Sean Miller on Longhorns shooting threats, impressive transfers, and Ulric Maligi staff addition

Today, Texas men’s basketball head coach Sean Miller had an availability with several members of the media, where he discussed topics ranging from summer standouts, to shooting threats, to expectations for the upcoming season and beyond.

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Here are some of the comments that stood out the most from the first part of the meeting.

Perimeter Shooting Questions

One of the biggest concerns from most spectators, fans, and analysts is how Texas will be effective in shooting the ball from deep. When asked about which players are going to be the primary shooters for next season’s team, Miller answered with the following.

“Jordan Pope…[he] has great college experience, both at Oregon State, but also played in the SEC last year…and then Cam Heide from Purdue. If you look at his track record at Purdue in the Big 10, his percentage speaks loud and clear…We have a number of others that are solid and consistent…there will be storylines of their improvement shooting…Chendall Weaver would be an example of what I’m talking about…[Weaver] has shown that he’s capable from three…He will be an improved shooter.

He also referenced St. John’s transfer guard Simeon Wilcher as a player that will take on a shooting role this year in a later question.

Transfers that have stood out

Miller brought in the top-ranked transfer portal class this season according to On3. He spoke very highly of several of these players, including wing Cam Heide, and what he brings to the table overall after playing for an elite coaching staff the last two seasons.

“The thing that’s exciting to me about Cam is that he played for [head coach] Matt Painter, and he played at Purdue. Excellent coach and excellent program…Cam has been in the game to win a National Championship. He’s won a game in the Final Four…and had a role. Last year, he had a big role. He played his best in the NCAA Tournament…What we love about him is he loves to win, he’s been a part of a terrific program…Playing in that winning culture…it’s something we’re excited to add.”

He echoed similar sentiments about Simeon Wilcher.

“I’ll give you the big picture with Sim…when you’re in the transfer portal, everyone has the things that they’re looking for. I don’t think you can underestimate a player that had a key role on a team that was as high as a no. 2 seed in the tournament. Playing for Rick Pitino is the most exciting thing for me. I coached against [Simeon] four times, I watched him develop…He was a starter on a two-seed…One of the things you’ll see [this season] is that he shoots more threes and shoots a better percentage…He’s more than capable. We believe in him as a three-point shooter.”

What does Chendall Weaver bring as a returner?

When asked about Chendall Weaver’s role, he spoke glowingly of the returning guard, highlighting his two-way ability and potential to space the floor in addition to being a ball handler.

“I think if Chendall didn’t get injured a year ago, I think the total wins for Texas would’ve been greater…The length of time of the injury…didn’t allow Texas to be as good as they could’ve been. The reason is that Chendall impacts the game in so many ways…His ability to…make plays on defense, his excitement in the open court, where he can make a play…he’s really unselfish. If you call Chendall a streaky shooter, I think he can settle more into a consistent threat from three…He’s going to contribute in a bunch of different ways…Thrilled to have him as a part of what we do.”

High praise for Dailyn Swain

In talking about Xavier transfer Dailyn Swain, the crown jewel of the portal class, Miller had only positive things to say about a player that he recruited out of high school and brought with him from the Big East.

“I have a soft spot for Dailyn…We recruited him in the spring of his junior year [of high school]…I think he was very underrated coming out of high school…We were right about that evaluation…He was on the all-freshman team in the Big East…He gained valuable experience, and made a huge jump from his freshman to his sophomore year [at Xavier]. This spring, if Dailyn didn’t come to Texas, he could have pretty much named his program…he was coveted about as much as anyone in the portal…I think that he’s continued his progression.

Swain had offers from several elite schools when he announced he was leaving Xavier, with Texas, Kentucky, and Ohio State as the primary suitors for his services.

Miller also mentioned that Swain has demonstrated some ability beyond the arc, specifically towards the end of last season.

“If you go to our last game at Xavier, when we lost to Illinois in the NCAA Tournament, Dailyn hit three threes. I believe that it’s a sign of things to come. He’s working very hard at his three-point shooting to add that element to his game.”

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Ulric Maligi addition

One of Sean Miller’s first personnel moves was to bring back former Texas assistant Ulric Maligi, someone for whom he has great respect and admiration.

“What a great guy Ulric is…He’s a team player, he allows your staff to have great chemistry. He connects in a really big way to our players and their families…The fact that he’s a Texan…gives us [an advantage] on the recruiting trail, but also as a person working with our players on an everyday basis. I don’t know if we could have a better…class guy…who’s about the right things. Excited to have him with us.”

Stay tuned for more information from this availability, which will be out in the coming days.