Texas basketball adds versatile off-ball guard in UCF transfer Ithiel Horton

Texas basketball secured its fifth commitment via the NCAA Transfer Portal this offseason on July 6, landing the former UCF Knights redshirt senior shooting guard Ithiel Horton. New full-time head coach Rodney Terry and this staff landed Horton’s commitment out of the portal over the Kansas Jayhawks.

Horton’s commitment to Texas via the portal comes the day after he officially visited Austin on July 5. He was also scheduled to visit Lawrence this week to see head coach Bill Self and the Jayhawks. But On3 reported on July 6 that Horton canceled the Kansas official visit after committing to Texas.

Horton is now the 11th scholarship player projected to be on the Longhorns’ roster heading into the 2023-24 college hoops season. Texas added two scholarship players in the last 10 days alone, with the former four-star Kansas combo guard commit Chris Johnson and Horton both pledging to the Longhorns in the last couple of weeks.

Texas basketball adds experienced, versatile off-ball guard in UCF transfer Ithiel Horton

Heading into the summer, all Texas needed to add to the rotation were two bigger guards to get more length and two-way depth in the backcourt. Adding Horton via the portal should be the final piece to the puzzle for Terry and the Longhorns staff ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Horton stands at 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, while Johnson is 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds. These two are the lengthiest guards in height and standing reach that the Longhorns have in the fold heading into next season.

Horton gives Terry and the Longhorns a versatile off-ball scoring guard to round out the roster

While Horton is likely to start at the three heading into next season for Terry and the Longhorns, there are multiple roles he could fill in this rotation. Horton is a versatile, lengthy guard that can play at the two or three.

Last season at UCF, Horton played more than half his minutes down the stretch at the three (per Kenpom). He played the rest of his minutes (approximately 35 percent) at the two in the final 10 games of last season.

Horton’s switchability and off-ball scoring ability mean the Longhorns have another capable floor spacer and shot creator on the offensive end. His switchability on the defensive end will also give the Longhorns more quickness and matchup advantages on the perimeter and the wing.

Texas is loaded with floor spacing at almost all positions

Adding Horton also gives the Longhorns more floor spacing at multiple positions in this rotation. While Horton struggled finding consistency from deep at UCF last season, he is still a capable three-point shooter throughout his collegiate career. Horton is a career 37.6 percent shooter from deep, and he’s drained 225 three-pointers in his four years in college.

According to Sports Reference, fewer than 20 guards are returning to college hoops next season that have shot better than 37 percent from deep while making more than 200 career three-point attempts. And Texas has two of them on the roster heading into next season, senior standout Max Abmas and Horton.

Texas now has four players that are better than 37 percent career shooters from deep.

• Brock Cunningham: 41.3
• Chendall Weaver: 40.2
• Max Abmas: 38.8
• Ithiel Horton: 37.6

Texas also has capable floor spacers that could realistically creep up to the 35 percent mark shooting from deep in senior big man Dylan Disu, Johnson, and sophomore guard Tyrese Hunter. It’s also not out of the question that sophomore forward Dillon Mitchell becomes a more natural floor spacer for the Longhorns next season.

I do no doubt that Texas will be one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country next season.

Diagnosing Horton’s struggles from deep last season

Horton shot a career-low 34.6 percent from beyond the arc in his one season at UCF last year. The biggest reasons I could find why he shot such a low percentage from deep last season are twofold.

First, Horton was chucking up more late-shot clock attempts than he had in prior years last season. Horton took a career-high 71 late-shot clock (five seconds or fewer remaining on the shot clock) three-point attempts at UCF last season. He only made 16 of those, good for a dismal 22.5 three-point shooting percentage on late-shot clock attempts.

When Horton wasn’t rushed late in the shot clock with the ball in his hands on offense, he was still an efficient shooter from deep for the Knights last season. He shot 36.3 percent from above the break and nearly 40 percent from the corners on non-late-shot clock three-point attempts last season, which evens out close to his career average.

Secondly, Horton’s shot selection was poor at times. He threw up too many heaves over 30 feet from the rim. Horton took a whopping 19 deep three-point attempts last season, draining just six.

Comparatively, Horton only took two combined three-point attempts in his prior two seasons at Pitt from more than 30 feet from the rim. He needs to cut down the number of deep threes he takes.

All in all, Horton needs to be more patient with his shot selection to be a more effective three-point shooter consistently again.

Other strengths Horton brings

It is often overlooked how good of a secondary facilitator Horton can be. His versatility and potent scoring threat from the two or the wing are the first aspects of his game that come to mind for most from what I’ve read from his time at UCF and Pitt the last three seasons.

But Horton is a capable passer that can be a quality option as a secondary facilitator/distributor. Horton has good court vision for an off-ball guard/wing. He has a good feel for the game in different situations, such as transition and drive-and-kick plays.

I like the thought of Horton taking some pressure off a guy like Johnson or Weaver when Hunter and/or Abmas aren’t on the floor. Horton can assume more possessions as a facilitator, allowing Weaver to space the floor effectively without letting opponents key in specifically on the true freshman Johnson.

Another aspect of Horton’s game that is often overlooked is his microwave scorer ability. He’s got 22 games under his belt in his collegiate career where Horton scored at least 18 points on at least five made field goals.

Horton is a versatile scorer that can create his own looks or be a catch-and-shoot threat from the mid-range, corners, and above-the-break.

Horton is an above-average athlete that can also explode to the rim or knock down fadeaway jump shots. There are multiple ways that Horton can heat up. And when he does, that’ll add another potent weapon to this deep Texas backcourt of proven scorers.

While Horton is a good scorer in the settled halfcourt offense, he can also get his points in transition. Horton was one of the best transition scoring guards in the AAC last season, averaging nearly two fastbreak points per game (top 15 among AAC guards).

He likes to get out and run in transition, which works well, given his disruptiveness caused by his length on the defensive end.

Rebounding and effort

Horton is a high-effort player that can get some extra possessions back and valuable second-chance points for the Longhorns. He averaged more than one offensive rebound per game for the first time in his collegiate career last season.

Once Horton gets an offensive board, he usually finishes the possession. Horton averaged nearly two second-chance points per game last season, good for top 10 among AAC guards.

Horton is a good rebounder on both ends. He’s got good length, rebounding fundamentals, and vertical ability, making him effective on the glass for a switchable guard/wing.

It’s also worth noting that Horton was one of just four guards in the AAC last season that scored at least 60 fastbreak points and at least 60 second-chance points.

Horton is a net-positive player on defense

Horton has the length and two-way nature to his game that attributes him to the role of a three-and-D wing if Terry wants him to mostly make a living posting up beyond the arc on offense.

On the defensive end, Horton shouldn’t have trouble guarding wings or two guards. He’s got enough length, lateral agility, and off-ball awareness to be a disruptive and timely defender at the three.

In the last two seasons at UCF and Pitt, Horton was extremely disruptive, averaging more than a steal per game while posting a steal percentage of 2.5.

Best fit at Texas

I’ve mentioned multiple roles Horton could fill at Texas in this commitment breakdown. But the most likely role he’ll play at Texas will be as a starting wing. Horton has the length, defensive versatility, floor spacing ability, and proven experience that will allow him to start at the three for Texas effectively.

Here is our projected rotation for the Longhorns for the 2023-24 season, with Horton starting at the three.

Starting lineup

PG: Max Abmas

SG: Tyrese Hunter

SF/Wing: Ithiel Horton

PF: Dillon Mitchell

C: Dylan Disu/Kadin Shedrick

Bench

PG: Chris Johnson

SG: Chendall Weaver

SF: Brock Cunningham

F: Alex Anamekwe

PF: Ze’Rik Onyema

The only hesitation I have putting Horton in the starting lineup is the lack of a proven facilitator/scorer coming off the bench for the Longhorns next season. While I think Weaver and Johnson are gifted in their own right on offense, they have one year of experience at the collegiate level.

If Terry wants a more proven off-ball scorer and secondary facilitator of the offense with the reserves, he could either allot more minutes for Horton with Johnson/Weaver later in games or move Ithiel to the bench to start games.

All told the roster for Terry and the Longhorns for next season should now be complete. Texas has 11 scholarship spots in the rotation filled out, many of them being transfers with multiple years of proven experience, including Horton.