A.J. Johnson Spurns Texas Basketball to Play in Australia’s NBL

A five-star guard will make his way to Australia instead of Austin.

Following a highly successful campaign in which the team advanced to the Elite Eight despite a midseason coaching change, the Texas men’s basketball team appeared to be positioned well for next season with a pair of blue chip high school commitments. Now, though, it appears one of those pledges has altered course.

Five-star California guard A.J. Johnson told ESPN on Thursday that he would be decommitting from the Longhorns, and will instead play professionally next season for the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League in Australia.

Johnson is ranked as a five-star prospect by most recruiting services. His departure leaves five-star forward Ron Holland as the team’s only commitment for this year’s class. Johnson is considered a potential lottery pick in the ’24 NBA draft.

Texas finished the 2022–23 season at 29–9 after firing head coach Chris Beard in January. Rodney Terry took over as the interim coach, and led the team to the Big 12 tournament championship and the eighth Elite Eight appearance in program history. That earned Terry the permanent job shortly after the season ended.