Max Abmas explains choosing Texas in transfer decision

Last Thursday the Texas Longhorns added a huge transfer portal addition to their roster, secure a commitment from former Oral Roberts point guard Max Abmas. Abmas was one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal, choosing Texas over Kansas State when it was all said and done.

Abmas recently joined Rob Dauster and Jeff Goodman on ‘The Field Of 68’ and explained why he chose to be a Longhorn over a Wildcat when picking a Big 12 conference destination.

“Yeah I mean for me I enjoyed both of my visits, getting close with the coaching staff at Kansas State, at Texas,” Abmas said. “And just talking with my parents and kind of looking at the factors after basketball too, that played a part in separating the two.”

Abmas joins a Texas team that is fresh off of a Big 12 Tournament win and Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Tournament under newly hired head coach Rodney Terry. Kansas State wouldn’t have been a bad choice either, with first year head coach Jerome Tang making an impressive trip all the way to the Elite Eight as well and finishing his first season at the helm 26–10.

“But I really enjoyed getting to know both coaching staffs and really appreciate them recruiting me as well as every other school that recruited me too,” Abmas said.

Abmas was an under-recruited and unranked prospect out of Jesuit high school in Dallas, Texas according to On3’s Industry Ranking. At Oral Roberts he was a four-year starter, making 123 starts in his four seasons with the Golden Eagles. He averaged at least 20 points, three assists, and a steal per game in his last three seasons with ORU, ranking 10th all time in school history with 1,819 career points points and 4th all time in made three-pointers with 301.

His recruiting took a complete 180 from when he was in high school, ranked the No. 2 overall player and the No. 1 rated point guard in the 2023 transfer portal class according to On3’s College Basketball Transfer Portal Top Player Rankings.

Abmas returns to his home state of Texas and will be just a few hours from home when he steps foot on campus in Austin. He will likely fill the role previously occupied by Longhorns point guard Marcus Carr, who was Texas’ leading scorer last season from the point guard position averaging 15.9 points per game. Like Abmas, Carr also transferred to Texas with a ton of experience and scoring ability, as the point guard spot appears to still be in good hands for the Longhorns heading into next season.