Texas basketball adds energy, intensity with 3-Star F Alex Anamekwe

Earlier this week, we discussed the potential of head coach Chris Beard and his staff possibly soon adding a commitment to the 2022 Texas basketball recruiting class from three-star McKinney forward Alex Anamekwe. Texas was able to make that a reality on the evening of May 5 with Anamekwe announcing his commitment to this 2022 recruiting class.

Anamekwe committed to the Longhorns just a few weeks after de-committing from the SMU Mustangs. He had actually signed with SMU’s 2022 class last fall. But he would get a release from his letter of intent after the retirement of the now-former SMU head coach Tim Jankovich.

Upon the retirement of Jankovich, the only loss to SMU’s 2022 class was Anamekwe, though. He was one of two commits in SMU’s 2022 class along with the three-star Putnam Science Academy (CT) center Mouhamadou Cisse.

Anamekwe joining the Longhorns 2022 class brings Beard and his staff up to two forwards in the mix now. The other is the elite five-star small forward Dillon Mitchell.

Texas basketball gets a high-effort forward in the former 3-Star SMU commit Alex Anamekwe

But what Anamekwe brings to the table for the Longhorns could be something that is invaluable for Beard and his staff at least over the course of the next few years. Anamekwe is a very gritty and intense 6-foot-6 and 200-pound forward that is pretty switchable on both ends of the floor.

Anamekwe brings a really high level of intensity on both ends of the floor game in and game out. You won’t find many forwards that just lay it all out on the line the way that Anamekwe does.

That style of play for the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex product is evident in multiple highlights during his time playing for McKinney High School.

While they do bring different skill sets to the table, Anamekwe could bring a similar level of intensity to the forward unit as someone like rising senior Brock Cunningham. Anamekwe is just going to bring a different level of spark and intensity coming off the bench for the Longhorns.

Some areas where Anamekwe excels, in particular, include his on-ball defense, screen-setting in the pick-and-roll game, and his energy rebounding the basketball. Anamekwe is another one of the undersized, but gritty, forwards for the Longhorns that could be effective in smaller lineups playing at the four or the five. That obviously depends on matchups at any particular point in time, though.

Anamekwe uses a surprising level of lateral quickness and a non-stop motor to make life difficult on whatever player he’s matched up with on defense. He’s the type of energetic and intense forward that should be very disruptive for the Longhorns on the defensive end of the floor that could easily wind up averaging at least a steal per game.

There’s also plenty of value that Anamekwe can bring to the table as a high-energy player that is smart playing off-ball on offense. He’s an effective offensive rebounder and a polished screener whenever Texas wants to work in the pick-and-roll or the occasional dribble-hand-off.

Yet, we shouldn’t overlook what Anamekwe can do as an underrated inside scorer with a decent jump shot. He is a decent shooter from the mid-range and uses his size and toughness to try and bully his way to the rim.

All in all, this is a great addition for the Longhorns as Anamekwe is a nice fit in terms of what Beard is looking to build with this forward unit. He’s unique in that he provides a certain level of two-way energy and intensity that is hard to find otherwise. Granted, Texas is going to have two really high-energy forwards in this rotation now between Cunningham and Anamekwe.

But Anamekwe will obviously have a lot more eligibility remaining than Cunningham. This coming season is likely to be the final one for Cunningham playing for the Longhorns.

After landing the commitment of Anamekwe this week, the Longhorns are now up to four in the 2022 class. Half of this class is now guards between four-star Rowan Brumbaugh and five-star Arterio Morris. And the other half is forwards between Anamekwe and Mitchell.