It has been a busy few days for the Texas Longhorns men's basketball program, which has seen numerous players join and leave the team. Head coach Rodney Terry brought in Indiana State transfers Julian Larry and Jayson Kent plus Arkansas guard Tramon Mark. But these additions also caused the talented duo of Tyrese Hunter and Dillon Mitchell to enter the portal.
Hunter started every game for the Longhorns over the last two years, but with increased backcourt depth, the rising senior decided to look elsewhere for playing time. With one more season of eligibility, here are the ideal transfer portal destinations for Tyrese Hunter.
Scouting Tyrese Hunter
After bursting onto the scene as a freshman at Iowa State in 2021-22, Tyrese Hunter never quite developed into a star after transferring to Texas. Hunter averaged 11.1 PPG, 4.1 APG, and 2.9 RPG as a junior — all in line with his freshman year numbers. Although his offensive rating improved from 90.8 to 100.6 during that span, the six-foot guard is still a marginal three-point shooter (34.3% in 2023-24) and has not shown noticeable improvement in other areas of his game.
The more optimistic outlook: Hunter is a solid guard who has started 106 games for Big 12 teams in his three years in college basketball. He is a steady secondary scoring option who knows how to run a high-level offense and excels at finding open teammates. With his big-game experience and steady presence, Tyrese Hunter would be a strong addition to any high-major basketball program.
Ideal Transfer Fits
Arizona
The departure of Kylan Boswell and his 35 starts in 2023-24 suddenly leaves a hole at the point guard position for Arizona. The Wildcats enter their first season in the Big 12 with a noticeably weaker team having lost all five starters from a year ago. While the team has elite recruits coming in, Jalen Bradley is currently the only upperclassman on the Arizona roster.
Tyrese Hunter would be an ideal addition to build around as a glue guy who can be a strong second or third scorer. Add in an elite scorer from the portal, and Arizona will be an immediate contender in the Big 12 next year.
Creighton
After consecutive second-weekend runs in the NCAA Tournament, Creighton is looking at a more significant rebuild this coming season. The Blue Jays lose Baylor Scheierman, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Trey Alexander, and Steven Ashworth — the team's four leading scorers from a year ago. Creighton originally recruited Tyrese Hunter out of high school, and the addition of the veteran point guard helps calm any worries of a down year in 2024-25
Marquette
Replacing All-American point guard Tyler Kolek is a near-impossible task, but with Marquette's depth of talent, maybe coach Shaka Smart does not have to. The team returns three starters in Stevie Mitchell, Kam Jones, and David Joplin, plus key bench pieces in Ben Gold, Sean Jones, and Chase Ross. Kam Jones acted as a secondary ball-handler for Smart's team, averaging 2.4 assists/game while leading the team in scoring at 17.2 PPG. Tyrese Hunter would slide in nicely as a complimentary piece as he can focus on distributing rather than having to be a scorer.
Hunter is also a native of Racine, WI, just a 40-minute drive from downtown Milwaukee. The Golden Eagles recruited Tyrese Hunter out of high school, now, they might actually get him.
Washington
What if Tyrese Hunter wants to be “the guy”? After a breakthrough freshman season at ISU, the young point guard was trending toward star status — which he might have achieved if he stayed in Ames. With one year of eligibility left, it is Hunter's last chance to prove himself as a star.
Washington is a team in transition. The Huskies have a new head coach in Danny Sprinkle and will begin play in the Big Ten this fall. The program also returns just one player who scored a point for them last season.
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