in nine games last season for the Longhorns. And he averaged 2.9 points per game, 1.0 rebounds, 0.1 assists, 0.1 steals, and 0.2 blocks. Hepa shot 50.0 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from beyond the arc, and missed on only one attempt from the free-throw line.

Due to recovery from nagging injury issues last season, Hepa didn’t get much playing time. But a full offseason of rest might’ve got him back in position to make big contributions for the team next season.

Hepa played in 58 games in total in three years for Texas. In his career, he averaged 2.4 points per game, 1.6 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.1 steals, and 0.4 blocks. And he shot 35.1 percent from the field, 33.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 70.6 percent from the free-throw line.

A Portland, OR, native and former talented four-star recruit that held nearly 20 scholarship offers coming out of high school, it’s hard to tell where Hepa will land next. He had big-time offers coming out of Jefferson High School in Portland from the likes of the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Arizona Wildcats, Miami Hurricanes, Oklahoma Sooners, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Oregon Ducks, Oregon State Beavers, USC Trojans, and Washington Huskies.

Texas wound up parting ways with former sixth-year head coach Shaka Smart back on March 26, after he took the job opening with the Marquette Golden Eagles. The former Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Beard was hired as his replacement back on April 1.