Tre Mitchell is a junior who recently transferred from the University of Massachusetts to Texas. Here are four things to know about the 6-foot-9-inch center.

Skillset

Before his junior year of high school, Mitchell transferred to Woodstock Academy, where he played under coach Tony Bergeron and received a reality check.

“I banished Tre to the post,” Bergeron said after Mitchell won the Rookie of the Year. “Some of that footwork is genetic, some of that is him getting into the gym and buying into it.” 

Mitchell showed a willingness to listen to his coach and became the post player Bergeron thought he could become. He was able to display his full arsenal. 

Mitchell shot 37.5% from the 3-point line on three attempts per game and isn’t afraid to pull it in front of a defender’s face with no hesitation. Mitchell will give Texas a scoring presence at the center position that it hasn’t had since Mo Bamba. 

Academic showout

When Mitchell was looking through his offers to decide which school he would attend, he considered academics heavily. 

“You have to look at it at an education level first, … and I was looking into (the University of Massachusetts) business school,” Mitchell said about his decision. 

It’s rare that a team’s best player is also its most academically driven, but Mitchell was at the top in both facets at the University of Massachusetts. According to USA Today, Mitchell boasted an impressive 3.5 GPA during his two years at Massachusetts and was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team.

Work ethic

Mitchell’s work ethic wasn’t only present during game time, but off the court as well. As much of the basketball team is new to each other, his ability to push himself and his teammates along with him is a huge asset.

“In the weight room, he was always pushing the max he could do and on the court he was always pushing everyone and himself,” Mitchell’s teammate TJ Weeks said. 

The entire program spoke very highly of his work ethic and drive to win. Mitchell showed the fruits of his labor his freshman year by winning the prestigious Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year.

He didn’t let up after the stand-out year. In his sophomore campaign, Mitchell averaged 18.8 points per game, 7.2 rebounds per game, and shot 51.9% from the field.

Fit on the Team

Mitchell will have an automatic fit inside the Texas program. With the Longhorns losing Kai Jones and Greg Brown to the NBA draft there is a void that needs to be filled. He will be able to take over the defensive rim protection of Jones as Mitchell showed he could be a defensive anchor at Umass by putting up 1.5 blocks per game. 

On offense, he will be able to give Texas a floor spacer at the forward position they didn’t have in the previous year. There is an expectation that he will be a consistent player in Texas’ rotation. The chances of Mitchell starting from the first game are very high with the lack of proven big men on the team. The combination of his work ethic, skill, and willingness to get coached could make his time at Texas a very successful stint.