Texas High School Hoops is Elite

by jc25 on Aug 10, 2025 8:46 AM CDT in Texas Longhorns and Other Basketball

Will any of these elite Texas basketballers lace up the Burnt Orange and White?

The final Elite 24 rosters were announced this past week, and an astounding SIX players named (out of 24 overall, natch) play their high school ball in the great state of Texas. The Under Armour Elite 24, which will air live on ESPNU at 6:00 p.m. CDT on August 25, is generally considered the culmination of the summer AAU season, before the kids go back to school.

Four Texans are five-star recruits in the 2013 class: power forward Julius Randle (Plano Prestonwood Christian / Texas Titans), point guard Andrew Harrison (Fort Bend Travis / Houston Defenders), shooting guard Aaron Harrison (Fort Bend Travis / Houston Defenders), and shooting guard Keith Frazier (Dallas Kimball / Houston Hoops).

Two other Texans are five-star recruits in the 2014 class: point guard Emmanuel Mudiay (Arlington Grace Prep / Texas Select) and small forward Justise Winslow (Houston St. John's / Houston Hoops). Mudiay and Winslow are two of just four rising juniors named to the event.

I have talked at length about how Texas isn't just a football state nowadays. There is a TON of elite basketball talent in the Lone Star State, and it's drawing the attention of top coaches across the country. Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Arizona are the current blue blood programs making the most headway. Further, the Big 12 is extremely strong in basketball right now, as Kansas, Kansas St., Baylor and Oklahoma St. all appear likely to sustain future success (not to mention the strong program that incoming school West Virginia will bring).

The Longhorns have offered all six players listed, but Texas does not appear to have the traction needed to land these players. In the 2013 class, The Harrison twins have already eliminated Texas, while Frazier appears to be less and less likely by the day. Randle still remains a top Texas target, and likely will be until he signs, but it would be more shocking than not if he doesn't end up committing to a blue blood program like Duke or Kentucky.

Texas still remains in a favorable position with the 2014 studs Mudiay and Winslow (as well as fellow five-star Justin Jackson, who was not named to the Elite 24 game). Of course, we probably could have said the same about Randle and Frazier this time last year.

What does the future of Texas Longhorns basketball hold in store? That remains to be seen, but it would be awfully painful to see this "golden age" of Texas high school hoops come and go without any of its stars ending up in Burnt Orange.

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I have heard some things about these guys

- I hear that Randle is off the board at Texas. Not that Texas isn’t interested but he is more interested in the “blue bloods” as you said.
- As far as Frazier, I hear things behind the scenes are actually more in Texas favor right now. Of all the guys you name, he is the one that is more likely to commit to the Horns, though the probability is still on the lower side.
- Apparently Mudiay is a complete stud… and he absolutely isn’t coming to Texas. I can’t remember the exact details but he may have already committed to a “blue blood” or those are the only schools he is showing interest in.

At least that is what I am hearing.

by Monahorns on Aug 10, 2025 11:04 AM CDT reply actions

Thanks for the thoughts

1. Texas will be on Randle until he signs an LOI. He’s arguably the best player in the nation; Texas can’t afford to not continue pursuing him. That said, I don’t think he ends up at Texas.

2. Frazier’s recruitment has seem to have shifted back to the state of Texas, but my understanding is it’s A&M and Baylor. Gerry Hamilton thinks Texas has moved on to DeMarcus Croaker and Xavier Rathan-Mayes at SG, FWIW.

3. I had long thought that Mudiay was Kentucky-bound, but the Wildcats recently offered Tyus Jones (who is in contention with Mudiay as the top PG in 2014). Still early, yet.

http://aseaofblue.com | https://www.barkingcarnival.com | @JC_Hoops

by jc25 on Aug 10, 2025 11:28 AM CDT up reply actions

Let me clarify

1. I agree that Texas won’t quit pursuing Randle. What I am saying is that Randle has very little to no interest in Texas.
2. There is a factor that is shifting to the state of Texas and there is a factor opening the door for the University of Texas.
3. I don’t remember what I was told specifically other than no chance on him coming to Texas. His recruitment sounded all but finished. Can’t remember why.

by Monahorns on Aug 10, 2025 2:51 PM CDT up reply actions

yikes we need to pick it up and have a great year

What sucks is that I think this last group that were freshman last year could be a national championship calibre team their Junior and Senior years if the right 1 and done talents come and mix in (thinking 2 studs that dabble in college hoops for a year or two because they were forced to by the collective bargaining agreement). Looks like the state has that talent, and looks like we are getting shut out. That hurts.

by Wulaw Horn on Aug 10, 2025 11:05 AM CDT reply actions

Texas has had top BB talent

for a long time. It’s getting better and better though.

by Monahorns on Aug 10, 2025 11:08 AM CDT up reply actions

It looks like

the top talent in Texas is in one of two categories 1) either simply more enamored with the national elite programs or 2) caught up in the AAU world that Texas doesn’t seem to play in very well.

by Monahorns on Aug 10, 2025 11:08 AM CDT reply actions

Let's not gives Barnes a break here

The program’s continued struggles in the postseason are coming back to haunt Texas.

by Joetx on Aug 10, 2025 1:49 PM CDT up reply actions

Blame on Barnes

I can blame Barnes for one of those problems but not really on the other.

by Monahorns on Aug 10, 2025 2:52 PM CDT up reply actions

BBall recruiting is so much more inconsistent and frustrating than Football

Its also just so much more difficult with AAU, One & dones. I don’t think most fans appreciate the challenge involved in modern BBall recruiting. I don’t know how Barnes & Co. dont have ulcers constantly.

by HornsUpInLA on Aug 10, 2025 11:58 AM CDT reply actions

One difference is that geography matters much less in basketball than in football...

I am not sure why this is. My guess is that with smaller recruiting classes, it is much easier and less costly for major programs to recruit nationwide. AAU also helps with this.

In football, it would be prohibitively expensive and basically impractical to recruit nationally. In a given year, you might go after a couple of guys from a long ways away (Chris Simms or Jordan Hicks, for example), but it is hard to imagine really recruiting nationwide in football.

Barnes plays the national recruiting game, too. It is just a fact of life with basketball.

I am on Twitter @jeffchaley
Burnt Orange Nation
Hoop-Math

by Reggieball on Aug 10, 2025 4:57 PM CDT up reply actions

Should also include the caveat...

that there are football programs that go out of their region to recruit (like Purdue or Oregon). But they aren’t really recruiting nationally — they are targeting a specific region to recruit outside of their home area.

I am on Twitter @jeffchaley
Burnt Orange Nation
Hoop-Math

by Reggieball on Aug 10, 2025 5:06 PM CDT up reply actions