A big day for the future Texas backcourt...

Today was quite the day for the future Texas Longhorns backcourt. After senior guard Jase Febres announced on social media late last night he’s returning for his “Covid” season at Texas, the Longhorns gained two huge commitments in the span of minutes.

The first came from Kentucky guard Devin Askew, who confirmed to Orangebloods.com he committed to Chris Beard and Texas. A short time later, Texas guard Andrew Jones announced he’ll return for another season in burnt orange.

We’ll start with Askew. Rated No. 33 overall in the 2021 Rivals150, the Mater Dei (California) product reclassified to enroll early at Kentucky and quickly emerged as the team’s starting point guard. Thrust into a ton of minutes and role he probably wasn’t ready for, Askew, like the entire Kentucky team, went through a tough season.

“I think hopes were fairly high for him given Calipari’s track record… I don’t think anyone expected him to be De’Aaron Fox or anything like that, but people thought he would be a serviceable player… got to Kentucky a year early so that could have been a factor in some of the struggles,” said CatsPause.com publisher Justin Rowland. “I think Calipari decided right from the start it was going to be Askew’s team… Calipari clearly thought Askew needed to be the point guard, and it didn’t work out like everyone hoped.”

While Askew and every Kentucky player endured Calipari’s toughest year in Lexington, he showed a promising future as a leader and hard worker.

“The bright side is everyone would tell you he played harder than anyone else on the team. He has the potential to be a fantastic leader. Made big plays in some close games… I think fatigue played a role in his shooting... He was a much better defender than I thought he’d be. I was curious if he’d have the quickness to stay in front of guys… good defender, really hard worker, eventually will be a good shooter. He had a great attitude all season. I don’t think you could have asked for him to have a better attitude. I think he'll develop into a solid player”

From what I watched of Askew last season and what I’ve heard about him, I think he’ll be a much, much better fit in the offense Texas runs as opposed to Kentucky’s, which depends on and requires a point guard to routinely beat defenders off the dribble. He profiles as a pass-first point guard in Austin and after shooting 80.4% from the free throw line, his shooting stroke should allow him to be a solid-or-better catch-and-shoot player in the future, especially with a full season under his belt to better handle heavy minutes.

With Askew reclassifying to leave high school early, keep in mind this is basically Texas getting the most experienced freshman point guard in the country who went through an extremely difficult grind at Kentucky. Although the NCAA has yet to make a declaration about the rule, college programs are operating like a one-time blanket waiver will be granted to transfers this offseason, making Askew immediately eligible.

Speaking of guards that are a better fit for the future Texas offense, Jones could flourish next season in Austin. Coming off a season in which he averaged 14.6 points per game, Jones proved capable of creating his own mid-range jumper, attacking in transition, and getting to the free throw line out of half-court sets when his team needed a bucket. Now, the crafty and explosive shooter should be on the move much more in the Texas offense away from the basketball, which should free him for more catch-and-shoot opportunities and attacking looks out of motion concepts and improved spacing.

Febres gives Texas even more experience and shooting and like Jones, I’m looking forward to seeing how his skill-set profiles in a different offense that creates - and forces - more player movement away from the basketball. Once he regained his confidence and was nearly 100% physically following microfracture knee surgery, Febres finished the season 14-of-30 (46.7%) from three-point range. A capable and willing defender, Febres has the size and experience to switch on defense.

WHAT’S NEXT?
Febres, Jones, and Askew join returner Brock Cunningham and incoming freshman Jaylon Tyson as players locked into next year’s roster. Texas is still awaiting decisions from Courtney Ramey, Matt Coleman, Jericho Sims and Greg Brown. We reported on the growing chances of a possible Jericho Sims return in last week’s War Room while Ramey’s could go either direction, although Beard has reached out to his family. It would be a surprise if Coleman and Brown didn’t turn professional, but their silence leaves the door open.

In the meantime, stay tuned to the NCAA Transfer Portal. The Longhorns aren't done adding transfers.

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