Four Texas freshmen are already making an impact

AUSTIN — There’s a “silver lining” in the fractured foot sustained by junior guard Mikey Lewis that will get the transfer out until mid-December — the No. 7 Texas Longhorns have a chance to develop their three freshmen guards while bringing along freshman phenom forward Marcus Spears Jr.

In Monday’s matchup against Chicago State, a resounding 109-59 victory that marked the program’s highest-scoring season opener since 1992, all four players were ready for the moment after bouncing back from a disappointing exhibition loss to St. John’s at Madison Square Garden eight days prior.

“Our team, when we go out here, we’re just younger than we than we want to be, than we need to be. But I do believe there’s some silver lining because those three freshmen are very talented — they’re hardworking and they’re only going to get better,” Texas head coach Sean Miller said.

“So a night like tonight, getting them out there, that’s the first time they’ve ever played in the Moody Center. First time they’ve ever played a college game, other than what we did in the Garden, and it’s just great for their experience.”

Austin Goosby was ready.

On the game’s first possession, Goosby laced a small-window entry pass into rolling junior center Matas Vokietaitis, who passed out of a double team to sophomore guard Isaiah Johnson. An extra pass found Goosby, who calmly knocked down a three on his first collegiate shot attempt.

It wasn’t the only time that Goosby delivered an ambitious, on-target pass — several minutes later, Goosby recorded one of his six defensive rebounds and got out in transition, ripping a laser chest pass to junior forward David Punch for a big-time slam.

It wasn’t just recognizing the bigs, though, because Goosby also demonstrated his awareness of his shooters, delivering a crosscourt pass to fellow freshman Joe Sterling for a corner three.

Goosby finished with a team-high eight assists, adding seven points and seven rebounds stepping into a larger ball-handling role with Lewis out as he spends practices working at the one and two positions. Over 28 minutes, the Melissa product was a team-best plus-37.

“Austin, eight assists in his first college game tonight. It’s not easy to do, regardless of your opponent. I thought he was outstanding there. Eight assists. He found the guys and really made the game easy for them. So he’s an excellent passer, and it was great to see him be able to do that in in his first college game,” Miller said.

The former five-star prospect had already shown the ability to learn quickly and respond in games — after committing two turnovers in the first half against the Red Storm, Miller challenged him to play cleaner basketball in the second half. He finished the game with two turnovers as Texas outscored St. John’s by five points after halftime.

“We’re asking him to do a lot, but he’s made for it,” Miller said. “That’s why he came here to be to be in that role, and he’s a fun guy to coach as well.”

Bo Odgen is made for it, too — his father, Chris, played at Texas under Rick Barnes and is now Miller’s general manager, so it was no surprise that Odgen was also ready on Monday evening.

The Austin Westlake product checked in for the first time after the under-12 timeout. A minute later, he got his opportunity. When Punch dribbled into the paint and got a double team, he kicked it out to Odgen, who drained the three.

In 14 minutes, Ogden finished with eight points on 3-of-7 shooting with two offensive rebounds, two steals, and an assist.

Joe Sterling was ready, too.

Checking in at the under-eight timeout, Sterling came up with a steal a minute later and used his scouting report shot credibility to give a little head fake on the fast break, driving to the paint with confidence and pulling up for a floater that rattled home.

In Sterling’s first collegiate game, the shot credibility is already there for a reason — the California kid can really stroke it, and it’s the area where he’ll provide his biggest contributions for the Longhorns this season, finishing 4-of-6 shooting from three.

“Joe Sterling, that’s my dog,” sophomore guard Isaiah Johnon said. “Man, we expect the same thing every single game — he’s gonna knock down those threes. Just what he does. I’m just so proud of him, the work he puts in, and I’m just glad it’s coming to light.”

Miller echoed that sentiment about Sterling and Ogden.

“I haven’t been around young people, freshmen, who shoot the basketball like they do — after practice, before practice, at night, in practice, and certainly in games,” Miller said. “What you saw tonight is really a version of what they’ve been able to do through the early part of our time together.”

All three freshmen aren’t just upholding the cultural standards in Miller’s program. Their dedication to basketball is setting a standard for the Longhorns.

“What I know about those three is they love the game. They put a lot of work in. They show up every day, and they’re talented, and that combination usually wins out,” Miller said. “If it doesn’t win out right away, it will eventually win out.”

And then there’s Spears, the former No. 1 prospect in the 2027 class who reclassified to join the Texas program in July.

It was an emotional day for Spears and his father, Marcus, the former NFL standout who is now an analyst on ESPN. The big man wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to his family, leading to an emotional moment on national television watching his son walk into the Moody Center.

For MPJ, his Texas debut took a weight off his young shoulders — what he feels like he needs to prove to the world doesn’t compare to the exacting expectations placed on him by his father.

“It feels super good because we’ve been through a lot of hard days, long days, him getting on me. So he’s starting to see — I mean, he’s been seeing my work — but it’s just starting to show, so we’ve just came a long way,” Spears said.

So when the moment arrived, Spears was ready for it.

After the first media timeout, Spears entered the game and needed less than 30 seconds to impact it by blocking a shot. Another 30 seconds later, Spears dribbled into the paint and scored through contact, flexing his muscles for the camera. And perhaps his father, too.

Before long, Spears scored again on a similar drive.

In 20 minutes, Spears finished with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting with five rebounds, four blocks, and an assist. His four blocks tied with Mo Bamba for the second most in a Longhorns debut, one behind the school record set by James Banks.

“Marcus was outstanding tonight — so many things happened when he came in the game, just his quickness, his athleticism,” Miller said. “I thought his defense, steals, blocks, when he was hedging ball screens, and his activity was outstanding.”

The shot-blocking ability that Spears brings to the Longhorns gives the team improved rim protection from a year ago, which in turn creates the type of transition opportunities in which his length and athleticism can thrive.

“If I go back to a year ago, we really didn’t have that ability to erase a mistake, block a shot, fly around, and Marcus really gives us that,” Miller said. “But I was impressed with the way he played, and he’s got a lot of confidence. He plays with high effort, and when a player plays with a high effort, you want him to be in the game, and I think that’s the feeling that he gives us.”

For all four freshmen, it was an impressive start to their respective careers, and while Miller would prefer to have more experience, the three guards will develop more quickly with Lewis out, and Spears is already flashing the skill set of a future high draft pick even though the NBA’s eligibility rules ensure that his stay at Texas will last two years.

After seeing Texas in action, Chicago State head coach Landon Bussie believes the Horns have a high ceiling that the freshmen are helping to set.

“I think they could make a huge run going towards the Final Four.”