Notable players depart from Texas men’s basketball
Many current Longhorn stars will graduate and leave the Forty Acres, so the only thing left for Texas men’s basketball to do after the devastating loss on Saturday night forced the end of the season is look to the future.
Austin native Brock Cunningham, a graduate forward, concluded his sixth and last season with the team. Cunningham played in 34 games this season, scoring 4.4 points per game on 40.8% field goals. He was assigned the responsibility of being the “glue guy” who kept the squad cohesive while he was at Texas. Being a devoted player for Texas and currently one of the oldest players in NCAA basketball, he has dedicated his entire collegiate career to one team. This demonstrates his glue-like characteristics. With 110 victories, Cunningham is now the most successful player in Texas basketball history.
Max Abmas, a graduate guard, finished his final collegiate season and his first year with Texas with great stats. Before choosing to come to Texas for his final season, Abmas spent the preceding four years as a student at Oral Roberts University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and led the Golden Eagles in career scoring and average points per game. He scored in double figures in 31 of the 34 games he played this season, averaging 16.8 points per contest. Abmas completed his collegiate career with a No. 8 ranking on the NCAA Division I men’s all-time scoring list with 3,132 points and a No. 3 ranking on the career three-pointers list with 512 after Texas’ victory over Tennessee.
“I’m really appreciative of the chance to play at Texas,” Abmas declared following the Tennessee game. “In high school, I never would have imagined that I would be attending Texas as a college student. Extremely appreciative to (Rodney Terry) and the coaching team for having faith in me.
Following his sophomore season, Dylan Disu, a graduate forward, transferred from Vanderbilt to the Longhorns, where he played his last three seasons. Disu had a stellar collegiate career and rose to prominence in his final season, starting 36 out of 38 games. With 46 blocks, he was second in the Big 12 and made an astounding 61.3% of his attempts from the field. Disu was a key member of Texas’ 2023 NCAA tournament team. Against Penn State, he scored 28 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to help his team win 71-66. But he sustained a foot injury early in the Sweet 16 game that sidelined him for the remainder of the competition and the start of the current season. Notwithstanding the setback, Disu emerged as a dominant scorer in 2024, showcasing his exceptional three-point shooting. At the end of the season, Disu averaged a career-high 15.5 points per game and shot 45.1% from three-point range.
About competing in the NCAA tournament, Disu remarked, “It means the world to all of us.” “I’m overjoyed to have the opportunity to attend this tournament with my university teammates once more.”
Ithiel Horton, a graduate guard, transferred from UCF to play his last season for Texas. In his burnt orange debut against Incarnate World, Horton showed promise as a player for Texas, leading the team with 17 points while making six of his twelve shots. Horton ended the season averaging 5.9 points per game, despite the fact that his playing time appeared to be decreasing throughout the campaign.
Not only did these notable Longhorns depart, but there is still uncertainty around possible transfers and rumors of players declaring for the NBA draft. Regretfully, the only thing left to do is bide our time and await what the future Texas team will bring when they join the SEC the following season.
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