Texas Basketball: Huge Recruiting Victory on Monday

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:57 p.m. ET

Fansided, James Caldwell/FanSided via Hook'em Headlines

Shaka Smart Gets Needed PG

High School senior Matt Coleman officially announced Monday that he is joining Texas Basketball. Shaka Smart’s Longhorns haven’t won too many battles on the court this season, but this was a huge recruiting win for next season.

Coleman, who is the #26 high school prospect in the ESPN 100, said he chose Texas over Duke because of the obvious – the Longhorns need a PG.

Coleman brings versatility to the PG position as a distributor and scorer. He knows the Longhorns roster and he knows Shaka Smart, who has recruited Coleman since VCU.

Coleman Has the “It” Factor for Texas Basketball

Coleman made the official announcement during halftime of ESPNU’s “Spalding Hoophall Classic” on Monday. Sitting at the desk with ESPN’s recruiting experts, Coleman looked poised and confident talking about his decision.

Coleman has the presence of a big-time player, like Myles Turner a few seasons ago. However, former Longhorns coach Rick Barnes could not find a consistent role for Turner in his one year at Texas.

The role for Coleman is obvious – take the PG spot and run with it. Coleman said Coach Smart is supremely confident that he will lead Texas’ rebuilding effort.

“(Smart) said to me, ‘The keys are yours. Lead us to a National Championship.’ I said, ‘I got you,'” Coleman recalled from the conversation that convinced him to pick Texas.

Coleman’s National Title Aspirations

Matt Coleman could be a one-and-done player, like Myles Turner. That would put even more pressure on next year’s team to become an elite force in the Big 12 and nationally.

However, if Coleman builds a career at Texas, this is a team that could eventually contend for a National Title. Looking ahead two years, Coleman would be a sophomore and the current roster of super-young freshmen and sophomores would be ready for those expectations.