Texas Basketball 2022-23 Player Profile: F Christian Bishop

As Texas basketball inches closer to their season opener in the Moody Center against UTEP on Nov. 7, we at Hook’Em Headlines will offer player profiles for everyone on the roster.

Hopes are high entering year two under the Chris Beard regime, as this Texas basketball roster is undoubtedly one of the most talented in the country. A mixture of impact freshmen, transfers, and key returners has the Longhorns poised to make some noise on the national stage.

We already dove into the previews for Timmy Allen, Marcus Carr, Tyrese Hunter, and Dillon Mitchell. Today, we focus on veteran big man Christian Bishop.

Christian Bishop

Shortly after the conclusion of last season, Christian Bishop announced he would return to the Longhorns for one final go-around. Bishop is taking advantage of the COVID year, making 2022-23 his fifth season in college hoops.

He returns having played in 124 games with 85 career starts.

The Missouri native spent his first three seasons at Creighton, starting all 62 games in the latter two seasons. As a junior for the Blue Jays, Bishop averaged 11.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game as Creighton advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

Bishop decided he needed a change of scenery and made the move from Omaha to Austin with the goal of a National Title at the forefront of his mind.

A look back at 2021-22

Accompanying three other forwards in the 2021 transfer class, many were unsure how Coach Chris Beard would allocate minutes between his big men.

What started as a high-energy, change-of-pace role off the bench turned into a spot in the starting lineup for Bishop. He started in 23 of 34 games, including 20 of the final 21 games of the season.

Bishop averaged 7.0 points and 5.6 rebounds in 20.0 minutes of action per night. Although these numbers were a drop from his previous year’s totals at Creighton, it was apparent Bishop had a defined role that he was fulfilling in Coach Beard’s system.

He led the team with a true shooting percentage of 63.8. Bishop was mainly used as a rim-runner and a player who feasted on the offensive glass. The big man averaged 2.5 offensive rebounds per game, good for fifth in the conference.

More often than not, Bishop was the biggest player on the court for the Longhorns. Listed at 6-7, 220-pounds, he was a bit undersized to occupy the starting center role for this team. With that said, he made do with the position he was thrust into and used his high motor and aggressiveness to offset problems against bigger post players.

Bishop’s performance last season exemplified the perfect role player you need on a basketball team that wants to compete for a National Title. He did what was asked of him and occupied his role as well as anyone on the roster.

Looking ahead to 2022-23 for Texas basketball F Christian Bishop

In what will likely be Bishop’s last season in college basketball, I expect him to come out and play with his noted high motor and passion every night.

After starting 20 of the final 21 games of last season, it would be reasonable to expect Bishop to occupy the starting center role for the Longhorns this season. With that said, in the Horns scrimmage against Arkansas, a fully healthy Dylan Disu got the starting nod, with Bishop as the first guy off the bench.

Whether or not Bishop is starting or the sixth man for Texas this season should not matter. He will play 20-25 minutes per game regardless, with an opportunity to play himself into the closing group based on his form and opponent.

Last season Bishop was primarily a screener on the offensive end of the court, getting his buckets on dives to the rim and offensive putbacks. While I do not expect that to change, I do wonder if we could see the element of a three-point shot added to his game.

Bishop knocked down just two of his six three-point attempts a season ago. He attempted just one three over the last 21 games of the season. With that said, there are way too many videos on Texas basketball’s Instagram for me not to notice that Bishop seems to be working on that part of his game. Although a Bishop three-point jumper may not be Coach Beard’s ideal end of an offensive possession, the threat of him taking and making that shot will do wonders in creating space in the lane.

On the defensive end, I expect Bishop to be a very active contributor with his high motor and length.

Not a lot changes for him on that end of the floor. Unless paired with Dylan Disu, Bishop will still be the acting ‘center’ on the court for the Longhorns. Freshman Dillon Mitchell should help some in the rim protection department, but it will primarily be on Bishop to match up with the opponent’s biggest player.

In games against the likes of Gonzaga’s Drew Timme and Oklahoma State’s Moussa Cisse, post-defense may be a problem. In general, however, I expect Bishop to be a strength of what is poised to be one of the best defenses in the country.