Texas Basketball: 3 biggest transfer targets Beard missed out on

DeVante Jones, G

One of the true gem finds in the transfer portal this offseason is one that had the Longhorns among his finalist schools before announcing his final commitment decision to join head coach Juwan Howard and the Michigan Wolverines. Texas lost out on the likes of the former Coastal Carolina Chanticleers junior guard DeVante Jones a few weeks back.

There wasn’t much better that the Longhorns could’ve done to plug depth needs in the backcourt rotation out of the transfer portal this offseason than by landing a commitment from Jones. He was a stellar guard that led the way for Coastal Carolina the last few seasons. And he really took his game to a new level last season.

Not only was the 2020-21 Sun Belt Player of the Year and two-time All-Sun Belt Team selection one of the most efficient players in program history last season, but a lot of his advanced metrics also proved he was one of the more underrated stars in the entire country. The 6-foot-1 and 200 pound New Orleans, LA, native guard was stellar for the Chanticleers.

In 26 games played with Coastal Carolina last season, Jones averaged a career-best 19.3 points per game, 7.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.8 steals, and 0.2 blocks. And he shot 48.7 percent from the field, 36.8 percent from beyond the arc, and 86.2 percent from the free-throw line.

That all amounted to an insane 28.9 player efficiency rating, six total win shares, 6.3 box plus/minus rating, .280 win shares per 40 minutes, and a 61.6 true shooting percentage.