Longhorns Country

LOOK: NBA Star Ja Morant Visits Longhorns, Coach Chris Beard

The Longhorns got a star-studded visit this week.
Zach Dimmitt|
LOOK: NBA Star Ja Morant Visits Longhorns, Coach Chris Beard
LOOK: NBA Star Ja Morant Visits Longhorns, Coach Chris Beard

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Texas Longhorns

Texas Longhorns men's basketball is entering an exciting season full of expectations after coming just short in the second round of the NCAA tournament in March. 

And apparently, NBA star and Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant believes in the hype. The official Longhorns Twitter page shared a photo Wednesday of Morant posing with Texas coach Chris Beard. 

Video also captured the 23-year-old soaring for dunks and getting some catch-and-shoot reps in at the Texas practice facility earlier this week. 

Morant, who rose up the ranks to stardom in college with the Murray State Racers, averaged 18.7 points, 8.2 assists, and 5.7 rebounds in two seasons with the team. He was already projected to be a high draft pick entering March Madness in the spring of 2019, but his performance put the country on notice. 

The 12th-seeded Racers entered the first round with a matchup against the fifth-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles on tap. But the rankings mattered little in that game, as Morant posted 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 16 assists as Murray State easily beat Marquette in an 83-64 upset.

The Racers would lose in the second round to Florida State, but Morant still put up 28 points in the loss and solidified his place as a potential top-five pick. 

He ended up being selected No. 2 overall by the Grizzlies later that summer and eventually won Rookie of the Year. 

This past season, Morant won Most Improved Player and was named to his first All-Star game. 

You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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Zach Dimmitt
ZACH DIMMITT

Zach Dimmitt is the Deputy Editor for Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI. He also contributes as a writer for the On SI channels of the Oregon Ducks, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Buffalo Bills on SI, Philadelphia Eagles on SI and Seattle Seahawks on SI. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Dimmitt received his Bachelor’s Degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin in 2022. He originally started with SI’s Fan Nation network in 2021, providing extensive coverage of the NFL and NBA along with college football and basketball. In that time, Dimmitt has published thousands of stories and has reached millions of people across multiple fan bases. You can follow him on X at @ZachDimmitt7

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