Texas basketball prepping for new season: 5 things we saw in open practice

(This story was updated to correct a misspelling/typo.)

Inside Moody Center, local reporters Tuesday got their first glimpse of the revamped Texas basketball team that includes 10 new faces.

But what head coach Rodney Terry saw while conducting a high-tempo practice just a month out of the Nov. 4 season opener against Ohio State in Las Vegas came as no surprise.

“It’s first impressions for you guys a little bit, but I’ve had them for three months already,” said Terry, whose team went 21-13 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season. “This is a good group of guys. I think they really like each other in terms of chemistry right now. You know, we can play a lot of different ways. We have older guys, and we have a blend of some young guys that will contribute and help us this year. So, I think all the ingredients of having a really good team this year are there.”

And what are those ingredients? Let’s take a look at five things that stood out during the Longhorns’ only open practice session of the preseason.

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Rodney Terry will have some tough lineup decisions

As evident during the full-court session of Tuesday’s practice, Terry will have a lot of options when it comes to doling out minutes. Transfers Jordan Pope (Oregon State) and Julian Larry (Indiana State), five-star freshman Tre Johnson and returning junior Chendall Weaver look like regulars in the guard rotation.

The frontcourt will lean on returners Kadin Shedrick and Ze’Rik Onyema as well as transfers Arthur Kaluma (Kansas State) and Jayson Kent (Indiana State). The collection of wing players that include transfer Tramon Mark (Arkansas), transfer Malik Presley (Vanderbilt) and returner Devon Pryor showed the ability to switch everything on defense from the perimeter to the paint.

“We could have eight or nine guys that could start for us,” Terry said. “I think that versatility gives us an opportunity to play everyone early and get more familiar with each other.”

Tre Johnson can indeed shoot

With one casual flick of the wrist during a half-court drill, Johnson showed the singular characteristic that makes his game special. He collected a pass behind the 3-point line in the corner, took one hard dribble to freeze the defender and then stepped back half a step while effortlessly launching a 3-pointer that quietly cut through the net.

The 6-foot-6 Johnson doesn’t have elite size for an off guard nor jaw-dropping athleticism. But as he showed Tuesday, the freshman from the Dallas area boasts a natural feel for the game, instinctive movement off the ball — and a beautiful shooting stroke.

“Just like any young player, I think that the biggest adjustment for (Johnson) is just being consistent with what you bring every day, in terms of your energy, your effort, your body language,” Terry said. “Those are the things that you really pay attention to with young players like Tre, who’s highly skilled. He’s a shot maker, but he’s a guy that has gotten better with his decision-making as well. And he’ll be initiating some offense for us, too.”

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Indiana State making an impact

Both Kent and Larry served as multiyear starters for Indiana State, the Missouri Valley Conference team that became a college-basketball darling last season after a 28-6 record and a controversial snub from the NCAA Tournament selection committee. Kent and Larry personify the smart, savvy style that characterized the Sycamores, and their chemistry is evident in practice.

Don’t be surprised to see them on the court together often this season, whether as starters or as a package substitution.

“Larry plays with that energy and activity, (and) he’s played a ton of basketball,” Terry said. “(Kent) has a body to play physically and get up and down the floor, so I think he brings that along with a lot of experience as well. Hopefully (they) want to continue to try to play with the chip on the shoulder.”

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Texas showed off its tempo

Pope and Larry both play as true point guards while Johnson, the five-star freshman also flashed the ability to bring the ball up court during Tuesday’s practice. Weaver showed improved handles. Mark sat out the practice to nurse a mild injury, but Terry has mentioned his ability in the open court. Terry likes having lots of options to initiate his high-tempo offense, and this team fit that description during some fast-paced, full-court drills.

“I think the easier teams to guard are if you only have one guy bring down the basketball,” Terry said. “We need multiple ball handlers, multiple guys that can initiate offense for us. That’s challenging for a team to deal with defensively.”

Ze’Rik Onyema looks like a new player

Onyema, who transferred in from UTEP prior to last season, looks like a new player — and it’s not just because he trimmed the long locks that he kept bundled atop his head during games last season.

The 6-9, 235-pound forward averaged just over nine minutes a game a year ago while nursing a nagging groin injury. Now healthy, Onyema showed off his quickness and explosiveness with several rim-rattling dunks Tuesday, all off half-court action.

“Ze’Rik’s one of those guys that, for a better part of last season, wasn’t the most healthy guy,” Terry said. “He’s had a great summer, been healthy. He’s one of those guys that gives you great burst. We want him to continue to build his conditioning where we can have him a little bit longer out there on the floor. He’s trying to do all the things that we’re asking to do at a very high level. He’s putting the work in, and he’s trusting the process.”

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Longhorns basketball open practice: 5 things we saw