Texas Basketball: 3 top priority transfer targets upon portal closing
On May 11, the NCAA Transfer Portal closed to new entrants (other than graduate transfers), which means a busy week for the Texas basketball program. Texas and newly-hired full-time head coach Rodney Terry continue to be very busy in the transfer portal this week, especially after some of the recent events that have transpired on the recruiting trail.
Last month, Terry and the Longhorns lost the commitment of the elite five-star Duncanville forward Ron Holland. That, coupled with the de-commitment of five-star Southern California Academy combo guard AJ Johnson, put Texas in a spot to fill two more scholarship spots on a roster that was already turning over a lot of bodies this offseason.
Upon the portal window closing on May 11, we had a bevy of new entrants worth talking about.
There was also the statement that Terry gave to the media this week, saying that Texas is looking to add “three more guys” to the roster ahead of the 2023-24 season. That would put Texas at a spot to add seven portal players, in total, to the roster this offseason.
Top portal priorities for Texas basketball upon the transfer window closing this spring
Texas HC Rodney Terry says at a @TexasExes event in Dallas that Tyrese Hunter could make a decision on his NBA draft status “in the next few days.”
— Joe Cook (@josephcook89) May 11, 2023
He also says Texas is looking to add “three more guys” to his roster.
Texas has already added four portal players in the last few weeks, with the latest transfer commitment coming from the former UT-Arlington Mavericks freshman guard Chendall Weaver. And it appears that more help will be on the way out of the portal in the near future.
With that in mind, here’s a look at three new portal priorities for the Longhorns upon the May 11 window closing.
Texas is reportedly (per IT) interested in Ball State sophomore transfer guard Jaylin Sellers. The second-year SG is a reigning All-MAC Third-Teamer.
— Hook'em Headlines (@HookemHeadlines) May 8, 2023
-13.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 0.8 APG
-49 FG%, 45 3P%, 76 FT%
-Shot at least 44% from 3 each of last 2 seasons (1 of 5 D1 players to do so) pic.twitter.com/jbDFVXfB5v
Jaylin Sellers, G
A new portal target we talked about for Terry and the Longhorns earlier this week is the former Ball State Cardinals sharpshooting sophomore guard Jaylin Sellers. The reigning All-MAC Third-Team selection was one of the best three-point shooters in the country in the last two seasons.
Sellers was one of just five players in Division I college hoops to shoot better than 44 percent from three-point range in each of the last two seasons.
Some Texas fans might be thinking that Texas doesn’t need to focus on adding more floor spacing after Terry and his staff brought in Weaver (a 40 percent three-point shooter) and senior guard Max Abmas.
Yet, I like the long-term upside of Sellers as a real floor spacer that can be a serious threat as a secondary or tertiary playmaker off the bench. He also has multiple years of eligibility remaining to continue to work on his defense and off-ball play on offense.