Texas center Matas Vokietaitis (8) talks with head coach Sean Miller during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament against BYU, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)
Texas coach Sean Miller is entering his 22nd season leading a Division I men’s basketball program. He has won more than 70% of his games and eight regular season conference titles. He has made 14 NCAA tournaments. Still, Miller has never led a team to the Final Four, although that could change as the Longhorns have put together a roster that could be ranked in the top five of the preseason polls.
On Thursday, Texas received a commitment from Marcus Spears Jr., a 6-foot-10 power forward who was the No. 1 recruit in the high school class of 2027. Although he had a year of high school remaining, Spears Jr. reclassified and graduated early, meaning the lefthander will suit up for the Longhorns this season.
Spears Jr., who turned 17 on April 8, is considered an elite NBA prospect, but he cannot enter the draft next year because he is too young. Spears Jr. will be eligible for the 2028 draft, so he will spend at least two years in college.
He is following the path of two other elite prospects in Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje and Nikola Kusturica, who both recently turned 17 and are playing this coming season for Duke and UCLA, respectively. Boumtje Boumtje and Kusturica will also not be draft eligible until 2028.
