Texas basketball adds 3-Star 2024 SG/SF Anthon McDermott

Texas basketball and head coach Rodney Terry added another commitment to the 2024 recruiting class this week. Three-star Hallsville (TX) shooting guard/small forward Anthon McDermott committed to Texas via a post on social media on Dec. 12.

McDermott held Division I offers from Niagara, Sacramento State, Idaho State, and Texas A&M-Commerce before announcing his commitment to the Longhorns early this week.

Texas basketball lands commitment from 3-Star in-state wing Anthon McDermott in the 2024 class

McDermott is a 6-foot-5 and 185-pound wing from Hallsville in East Texas. He also plays for the Texas-based AAU team in the DFW Metroplex, Southern Assault, which is sponsored by Adidas on the 3SSB Circuit.

High-four-star Carrollton (TX) Newman Smith power forward and 2024 Texas commit Nic Codie is teammates with McDermott on Southern Assault.

Texas is up to four commitments in the 2024 class from the high school ranks after landing McDermott on Dec. 12. Terry and the Longhorns also hold commitments from the elite five-star Dallas (TX) Link Academy shooting guard Tre Johnson, five-star Lexington (SC) shooting guard Cam Scott, and Codie.

According to the 247Sports Team Composite Rankings, the 2024 Texas recruiting class ranks fifth nationally and second in the SEC behind the Mizzou Tigers.

What McDermott brings to Texas

What Texas is getting in the 6-foot-5 wing from Hallsville, McDermott, is a pure shooter who can thrive as an off-ball scorer and ultra-efficient catch-and-shoot threat. McDermott’s film shows him with a natural shooting stroke that is one of the more fundamentally sound releases you’ll see from any wing prospect out of high school in the 2024 class.

He’s able to score the basketball from deep in a multitude of different offensive looks. As an above-average ball handler on the wing and a decent athlete, McDermott can pull up off-the-dribble from deep or come around screens on efficient catch-and-shoot looks.

McDermott can also post up in the corners or above the key for as a deadly catch-and-shoot threat on open looks from downtown.

From inside the arc, McDermott can pull up above smaller defending guards and splash shots off the dribble from the mid-range. Many of the same sharpshooter qualities that make McDermott such a dangerous threat from deep translate to his ability to drain deep and mid-range two-pointers.

Prep Hoops tabs McDermott as one of the top sharpshooters in Texas high school basketball in the 2024 class.

McDermott is a good rebounder and capable ball-handler

While McDermott has been tabbed as a sharpshooter first, there is more to his game than just his off-ball shooting ability. He’s proven at Hallsville and with Southern Assault on the 3SSB circuit that he is a productive rebounder and an underrated secondary facilitator and creator.

McDermott has a high basketball IQ on both ends of the floor, which translates to him getting in the right position to box out near the glass. He also knows where to be to grab rebounds at a high rate for a 6-foot-5 wing.

In a recent Hallsville win over Port Arthur Memorial, McDermott posted an impressive double-double stat line with 21 points and a game-high 19 boards.

McDermott’s underrated facilitating skills make him an intriguing possibility as a secondary or tertiary ball-handler once he develops a few years down the road at Texas. He fits well in Terry’s system, given that he can run with an up-tempo offense in transition and score the basketball at an efficient clip from multiple levels of the floor in settled half-court situations.

Disruptive on defense

Another strength of McDermott’s is his disruptiveness and awareness on the defensive end of the floor. He was named Hallsville’s defensive MVP for the 2022-23 season.

His high basketball IQ really comes to light when anticipating passing lanes and defending off ball. McDermott knows when to jump passes to get quick steals and transition baskets on the other end.

Where McDermott still needs to get better on the defensive end is with his size and strength. At 185 pounds, McDermott is still on the smaller end of wings with his length. He’ll need to add at least 10 or 15 more pounds to his frame before he’s ready to compete against even average-sized wings at the collegiate level.

McDermott is an intriguing long-term developmental prospect on the wing for Terry

McDermott is an intriguing find for Terry and the Longhorns on the recruiting trail in the 2024 class. He could bring some real two-way value on the wing for the Longhorns once he gets a couple of years to develop and get stronger in the weight room.

It’s noteworthy that Terry could have a similar plan in mind for McDermott compared to what Texas has in the former three-star 2023 forward recruit and true freshman wing Devon Pryor. Texas added Pryor late in the 2023 cycle after he reclassified down from 2024 during the summer. Pryor is a long-term developmental player in the wing rotation for the Longhorns.

And with senior forwards/wings Ithiel Horton and Brock Cunningham exhausting their eligibility after this season, Texas needs more depth and off-ball shooters to play at the three for the next couple of years.