3 former 5-Star recruits Texas basketball should target in the portal

Keion Brooks, F

A recent transfer portal entrant to keep an eye on for Longhorns fans this offseason is the former Kentucky Wildcats junior forward and Fort Wayne, IN, native Keion Brooks. Texas could find a ton of value out of pursuing Brooks out of the portal this offseason.

Brooks is a potent two-way forward that started to break through with head coach John Calipari and Kentucky in the last couple of seasons. He was able to find his stride, especially on the offensive end of the floor, by improving his inside scoring and his mid-range game.

In general, though, Brooks has become a much more efficient scorer from inside the two-point line in the last two seasons. That was evident in the fact that he shot a career-best 49.1 percent from the field, 52.2 percent from two-point range, and 78.3 percent from the free-throw line last season.

But the increased efficiency that Brooks put on display on offense in the last two seasons didn’t only show up in his shooting percentages. Brooks also turned the ball over fewer times last season and at a lower rate than the prior two years.

I do really like the fit for Brooks as a potential reserve forward that gets most of his minutes playing at the four ahead of next season. He fits well due to the fact that he doesn’t command an overwhelming amount of usage on offense, but he is efficient when given the opportunity. Brooks is also a plus defender that can switch between the three and the five.

This is yet another case where the Longhorns could get an upgrade to the wing/forward rotation right away with a former elite high school recruit.