Texas basketball gets starting-caliber big in UVA transfer Kadin Shedrick

Texas basketball got a big addition by way of the NCAA Transfer Portal over the weekend in the former Virginia Cavaliers redshirt junior center Kadin Shedrick. Texas and newly-hired full-time head coach Rodney Terry landed a portal commitment from Shedrick on the evening of April 23.

Shedrick is the first portal pickup for Terry and the Longhorns in the 2023 transfer class this offseason. And this was a much-needed big win in the portal for Terry and the Longhorns staff this spring.

Most of the conversation surrounding the portal in the earliest weeks of the offseason for the Longhorns had to do with a couple of key transfer misses and some key departures (i.e. guards Arterio Morris and Rowan Brumbaugh).

Terry and the Longhorns also didn’t have the greatest run in terms of rebuilding the roster for next season in the early phases of this offseason. Not only did Texas lose the elite five-star Southern California Academy combo guard signee AJ Johnson to the NBL last week, but it also lost forward Dillon Mitchell and guard Tyrese Hunter to the 2023 NBA Draft.

Granted, both Mitchell and Hunter retained their collegiate eligibility while declaring early for the 2023 draft, so they could each technically return to Texas for the 2023-24 season.

Moreover, landing a commitment via the portal from Shedrick is big for a multitude of reasons for Terry and the Longhorns this offseason. First off, it’s big for Terry to get that elusive first portal pickup of the 2023 class.

That could be the first domino to fall amid a few key portal pickups for the Longhorns this offseason.

Another reason why getting Shedrick out of the portal is so pivotal for the Longhorns is the frontcourt depth he brings to the table. Between the return of senior big man Dylan Disu for the 2023-24 season, and the addition of Shedrick, Texas could have a solid starting duo with a ton of experience.

Even if Texas doesn’t want to roll with Shedrick in the starting five, he still brings valuable depth to the frontcourt unit. Texas now has a solid trio locked in for the frontcourt next season in Disu, Shedrick, and the incoming five-star Duncanville forward recruit Ron Holland.

Texas also needed to just add some proven experience to the rotation this offseason given all of the departing players for Terry and his staff following the magical Elite Eight run last season. More than 75 percent of last season’s production for the Longhorns could be departing this offseason, depending on what happens with Hunter and Mitchell in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Shedrick brings some valuable experience and a veteran voice to the locker room. He’s played more than 75 games over the course of three years at Virginia, logging a total of nearly 1,350 minutes. Shedrick’s experience will not only be a stabilizing force in Texas’ locker room, but it will also help to mentor some of the younger bigs/forwards on this team such as Alex Anamekwe and Holland.

What Shedrick brings to Texas

What Texas is getting out of the 6-foot-11 and 220-pound Shedrick is a lengthy and fundamentally sound big that will help Texas win in the paint on both ends of the floor. Shedrick is a solid rim protector, an effective rebounder, and an elite rim finisher for a big man.

Texas struggled in the rebounding department throughout much of the 2022-23 campaign, which was largely thanks to a lack of length in the frontcourt rotation. Only the 6-foot-10 Mitchell stood above 6-foot-9 in the frontcourt unit for the Longhorns last season, making them one of the smallest teams in the Big 12 among power forwards and centers on the roster.

In each of the last three seasons, Shedrick ranked in the top 20 in the ACC in total rebounding percentage and offensive rebounding percentage. He’ll bring some much-needed length down low to help Texas win the battle on the boards more often.

Rim protection was also an area that Texas struggled at times last season. Texas ranked 118th in the NCAA last season, averaging 3.6 blocks per game. Given how important having elite length can be night in and night out in the Big 12, adding a top-notch rim protector such as Shedrick is huge for the Longhorns.

Just how good of a rim protector was Shedrick at Virginia you might ask?

According to Sports Reference, Shedrick is one of just two players in the ACC in the last two seasons to have registered a block percentage in the double digits.

Texas basketball lands an immediate contributor in the frontcourt in UVA transfer Kadin Shedrick

Shedrick also averaged more than 1.5 blocks per game in the last two seasons combined in Charlottesville. He plays excellent fundamental defense and utilizes his wingspan north of seven feet about as well as anyone in the ACC in the last two seasons.

Shedrick’s defensive ability stems well beyond his rim protection, though. He’s an extremely sound on-ball defender that is a nightmare to try to get shots over near the rim.

In fact, Shedrick ranked second in the ACC last season in points per possession allowed as a defender. Players that took contested jump shots against Shedrick last season shot just 14.3 percent from the field and put up .357 points per possession.

I will say that Shedrick is limited in terms of his switchability on defense. He’s not the quickest laterally, which is expected given his length, but that does limit him to mostly guarding at the four or the five.

In terms of his impact on the defensive end of the floor, the Longhorns are most definitely getting a Big 12 All-Defensive Team-caliber big in Shedrick.

Moreover, Shedrick is an effective big that will bring a lot of punch to the Texas offense down low and in transition. Shedrick is a top-notch finisher at the rim, shooting north of 76 percent on field goal attempts within 4.5-feet of the rim last season (good for the 96th percentile in the NCAA).

His length and finishing ability essentially make Shedrick a guaranteed bucket when you can feed him the ball one-on-one near the basket. It’s just an added bonus that Shedrick has a solid array of post moves in his tool belt.

Shedrick’s length and finishing ability near the rim tends to get him a lot of opportunities at the free-throw line. A lot of opponents would rather put Shedrick at the free-throw line than let him get easy finishes at the rim.

But even that logic is a bit flawed given that Shedrick shot the ball from the charity stripe at a clip north of 79 percent last season, well above average for a big man of his length in the major conferences.

All in all, Shedrick is a solid get for the Longhorns that is about as effective as it gets on both ends of the floor in the paint. He was an advanced analytical marvel in the last few seasons at UVA, posting a player efficiency rating north of 19.5 in each of his three years with the Hoos.

Shedrick has the ability to get the job done within his role in transition as well as in the paint on each end of the floor.

Where Shedrick fits at Texas

I’ll keep this part brief since we’ll have more coverage coming at the site regarding what the lineups and analytics look like for Shedrick in the current projected Texas frontcourt for next season.

As it stands now, though, I think it would be best for Texas to limit the number of minutes that the two-man combination of Disu and Shedrick receives next season. Shedrick and Disu both aren’t the greatest facilitators from within the arc on offense, which would limit the spacing on that end of the floor for the Longhorns when they’re out there together.

Neither Shedrick nor Disu averaged more than one assist per game at their respective schools last season.

Given the limitations that a two-man combination of Shedrick and Disu would bring for the Longhorns, I think it’s best to mostly keep them on separate units next season.

I do think there’s a way for this to work here and there for Disu and Shedrick as a two-man combo, though. If Disu can find his outside game next season, then he could pose a real threat from the mid-range and deep. Shedrick would then have more space to work down low, and there would probably be a lengthier defender that the opponents would send out to guard Disu, which would make for an even more advantageous matchup for Shedrick in the paint.

The idea of Disu drawing out closer to the three-point arc to open up room for Shedrick to go to work in the paint will probably only work against smaller and less athletic lineups, so it should theoretically be used sparingly.

Texas now has a legitimate top three established in the frontcourt for next season with Disu, Shedrick, and Holland in the mix. That’s not to mention that the Longhorns are still bringing back super-super-senior Brock Cunningham and Anamekwe next season.