Texas Longhorns Basketball

The following article contains descriptions of interpersonal violence.

The Texas Longhorns announced men's basketball coach Chris Beard was suspended ahead of Monday's game against Rice following his arrest.

"The University takes matters of interpersonal violence involving members of its community seriously," Texas said in a statement, per Dana O'Neil of The Athletic. "… The University has suspended Chris Beard from his position as head coach of Men's Basketball and will withhold his pay until further notice."

The school also said associate head coach Rodney Terry will serve as acting head coach.

Matt Norlander of CBS Sports reported Beard was arrested and booked on a charge of assault against a family/household member, a third-degree felony, early Monday morning.

Tony Plohetski, Danny Davis and Ryan Autullo of the Austin American-Statesman reported Beard was booked into jail at 4:18 a.m. and released on a $100,000 bond.

The Austin American-Statesman report cited Beard's affidavit, which said a woman who said she was the head coach's fiancée told police "he just snapped on me and became super violent" after she broke his reading glasses while taking them from his hand.

She said he slapped her glasses off her face and "choked me, threw me off the bed, bit me, bruises all over my leg, throwing me around, and going nuts."

The woman also said Beard used his arm to impede her breathing and choke her from behind for five seconds.

According to the affidavit, the woman's visible injuries included a bite mark, abrasions to the right eyebrow and left leg, and dried blood on a cut on her left thumb.

Perry Minton, who is Beard's attorney, said he is "100 percent innocent of these charges. He should never have been arrested."

Beard was the head coach of Little Rock and Texas Tech before joining the Longhorns ahead of the 2021-22 campaign.

Texas is 7-1 on the season. Its next game following Monday's is Sunday against Stanford.

Texas men's basketball coach Chris Beard was arrested early Monday morning and charged with assault on a family/household member, a third-degree felony, according to Tony Plohetski of the Austin American-Statesman and Matt Norlander of CBS Sports.

Austin police reported to a "disturbance hot shot" at 12:15 a.m. local time, per Norlander.

According to the Travis County Sheriff's Office (via The Athletic), Beard's official charge is "assault by strangulation/suffocation – family violence."

Beard is engaged and has three daughters from a previous marriage.

Per the sheriff's office (via The Athletic), Beard's bond was set at $10,000. The Athletic also noted additional conditions to the bond:

"An additional condition of the bond requires Beard to stay 200 yards away from the victim and from his house as the case is pending. There is also a protection order in place, meaning Beard cannot communicate in a threatening way with the victim through Feb. 10, 2023."

Dana O'Neil of The Athletic reported on Monday afternoon that it appears Beard is no longer in jail:

Beard has since been suspended without pay, with associate head coach Rodney Terry set to fill in as the head coach for Monday's game against Rice at the Moody Center in Austin.

The 49-year-old is in his second season with Texas, joining his alma mater after spending the previous five years with Texas Tech.

He led the Longhorns to the NCAA tournament in his first season before helping the squad to a 7-1 start to the 2022-23 campaign. Texas won its first six games, reaching No. 2 in the Associated Press poll, before suffering its first loss last week against Illinois.

Beard has a 171-73 career record in Division I across eight seasons with Texas, Texas Tech and Little Rock, including one Final Four appearance.

The University of Texas women's basketball team will host an exhibition against DePaul on Saturday with all ticket proceeds going to the Uvalde School District's efforts to build a new school in wake of May's mass shooting at Robb Elementary.

"Sometimes you feel helpless wanting to help somebody," Texas coach Vic Schaefer said, per Jim Vertuno of the Associated Press. "I felt like this might be an opportunity for us as a university, as an athletic department and my program, to really reach out."

Nineteen children and two teachers were killed when Salvador Ramos opened fire using an AR-15-style rifle at Robb Elementary. It was the third-deadliest school shooting in United States history.

Schaefer also plans to donate $1,000 for every 1,000 fans who attend the game. He said he's hoping for at least 10,000 tickets.

"I'm really begging and pleading for our community to come out, to do as much as we can to be a part of helping them rebuild and heal," Schaefer said.

City officials made the decision to permanently close Robb Elementary and demolish the school in the aftermath of the shooting. A memorial park is scheduled to be built in the school's place.

The current goal is to have a new school built and ready to open by October 2024.

Tyrese Hunter, who won the Big 12 men's basketball Freshman of the Year award this past season, announced that he is transferring from Iowa State to Texas.

The 6'0" guard averaged 11.0 points, 4.9 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 35 starts for the Cyclones, who reached the Sweet 16 as a No. 11 seed after beating No. 6 LSU and No. 3 Wisconsin.

He was particularly sensational in the first round against LSU, posting 23 points and five steals in a 59-54 win. Hunter averaged 13.3 points and 3.7 steals per game during March Madness.

Hunter was the top remaining transfer available in ESPN's rankings, per ESPN's Jeff Borzello. He was No. 3 overall before Kendric Davis (SMU to Memphis) and Nijel Pack (Kansas State to Miami) made their decisions.

Borzello also painted a picture of what awaits Hunter at Texas.

At Texas, Hunter will step into Chris Beard's starting lineup immediately, playing alongside former Minnesota transfer Marcus Carr, who started 32 of 34 games for the Longhorns last season. Carr, a big-time scorer in the Big Ten, is capable of playing off the ball, which would allow Hunter to shoulder most of the ball-handling duties. Hunter is Texas' second transfer addition of the offseason, following New Mexico State guard Sir'Jabari Rice.

Under first-year Longhorns head coach Chris Beard, Texas finished 22-12 and reached the second round as a No. 6 seed before falling to No. 3 Purdue. Expectations would appear to be higher with Hunter in the mix.

Texas also has the No. 3 class of 2022 in the nation coming to Austin, per 247Sports. Of note, 5-star recruits Dillon Mitchell and Arterio Morris will be joining the team.

The Big 12 figures to be a tough conference to traverse as usual, but the Longhorns appear destined to be a Top 25 team all year at worst.

Texas guard Andrew Jones is using his name, image and likeness money for a good cause. 

In a statement released on Friday (via ESPN's Myron Medcalf), Jones announced he is partnering with the V Foundation to donate 10 percent of his NIL earnings for cancer research:

"The money donated to the V Foundation played a major part not only in my ability to receive proper treatment but maintain confidence in both my recovery and eventual return to basketball. To be able to share my story on how this foundation has impacted my life while paying that forward to future families impacted by cancer is an honor."

A sixth-year senior, Jones missed most of the 2018-19 season when he was diagnosed with leukemia.  

Jones showed tremendous promise during his freshman season with the Longhorns in 2016-17. He averaged 11.4 points and 3.5 assists per game in 33 appearances. 

Per ESPN's Jeff Goodman, Jones declared for the 2017 NBA draft but didn't hire an agent. He wound up returning to school for his sophomore season. 

A wrist injury early in the 2017-18 season knocked Jones out of the lineup for three weeks. He appeared in two games after the injury healed, but was diagnosed with leukemia after experiencing fatigue on the court and during practice. 

Jones finished his chemotherapy treatment in August 2018. 

After being granted medical redshirts for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, Jones returned to the court on Nov. 5, 2019 against Northern Colorado. He scored a team-high 20 points in a 69-45 win. 

Per Asher Price of Axios.com, Jones created his own branded merchandise that is described as "a motivational clothing line." 

Jones is averaging 10.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game in 19 appearances this season.    

Drew Timme posted a career-high 37 points on 15-of-19 shooting to lead the No. 1 Gonzaga men's basketball team to a 86-74 win over the No. 5 Texas Longhorns on Saturday from McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington.

Timme started the game with 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting in the first 4:15 of game action. He finished with 22 points by halftime as the Bulldogs led the Longhorns 47-27 at halftime.

He added 15 more points in the second half as the Bulldogs led the final 20 minutes by double digits the entire way.

Timme began the year as the Associated Press' lone unanimous selection for its All-American team as well as The Athletic's choice for the men's preseason player of the year.

Those picks are looking good through two games as Gonzaga looks for its first-ever national title.

It was an off-night for Gonzaga even-footer Chet Holmgren, who is a candidate to be called first on the next NBA draft night.

He finished with just two points on 1-of-3 shooting alongside five rebounds, two blocks and four fouls.

However, Holmgren started his collegiate career with a 14-point, 13-rebound, seven-block, six-assist night as the Bulldogs beat Dixie State 97-63. Evenings like Saturday should be few and far between as the talented big man traverses through this season.

For Texas, Timmy Allen led the way with 18 points.

Gonzaga will now host Alcorn State on Monday at 9 p.m. ET.

Dillon Mitchell pledged his future to Texas basketball on Monday, giving the Longhorns one of the best wings in the 2022 class.

Texas head coach Chris Beard appeared to react to the news:

On3's Joe Tipton passed along comments from Mitchell about his decision:

When I went on that visit man, just the relationship with the coaches and their development is what stood out. I think my biggest thing right now is developing. I know where I'm trying to get and I need a lot more development so when I went to (Texas') practice I saw how hard they work, how much the coaches push the players...they're in the gym working all the time. That's just what I need and it felt like the perfect fit. I knew right after I left in my heart I knew I wanted to be there.

Mitchell is the 28th overall player and No. 8 small forward in 247Sports' composite rankings.

As a junior, the 6'7" forward helped Bishop McLaughlin Catholic reach the Class 3A state championship game, where it fell short against Calvary Christian Academy. Rather than sticking around and trying to improve upon that result, he opted to enroll at Montverde Academy for his senior year.

Montverde has been a great incubator for promising prep stars in recent years, with Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, D'Angelo Russell and Ben Simmons among the notable recent alumni.

In the 2022 class alone, the Eagles have six players earning a 5-star designation in 247Sports' composite rankings: Mitchell, Dariq Whitehead, Vince Iwuchukwu, Skyy Clark, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Malik Reneau.

Mitchell's stock has soared over the past year. When 247Sports updated its rankings in June, he climbed from No. 144 all the way up to No. 38.

Travis Branham explained why the Floridian had impressed so much:

Mitchell's blend of versatility, size, length and athleticism have made a big impression throughout this spring. He's got good ball skills for a wing and is terrific in the open floor but he is also effective as a slasher and cutter in the half court. His defense is arguably his biggest strength especially when his motor is fully on. He can defend all three positions on the perimeter given his physical tools, athleticism and IQ and can be a lockdown defender on some of the top scorers in the country.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony also had high praise for Mitchell in April after watching him defend 2021 standout and Memphis signee Emoni Bates. Givony called him "one of the premier defenders in the 2022 class."

In an April interview with Branham, Mitchell acknowledged his jumper still required some work and was an area of focus in terms of improving his game. That will be the key to determining whether he can become a true star at the next level.

Mitchell can already hold his own on defense and will be tough to stop in transition given his speed and athleticism.

Those skills will make him a valuable member of the Longhorns rotation. Should he develop a somewhat consistent jumper, the sky is the limit, and he might be looking at a first-round grade in the NBA draft.

As rumors about the SEC moving closer to adding Texas and Oklahoma persist, the Big 12 is reportedly making an effort to keep its two signature programs from jumping ship. 

Per Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports, Big 12 officials are discussing a new financial structure that would increase revenue for Texas and Oklahoma. 

According to Dodd, the structure "would grant the Longhorns and Sooners an additional half-share annually (1.5 shares each), bumping their payouts to approximately $56 million per year."

In order to make the revenue balance out, the other schools in the conference would decrease their annual payouts. 

Dodd did note the topic came up during a conference call with conference officials and Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby on Thursday. 

The revenue increase plan was described to Dodd as being preliminary and "from the 50,000-foot level."

The Big 12 currently has a 13-year, $2.6 billion television contract with ESPN and Fox that pays each school around $20 million per year. That total doesn't include revenue earned from bowl games and the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments. 

Speculation about the Longhorns and Sooners switching conferences began on Wednesday. Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle reported both programs reached out to the SEC and an official announcement could happen “within a couple of weeks.”

Per ESPN's David M. Hale, both schools would likely have to pay the Big 12 "upward of $76 million apiece to buy out the remainder of their grant of media rights agreement, which runs until 2025."

Texas and Oklahoma are two charter members of the Big 12 when the conference began play in 1996. The two programs have combined to win 43 national championships in all sports over the past 25 years. 

Chris Beard's first season as men's basketball coach at the University of Texas is shaping up to be a good one based on the amount of talent he has added since taking over. 

Former Minnesota guard Marcus Carr announced Saturday he is transferring to Texas. 

"Hook ‘Em," Carr wrote on Instagram with a picture of himself in a Longhorns jersey. 

Carr originally declared for the 2021 NBA draft in March, but signing with an NCAA-certified agent allowed him to maintain his college eligibility. He also entered into the transfer portal shortly before putting his name into the draft pool. 

ESPN's Jeff Borzello reported on June 30 that Carr was withdrawing from the draft but could still consider transferring from Minnesota. 

Carr was ranked as the No. 1 transfer for the 2021-22 season by CBS Sports' David Cobb. 

"The second-team All-Big Ten pick was capable of taking over a game as a scorer or a passer, and he might be at his best when he’s reining in the shot selection a bit and making his teammates better," Kevin Flaherty wrote for 247Sports.

Beard and his staff have done tremendous work recruiting transfers this offseason. Carr joins a group that includes Timmy Allen, Dylan Disu and Tre Mitchell. Each of those four players averaged at 15 points per game last season. 

Carr's shooting numbers took a dip in 2020-21 compared to his sophomore campaign. He went from making 36.1 percent of his three-point attempts to 31.7 percent last season, although the 22-year-old did average a career-high 19.4 points per game in 29 starts. 

The Longhorns haven't won an NCAA tournament game since 2014. Beard was hired by Texas after he spent the previous five seasons at Texas Tech. His teams won at least one tournament game in three of the past four years, including an appearance in the championship game in 2019.