Texas Basketball: 3 immediate impact summer enrollees for Longhorns
Kadin Shedrick, C
One of the first portal commits that Terry and the Longhorns picked up this spring is the former Virginia Cavaliers standout redshirt junior center, Kadin Shedrick. The 6-foot-11 and 215-pound Raleigh, NC, native big man is coming to Texas with three seasons of proven experience under his belt from his time playing under longtime head coach Tony Bennett and Virginia.
Shedrick will be expected to be an immediate contributor to the frontcourt unit, likely starting at the five at the outset of the upcoming regular season. The idea that is being thrown around a lot lately for Texas’ projected starting frontcourt next season would see Shedrick starting at the five next to Disu at the four.
As an aside, I will say that I’m not a huge fan of that starting frontcourt personally as it could create a lack of floor spacing and offensive flow for the Longhorns given that neither Shedrick nor Disu is a proven stretch five over the course of multiple seasons.
However, Shedrick can still be an immediate impact player in this frontcourt unit regardless of whether he is the first guy coming off the bench or if he is starting at the five at the outset of next season.
Shedrick will give Texas the commanding and consistent frontcourt presence it needs to control the paint on both ends of the floor. On the defensive end, Shedrick can help Texas win more battles on the glass while protecting the rim and knocking shots off course when opposing team’s try to get looks closer to the basket.
On the offensive end, Shedrick is an elite finisher in the paint and can be a rim-running big that is ultra-effective as the role man in pick-and-roll plays. It’s also worth noting that Shedrick is a fluid enough big man and a solid finisher at the rim, making him a real threat when getting out and running in transition.
All in all, Shedrick will be a staple in Texas’ frontcourt unit next season. He’s uber-effective in the paint on both ends, giving Texas a presence down low that it sorely needed throughout much of last season.