Rick Barnes and the Longhorns lost out in their bid for a one-year plug-in at power forward.
Olu Ashaolu, a 6-7 All-WAC defensive player who has graduated from Louisiana Tech and has one more season of immediate eligibility, chose Oregon over Texas and San Diego State today.
Ashaolu, another Canadian who had connections with both Oregon and Texas through the Grassroots Canada program, averaged 14 points and 9 boards for La Tech last season, and looked good in a blowout loss in Austin early in the year.
Myck Kabongo hosted Ashaolu and his brother on their visit last week and briefly posted a tweet suggesting that Olu was bound for UT. He would have fit in nicely among UT's incoming freshmen, and probably would have been a prime beneficiary of Kabongo's passes. At Oregon, he'll be playing with Devoe Joseph, Cory's older brother, who transferred from Minnesota last year.
Texas could use another body up front. The loss of Ashaolu could increase their interest in Tony Woods, a 6-11 center who left Wake Forest last year and dunked freely in WF's NCAA overtime win over Texas in 2010. Woods was booted by the new Wake coach, Jeff Bzdelik, after a domestic disturbance rap. But he may be highly sought after a sympathetic piece about the situation by Jason King of Yahoo! Sports. Kentucky was very much interested.