Coveted front court players headline Sean Miller's roster-building strategy in his first offseason at Texas

After a disappointing 2024–25 season that led to the firing of Rodney Terry from Texas men’s basketball, new head coach Sean Miller was left with a significant hole to fill, one of the most important roster spots for SEC play.

[Sign up for Inside Texas TODAY and get the BEST Longhorns scoop!]

The frontcourt rotation of Kadin Shedrick and Ze’Rik Onyema had been underwhelming in Terry’s final season in Austin. However, Miller didn’t even have the option of developing either big man for another year, as both had exhausted their eligibility. The only player taller than 6’8″ on the roster Miller inherited was redshirt freshman Jamie Vinson, who would later transfer to Texas A&M during the offseason.

With a clear lack of size on the roster, Miller turned to the transfer portal to strengthen the position. The first addition was FAU transfer Matas Vokietaitis, a true seven-footer weighing 245 pounds, with three years of eligibility remaining. The Lithuanian big man was named AAC Rookie of the Year after averaging 10 points, 5.5 rebounds, and a block per game, while shooting over 67% from the field.

“I think if you really followed Matas as a freshman, he played his best basketball in the months of February and March,” Miller said at the SEC Spring Meetings in Destin, Florida. “That’s when he was the most productive. I think that’s when he earned Freshman of the Year in the conference he came from. So, I think a true seven-footer, his ability to catch and move and grow and develop. He’s also somebody we can have for more than a year, which I think is really important.”

Vokietaitis increased his scoring by more than two points per game, maintained high efficiency, and became a more reliable shot blocker during the 13 games from early February through FAU’s NIT loss to Dayton.

In addition to Vokietaitis, Miller brought in a more familiar face: Xavier transfer Lassina Traore. The two big men committed within a week of each other, transforming Texas’s frontcourt from a weakness into a clear strength. Traore never played a minute for Xavier, having suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice just before the 2024–25 season.

Before transferring to Xavier, Traore had led the Big West in rebounding during both his sophomore and junior seasons at Long Beach State, averaging a double-double and earning All-Big West honors twice. According to Miller, Traore is recovering well, and his veteran presence and proven production are expected to be a major asset for the Longhorns in SEC play.

“Lassina, for us, would have been our starting five-man. He would have been our starting center. We brought him to Xavier from Long Beach State to be our starting center, and he suffered a season-ending injury in October,” Miller said. “So right now, he’s almost eight months post-surgery, which is good. All that difficulty, especially the first six months, is behind him, and he’ll rejoin us at some point full-speed this summer. He’s older, and I think he’s a good one-two punch with Matas, because Matas is still young in his development.”

Vokietaitis and Traore are expected to start in the frontcourt, with fellow transfers Cam Heide and Dailyn Swain also capable of playing the 3 or 4 in Miller’s system. Texas has the flexibility to run a double-big lineup, a traditional one-big look, or even go small with Swain or another versatile forward—one that Miller is especially excited about: Nic Codie.

Codie, a highly regarded recruit, didn’t see much playing time as a freshman, but despite Terry’s departure, he appears fully committed to the program. Standing at 6’8″ and weighing around 200 pounds when he entered college, he’ll likely look to add muscle in the offseason. Miller has made it clear that Codie is a key part of Texas’s rotation and will likely be the third big man off the bench.

“I’m also excited to coach Nic Codie. I think getting to know Nic this spring and just watching him—his talent,” Miller said. “A lot of times in college basketball, the biggest jump you make is from your first year to your second year. And I think that Nic has the capability of doing that as well.”

[Order THE LONGHORN ALPHABET today and teach your little ones the A to Z’s of Texas Football!]

Texas also has a few more notable big men, including freshman John Clark, a 6’9″, top-70 recruit, and international signee Lewis Obiorah from the UK, who is likely to be the tallest player on the roster. When Miller took over, the program had just one big man on campus. Now, the frontcourt is impressively rebuilt. While the team may still have needs in floor spacing and ball-handling, the interior presence is no longer a concern—it’s been reinforced not just for this season, but for the long-term future of Texas basketball.