New HC Sean Miller gets big win early into Texas tenure
Sean Miller is a great coach, and more than likely, he’s going to get the Texas Longhorns right back in the thick of things in the college basketball world.
He’ll have to start his tenure by getting some wins on the recruiting trail and transfer portal, but retaining talent from the Rodney Terry era is important as well.
As such, Miller got some good news on Thursday night. Guard Jordan Pope, who just finished his junior season, will be running it back in Austin.
Pope was a big part of what the Longhorns did in 2024-25. He averaged 11 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, and he was an absolute beast on the defensive end of the floor — averaging 1.0 steal a game.
He was Texas’ third-leading scorer last season while shooting 43.5% from the field and 36.4% from downtown.
Joe Cook of On3 suggests that Pope was “miscast” by Terry as a point guard when he’s really more of pure scorer. The numbers would support that.
Before coming to Texas, he spent two seasons at Oregon State. In his sophomore season, he scored 17.6 points per game for the Beavers.
Pope also displayed his hot-scoring ability this past season for Texas when he put up 42 in mid-December against New Orleans.
Miller will try to get Texas back on track ASAP, and having a senior like Pope will be a benefit to the Longhorns in 2025-26.
