Texas Basketball: 3 players Beard coached who’re still trying to find a home

Marcus Santos-Silva, PF/C

A name that I have mentioned before as a potential gem find for Beard and the Longhorns out of the transfer portal this offseason among former Red Raiders is senior big man Marcus Santos-Silva. As the second of three former Red Raiders that are still trying to find their name home on this list that are also putting their name in the portal for at least the second time in their career, Santos-Silva likely won’t remain on the open transfer market for too long.

The former All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and 2019 Atlantic 10 Tournament Team selection had a solid run in his college career to date with both the Red Raiders and VCU Rams. Santos-Silva actually played for the team where Smart coached before arriving on the Forty Acres six years ago. But Santos-Silva was never coached by Smart at VCU.

Santos-Silva is a former underrated three-star recruit that is likely to have one last season in college. And that last season could be his best if Santos-Silva finds himself in the proper landing spot. Texas Tech seemed like a great fit for the 6-foot-7 and 245 pound Taunton, MA, native and Vermont Academy product.

In 29 games played with the Red Raiders last season, Santos-Silva averaged 8.3 points per game, 6.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 1.1 blocks. And he shot 53.1 percent from the field, missed on just one attempt from beyond the arc, and was 57.8 percent from the free-throw line.

Santos-Silva could be a viable option out of the transfer portal this offseason for Beard and the Longhorns. He registered a 5.5 box plus/minus rating, .183 win shares per 40 minutes, and 21.4 player efficiency rating last season with Texas Tech.