The Texas Longhorns basketball program is an underrated powerhouse. The Longhorns have been to three Final Fours, made eight Elite 8 appearances, and made numerous Sweet 16 appearances.
The only thing this program hasn’t done yet is win a national championship, but they aren’t far off. The Longhorns have also produced several great players, including one who is destined to be a hall of famer.
Below, we honor those Longhorns who have carried on the legacy of Texas basketball. Here are the top 10 Texas Longhorns men’s basketball players of all time.
10. Chris Mihm, Center
Chris Mihm was a defensive specialist for the Longhorns who holds the school record in blocks (264). Not only that, he was a first-team All-American, made the Big 12 All-Defensive team twice, was first-team All-Big 12 twice, and made the All-Big 12 freshman team. He is also second in double-doubles (47) and fourth in rebounds (945) in school history.
9. LaSalle Thompson, center
LaSalle Thompson is said by many to be the best center in Longhorns‘ history and with good reason. Thompson was the school’s leading rebounder (1,027) until 2004 when James Thomas broke that mark. Thompson was also an All-American, NCAA rebound champ in 1982, and was named first-team All-Southwestern Conference twice.
8. D.J. Augustin, point guard
D.J. Augustin was a phenom coming out of high school and he continued his great play in a Longhorns uniform. As a freshman, Augustin averaged 14.4 points and 6.7 assists per game. He was named second-team All-Big 12 and to the Big 12 All-Rookie Team for his contributions. The following year, Augustin was an All-American and won the Bob Cousy Award.
7. P.J. Tucker, power forward
P.J. Tucker was a dominant force for the Longhorns back in the mid-2010s. Tucker was Big 12 Player of the Year, an All-American, and a first-team Big 12 selection, not to mention he made the Big 12 All-Freshman team in 2004. He also scored 1,169 points, including a career-high 594 during the 2005–06 season. He also accrued 714 rebounds, 170 assists (including 107 in 2005–06), and 116 steals in his college career.
6. Travis Mays, shooting guard
Travis Mays is now head coach of the SMU Mustangs women’s basketball team, but before that, he was a great guard for the Longhorns. Mays led the Longhorns to the Elite 8 in 1990. He was also an All-American who was a prolific scorer, ranked second all-time in the program’s history (2,279 points). He was also the first player to earn back-to-back SWC Player of the Year honors. Mays was the only UT men’s player in history to score more than 700 points in a season at the end of his Longhorn career, having scored 743 points as a junior and 772 as a senior. Mays’s school scoring record was broken by Kevin Durant.
5. Terrence Rencher, point guard
Terrence Rencher was a New Yorker who made his way down to Austin to play for the Longhorns. Rencher was named SWC Freshman of the Year and was first-team All-SWC twice in college. He also finished his career with 2,306 points, making him the school’s and Southwest Conference’s all-time career scorer. He also scored 30 or more points 10 times in his Longhorns career.
4. LaMarcus Aldridge, power forward
LaMarcus Aldridge almost didn’t attend college in Austin, but after talking to NBA great Shaquille O’Neal, he changed his mind, which turned out to be the right decision. A third-team All-American, he was Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2006, and first-team All-Big 12. The Dallas native was a force in his sophomore season, averaging 15 points, 9.2 rebounds, and two blocks a game. He also helped lead the Longhorns to the Elite 8.
3. Slater Martin, point guard
Slater Martin was a two-time all-American who led the team to the 1947 Final Four. He is the only Longhorn in school history to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He also held the school record of points scored in a game where he scored 49 points against the TCU Horned Frogs in 1949. Slater went on to have a fabulous long NBA career where he won five NBA championships.
2. T.J. Ford, point guard
T.J. Ford might have been the greatest point guard to put on a Texas uniform. As a freshman, he led the team in steals and minutes per game while becoming the first freshman to lead the nation in assists (8.27 per game) en route to becoming Big 12 Freshman of the Year. As a sophomore, Ford was also the South Regional MVP while leading Texas to its first Final Four since 1947. By the end of the season, he was a consensus First Team All-American, won the prestigious Naismith College Player of the Year and John Wooden awards, and was named Player of the Year by various outlets. If wasn’t for the guy at No. 1, he’d probably be considered the greatest Texas basketball player of all time.
1. Kevin Durant, power forward
There should be no surprise that this guy is the No. 1 basketball player in Texas Longhorns history. Although Kevin Durant only played one season, his impact was huge. As a freshman, Durant averaged 25.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, and nearly two blocks a game. He would go on to be named an All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year. He also became the first freshman to win Naismith Player of the Year. Even before he even entered the NBA Draft, Durant’s jersey was retired by the school. That was only the fifth time in school history they retired an athlete’s number and he became the second basketball player to have his number retired (after Ford). A two-time NBA champion and former MVP, Durant is now considered one greatest basketball players of all time.
