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Mar 22, 2024; Memphis, TN, USA; New Mexico Lobos forward JT Toppin (15) shoots against the Clemson Tigers during the first half of the NCAA Tournament First Round at FedExForum.
Coveted power forward JT Toppin, a top portal target for Texas basketball, announced his decision to withdraw his name from the NBA Draft and sign with Texas Tech on Tuesday. His decision still leaves the Longhorns thin up front after a busy offseason that fortified the backcourt.
Toppin, the Mountain West’s freshman of the year last season with New Mexico, would have been the sixth transfer player to sign with Texas, which has already retooled its backcourt by signing guards Jordan Pope from Oregon State and Julian Larry from Indiana State as well as wings Tramon Mark from Arkansas, Jayson Kent from Indiana State. and Malik Presley from Vanderbilt.
Now, Texas still needs to find a big man who can complement its array of guards and wings, which also includes returner Chendall Weaver and incoming freshman Tre Johnson.
More: Texas basketball’s 2024-25 SEC schedule sees rematch with Tennessee and Rick Barnes
The 6-foot-9 Toppin, a Dallas native, would have brought good size and lots of production to the guard-heavy rotation by teaming with the 6-11, 230-pound Kadin Shedrick, a senior who will return for his second season with the Longhorns after averaging 7.7 points and three rebounds in 17.2 minutes this past season.
Ze’Rik Onyema, a 6-8 senior, is the only other big man on the team with experience. After playing for Texas head coach Rodney Terry at UTEP, he transferred to Texas in the offseason but averaged just 3.3 points and 2.2 rebounds in 9.1 minutes a game. He didn’t play more than six minutes in a game in the final two months of the season, but Terry and his staff hope his first season at Texas helped him adapt to Power Five basketball.
More: Source confirms that Texas basketball will host defending national champion UConn Dec. 8
What’s next for Texas basketball?
The Longhorns now have five…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/jt-toppin-picks-texas-tech-191156966.html
Author : Austin American-Statesman
Publish date : 2024-05-28 19:11:56
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