Texas Basketball: 2 studs, 1 dud from first week of the season

Stud No. 2: Tyrese Hunter, G

While we got to see a lot of the ups and downs that the reigning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and former Iowa State Cyclones standout freshman guard Tyrese Hunter can bring, there are a lot more positives that I have after watching his game than negatives out of the gates.

The value that Hunter brings to the table for the Longhorns is a player that can truly take over games and command the offense as an effective primary facilitator. He also gives this team a true go-to option that can be an alpha on the court in the half-court offense.

That was something that the Longhorns were sorely lacking throughout last season.

When the likes of Jones and senior guard Courtney Ramey were cold shooting from the field, Texas was running short on options to get the ball in the basket.

But Hunter is the type of player that can command a game and consistently create offense as the primary ball-handler for Texas. Whether it be finding his open teammates in the corners or driving to the lane to get to the basket himself, Hunter has options as to how he can create buckets for the Longhorns.

And we saw him put that on display when it mattered in the first two games of the season. Hunter was solid for Texas late in the win over UTEP, as he was perfect going 4-of-4 from the field, giving Texas nine points to seal that victory.

There are clearly still strides that Hunter needs to make for the rest of the season. It would be nice to see him shoot the three-ball better, as he’s just 1-of-7 from beyond the arc to start the season.

We also need to see Hunter manage turnovers better early in games. Through two games, he’s got an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2-to-3, which needs to improve if Hunter is to be an effective facilitator of this offense that can prevent untimely turnovers.