Although he wasn’t initially recruited by the Longhorns, Dylan Disu is more than happy to don the burnt orange today.

“(Texas) was my dream school growing up, I’ve always wanted to come here. I didn’t have the opportunity coming out of high school, which was kind of a bummer,” Disu said Wednesday. 

But being overlooked was not something that stopped Disu from achieving his childhood dream. 

Being from the Austin area, Disu grew up right near the happenings of the Texas basketball program. He attended Hendrickson High School in Pflugerville and was a four-star recruit who received offers from solid basketball schools like Vanderbilt, Illinois and Georgia Tech, despite not hearing anything from the much closer Texas Longhorns. 

Disu ended up selecting Vanderbilt, where he spent the first two years of his collegiate career with the Commodores. 

Even though Disu was not pursued by the Longhorns in high school, there seems to be no hard feelings. Disu has seemingly used the silence from Texas as fuel to push himself to become a better player.

“I play with a chip on my shoulder. Like, (I try) to play as hard as I could (to) prove that I was good enough to go to Texas,” Disu said.

Although he may never know exactly why Texas initially passed him up, Disu suspects part of the reason was due to his size back in high school.

“I just think that out of high school I wasn’t fully physically developed,” Disu said. 

Disu’s size was even an obstacle for him during his freshman year at Vanderbilt, where he earned the nickname “Bambi” due to his lankiness and awkward movements. Earlier this semester, the Vanderbilt Hustler sports editor Justin Hershey told the Texan that Disu tended to “get a little out of control driving downhill” during his stint in Nashville.

But Disu has gained more body mass and more control over his body as his collegiate career has progressed. On Wednesday, he mentioned that he graduated high school at around 195 pounds and has worked his way up to 225 pounds.

“He’s just a skilled player. He’s not big; he’s a positionless guy. He is one of the best shooters on our team, maybe the best,” head coach Chris Beard said about Disu.

Disu’s consistent upward trajectory as a basketball player has already served him well in terms of allowing him to achieve a childhood dream.

Disu’s story serves as a reminder that there isn’t always a single track to accomplishing a lifetime goal. Maybe the dream will continue for Disu as the Longhorns begin their long journey next month to a Big 12 Championship, and more importantly a national championship.