Tournament star Dylan Disu to return for Texas men's basketball team
Finally, some good news for the Texas men’s basketball team.
Senior Dylan Disu, the breakout star of the Longhorns’ postseason run, announced Sunday afternoon on his social media accounts that he will return to the program.
More: Bohls: Home-grown, late-arriving Dylan Disu has been a late bloomer for Texas basketball
The 6-foot-9 Disu started 36 games during Texas’ 29-9 season, which included a Big 12 Tournament title and a run to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 8.8 points and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 61.3% from the floor in 19 minutes a game.
But he came alive in the postseason, scoring in double-digits in five straight games in the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments. That stretch included 28 points to match his career high and help the Longhorns beat Penn State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 15 years.
Disu also earned the most outstanding player award in the Big 12 Tournament after scoring 18 points in a win over Kansas in the title game. He missed Texas’ 88-81 loss to Miami in the Elite Eight with a foot injury.
Disu, a graduate of Hendrickson High School in Pflugerville, played his first two collegiate seasons at Vanderbilt and then transferred to Texas before the 2021-22 season. He participated in the Longhorns’ senior night festivities March 4 at Moody Center but said in the postseason that he had not decided whether to return to Texas or pursue a professional career.
Disu’s decision must have brought a sigh of relief from head coach Rodney Terry, who had his interim tag removed March 27, since Texas has endured a wave of defections this month.
Of the nine players who were a part of the regular rotation for the team last season, forward Brock Cunningham and Disu are the only ones to confirm they will return next season. Marcus Carr, Timmy Allen, Jabari Rice and Christian Bishop have all used up their eligibility, freshman Arterio Morris jumped into the transfer portal earlier this month, and forward Dillon Mitchell and guard Tyrese Hunter have declared for this summer’s NBA draft.
Both Hunter and Mitchell will receive an evaluation from the NBA’s undergraduate advisory committee before deciding whether to return to college. Mitchell was projected as the 30th-best prospect by CBS Sports this month while Hunter came in at No. 41.
Texas will welcome five-star recruit Ron Holland next season, but fellow blue-chip recruit A.J. Johnson decommitted this month to play professional basketball in Australia.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Forward Dylan Disu announces return for Texas men's basketball team
