AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Longhorns quickly struck a deal to promote interim head coach Rodney Terry at the conclusion of the 2023-24 college basketball season following a year where he led this program to the Elite 8.
Things have been tough in Austin since the loss to Miami, however, with nearly everyone from last year's rotation either out of eligibility, testing the NBA draft waters, or hitting the transfer portal.
Just as worry started to set in for the Longhorn faithful a pair of big updates eased those concerns - first with Dylan Disu announcing his return for another year followed by a commitment from former Virginia center Kadin Shedrick in the transfer portal.
The return of Disu and addition of Shedrick instantly gives Texas a formidable starting frontcourt which will compete with anyone in the Big 12, and the country.
Locked on College Basketball host Andy Patton spoke about this frontcourt pairing, explaining how Disu's outside shooting is a key factor for them to reach their sky-high potential.
"If Dylan Disu can consistently stretch the floor, that's going to help a lot," Patton said. "That opens up more room for Kadin Shedrick to be more of a pick and roll rim runner...you can't really do that if you have two posts clogging up the lane."
Disu shot 31.3% from three last year for the Longhorns, up considerably from the miserable 13.3% mark he posted in 2021-22.
However, Disu was a 36.9% shooter at Vanderbilt the previous year, so there is optimism he can be more of a floor spacing big man alongside Shedrick, who is a more traditional offensive center who does most of his scoring right at the rim.
If so, this gives Texas a tough pair to handle on both ends of the floor, with Disu showing the ability to be an elite scorer from the power forward position after averaging 23.5 points and 10 boards in two NCAA Tournament games in March.
Shedrick's rim protection and low post scoring will be a big boost for the Longhorns in 2023-24, and if they are able to land one or two high level guards in the transfer portal - such as Oral Roberts' Max Abmas or North Texas' Tylor Perry - they should be right back in business as a national title contender in March.