Texas basketball held a media availability for its assistant coaches on Tuesday. With the season opener against Duke in the Dick Vitale Invitational in Charlotte just 28 days away, it’s a good time to take a closer look at what to expect from the Longhorns on both ends of the floor, and which players have emerged as names to watch this offseason.
The Sean Miller offense:
After speaking with multiple coaches, the consensus on what Longhorn fans can expect offensively this season centers around pace and a shift toward concept-based basketball rather than traditional set plays, a style similar to programs like Gonzaga, Arizona and Greek club Olympiacos. When the Longhorns are at their best on offense, expect to see heavy ball movement, a player-friendly system that allows their skilled players more freedom, and an emphasis on getting out in transition, whether off a miss or a make.
Assistant coach Ryan Anderson, who played under head coach Sean Miller and was a frontcourt player himself, said that in Miller’s offensive system, the big men are often the ‘triggers’ whether in five-out or four-out, one-in sets
At the defensive end:
While Texas’ offense is expected to draw plenty of attention this season, the team’s defensive identity centers on creating chaos, keeping everything in front, and using their length to switch effectively across all five positions.
Assistant coach Ulric Maligi elaborated on the Longhorns’ defensive mindset, saying, “Limiting teams to one shot, obviously we want to get back in transition, make teams play five-on-five, have great ball pressure, limit teams to one bad shot and tough twos, get rebounds and protect each other. Never let guys play out on an island. We want to protect the rim and protect each other.”
Names to watch:
While the team has made solid progress in grasping head coach Sean Miller’s philosophy this offseason, a few standout names mentioned during the press conference included senior guard Jordan Pope, Xavier transfer Dailyn Swain, and senior guard Chendall Weaver.
