Texas F Jayson Kent proving his 'all-around' game in summer

Summer workouts are fully ramped up for Texas basketball a few months before the inaugural season in the SEC for 2024-25. Texas welcomed over a half-dozen summer enrollees to the men's hoops program amid an important campaign for head coach Rodney Terry and staff.

Texas basketball transfer F Jayson Kent making an immediate impression with his two-way ability this summer

The potential for this team for Terry and the Longhorns in 2024-25 is very high after this staff brought in so many immediate impact transfers early this offseason from the portal. Two of the immediate impact transfers Terry and Co. hauled in from the portal this summer are former Indiana State grad transfers Jayson Kent and Julian Larry.

The former of those two Indiana State transfers is expected to be one of the leaders of Texas's frontcourt during the upcoming 2024-25 season. We've heard this summer in the last few weeks that Kent has really shown out with his two-way game, along with his ability to lead and help mentor the younger players in this part of the rotation.

OTF's Gerry Hamilton reported earlier this week (premium content) that Kent has immediately turned heads in summer S&C with his two-way ability and off-ball intelligence on the court. Terry has been high on Kent's ability to be versatile in the frontcourt and to excel playing on and off-the-ball on both ends of the floor.

"Jayson Kent is another guy that had a great year last year, can stretch the floor for us, great body, can defend the four and the five. Came into college as a perimeter player, so he's got good ball skills as well, an elite cutter. He's gonna be a good player sort of a positionless player for us, and he's tough."

- Rodney Terry on Jayson Kent

On the offensive end of the floor, it has been a pleasant surprise to hear about Kent's tough shot-making ability, especially from beyond the arc. Kent emerged as a legitimate three-point threat for the first time in his collegiate career for Indiana State last season, shooting a career-best 37 percent from deep on over two attempts per game.

Texas needs floor spacers in the frontcourt after losing the likes of big man Dylan Disu and forward Brock Cunningham due to exhausted eligibility this offseason.

Defensively, Kent's rebounding and off-ball awareness will be of great help for the Longhorns as they look to improve defending closer to the basket in the SEC this coming season. Texas not only ranked in the bottom five in the Big 12 last season in rebounding in conference play, but it also in the bottom half in opponent paint points per game (per CBB Analytics).

Kent led the Missouri Valley Conference in defensive rebounding last season, so he should give Texas's two-way rebounding efforts a shot in the arm during the 2024-25 campaign.

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