Texas Basketball: 3 players that are red hot to start the season
Tre Mitchell, C
One of the focal points to start the regular season for Beard and the Longhorns is the former UMass Minutemen star sophomore center, Tre Mitchell. Through three games this season, the junior versatile big man is standing out for the Longhorns albeit in a limited role out of the gates.
It’s hard to ultimately tell what the exact plan will be for Beard and his staff once Texas gets back the former standout sophomore Vanderbilt Commodores power forward Dylan Disu in the frontcourt unit. Even without Disu in this rotation, Beard and the Longhorns have elected not to run with Mitchell in the starting unit in two of three games to start the season.
Texas is also only playing Mitchell in around 18 minutes per game. The good news here is the fact that Beard gave Mitchell the start finally in Texas’ win over Northern Colorado on the night of Nov. 17.
Mitchell certainly rewarded Beard’s faith in him by starting him against Northern Colorado. The two-time All-Atlantic 10 Team selection gave the Longhorns a team-high 16 points, seven rebounds, one assist, no steals, and one block, in the win over Northern Colorado. And he shot an impressive 7-of-11 from the field, 1-of-2 from beyond the arc, and made his lone attempt from the charity stripe.
All of that production for Mitchell came in just 20 minutes played roughly despite finally making his way into the starting five.
Despite the limited playing time for Mitchell to start the season, his numbers per 100 possessions so far this season are insane. He’s averaged around 37 points per 100 possessions, 15 rebounds, four assists, four steals, four blocks, and just three turnovers.
On the season so far, Mitchell is shooting an impressive 50 percent from the field, 50 percent from beyond the arc, and 88.9 percent from the charity stripe. His effectiveness out of the gates this season is further highlighted by his career-best 9.3 box plus/minus, .311 win shares per 40 minutes, and 33.5 player efficiency rating.