Texas transfer guard Tyrese Hunter commits to Memphis basketball

Penny Hardaway is making another high-profile addition to his backcourt for next season.

Sources confirm to Bluff City Media that Memphis has landed former Texas point guard Tyrese Hunter, who entered the transfer portal last Tuesday. Hunter joins Tulsa guard PJ Haggerty, Illinois center Dain Dainja and Wichita State guard Colby Rogers in the Tigers’ transfer class.

The 6-foot rising senior averaged 11.1 points (3rd on Texas’ roster), 4.1 assists and 2.9 rebounds for the Longhorns last season. He also shot 45.2% from the field and 34.7% from 3-point range (3.2 attempts per game), both of which are career-highs. A reliable defender, he snatched 1.3 steals per contest and received a 98.1 adjusted defensive rating on barttorvik.com.

Hunter started 33 games for a Longhorns team that earned a No. 7 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament before falling to Tennessee, which eventually reached the Elite Eight, 62-58 in the Round of 32. He was also a 38-game starter for Texas’ 2022-23 team that advanced to the Elite Eight.

The Racine, Wisconsin native, who began his collegiate career at Iowa State, has started 106 games in three seasons. He’ll likely be a perennial starter once again at Memphis next year in a backcourt that already features high-level scorers in both Haggerty (21.2 points per game last season) and Rogers (16.4 points per game last season). The 20-year-old Hunter enters 2024-25 with one year of eligibility remaining.

Memphis is expected to lose Jahvon Quinerly, Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Caleb Mills, Jordan Brown, Jayden Hardaway and Malcolm Dandridge due to expired eligibility. It’s also losing Jonathan Pierre, Jayhlon Young, Carl Cherenfant, Ashton Hardaway and Jaykwon Walton to the transfer portal, so Penny Hardaway must replace at least seven players this offseason with Haggerty, Dainja, Rogers and Hunter onboard for next year.

Forward Nick Jourdain, a rising senior, publicly announced his return to Memphis back in February. The Tigers can also bring back star forward David Jones, who declared for the 2024 NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility Saturday. Jones has until May 29 to withdraw his name from the draft and return to school.

Walk-on guards Joe Cooper and Noah Stansbury could also come back next season. Four-star guard Jared Harris is the program’s only incoming high school recruit as of now.