After the tragic loss on Saturday night forced an end to the season, the only thing left for Texas men’s basketball to do is look to the future as many current Longhorn stars will graduate and leave the Forty Acres.
Graduate forward Brock Cunningham came to the program as an Austin native and has completed his sixth and final season. This season, Cunningham appeared in 34 games, averaging 4.4 points and shooting 40.8% from field goal range. During his time at Texas, he was given the role of “glue guy” for holding the team together. His glue-like tendencies also apply to his dedication to playing for Texas, being currently one of the oldest players in NCAA basketball and only playing for one team his whole collegiate career. Cunningham is currently the winningest player in Texas basketball history with 110 wins.
Graduate guard Max Abmas concluded his first year for Texas and final collegiate year with impressive numbers under his belt. Abmas attended Oral Roberts the previous four years where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and led the Golden Eagles in career scoring and average points per game before deciding to come to Texas for his last season. This season, he reached double-digit scoring in 31 out of 34 games and averaged 16.8 points per game. After Texas’ game against Tennessee, Abmas topped off his collegiate career by securing the No. 8 spot on the NCAA Division I men’s all-time scoring list with 3,132 points and No. 3 on the career three-pointers with 512.
“I’m super grateful for the opportunity to compete at Texas,” Abmas said after the Tennessee game. “I never, in high school, would’ve guessed that I would be at Texas in college. Super grateful for (Rodney Terry) and the whole coaching staff for believing in me.”
Graduate forward Dylan Disu finished his third and final season with the Longhorns after transferring from Vanderbilt after his sophomore season. While having an impressive collegiate career, Disu became a prominent player his senior season, starting in 36 of 38 games. He ranked second in the Big 12 with 46 blocks and converted an impressive 61.3% of his shots from the floor. During Texas’ run in the 2023 NCAA tournament, Disu was a pivotal player, accumulating 28 points and 10 rebounds against Penn State and clutching a 71-66 victory. However, a foot injury early on in the Sweet 16 matchup left him injured for the rest of the tournament and through the beginning of this season. Despite the injury, Disu came out strong as a leading scorer in 2024, debuting his outstanding three-point shooting. Disu finished the season shooting 45.1% from the three-point line and averaged 15.5 points per game, a career-high.
“It means the world to all of us,” Disu said about playing in the NCAA tournament. “I’m so happy I was able to come to this tournament one more time with my teammates for this university.”
Graduate guard Ithiel Horton played his final season for Texas after transferring from UCF. Horton came out as a promising player for Texas in his burnt orange debut against Incarnate World, where he led Texas with 17 points, shooting six out of 12 attempts. While his playing time seemed to decrease throughout the season, Horton finished the season averaging 5.9 points per game.
On top of losing these prominent Longhorns, there is still uncertainty left with potential transfers and whispers of players entering the NBA draft. Unfortunately, there is nothing to do now but wait to see what’s in store for the future Texas squad as they enter the SEC next season.
