Texas basketball getting key leader back with Timmy Allen returning

For one more season, it looks like head coach Chris Beard and the Texas basketball program will be getting the experienced senior leader and three-time all-conference forward Timmy Allen back in the mix. Texas got the news via social media in the middle of this week that Allen intends to return for his second season with the team.

Allen specifically announced on the late morning of April 20 that he will be returning for the Longhorns for the 2022-23 season. But this will be the last season of eligibility for him at the collegiate level, barring an injury or something like that.

This is big news for Beard and the Longhorns, though. Allen was one of the most productive players for Texas last season and one of the key vocal leaders in the locker room. It seemed like Allen did everything he could to instill in himself and his teammates the values that Beard wants to build in the foundation of this program.

Texas basketball gets key piece back for next season with F Timmy Allen returning

With the Longhorns likely undergoing another sizable roster overhaul this offseason, getting a key super-senior leader back such as Allen is huge. He can help provide some stability and continuity this coming season as Texas looks to add a number of new players into the rotation.

It also helps to provide some consistency in this frontcourt unit that Texas is set to get back both Allen and fellow rising super-senior forward Christian Bishop for next season. Bishop announced a few weeks ago that he would be returning for one more season.

Allen proved to be a decisive part of a Texas squad last season that won the first NCAA Tournament game for this program since 2014. The Round of 64 win over the 11-seed Virginia Tech Hokies last month snapped a four-game losing streak in the NCAA Tournament for the Longhorns.

And it now looks like the Longhorns have the foundation set to make a deeper NCAA Tournament run next season. Beard and the Longhorns are getting a lot of the more invaluable pieces from last year’s team back this offseason. And if the staff can make some other tweaks and improvements to the roster this offseason, the sky should be the limit for Texas in 2022-23.

Last season was a big one for Allen as he put up some solid numbers en route to getting All-Big 12 honors. He averaged around a dozen points per game, six rebounds, two assists, one steal, and 0.5 blocks, in his first year playing for Texas.