Purdue Basketball: Transfer Target Tyrese Hunter Announces Commitment to Texas
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Iowa State transfer point guard Tyrese Hunter announced Friday afternoon that he is committed to Texas after entering the transfer portal following his freshman season with the Cyclones.
Hunter had cut his list of preferred transfer destinations down to six programs on April 25, including Purdue basketball. Along with the Longhorns and Boilermakers, he also considered Kansas, Tennessee, Louisville and Gonzaga.
Hunter visited West Lafayette in late April. He garnered Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors following his first season with Iowa State after starting all 35 games for the Cyclones. Hunter averaged 11.0 points per game while also registering 3.5 rebounds and a team-high 4.9 assists per contest.
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound point guard recorded 172 assists and 71 steals for Iowa State during the 2021-22 season, both of which were program records for a freshman. Hunter finished the fifth in steals and sixth in assists all-time among Big 12 freshmen.
Hunter scored in double figures 20 times as a freshman, including a career-high 23 points against LSU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Hunter was 7-for-11 shooting behind the arc against the Tigers, the second-most 3-pointers in an NCAA Tournament game by any Cyclone.
He joins a Longhorn squad that is coming off a second-round exit in the NCAA Tournament after an 81-71 loss at the hands of the Boilermakers. Texas finished the 2021-22 season with a 22-12 overall record which included a 10-8 mark in the Big 12.
Purdue continues to search for a point guard via the transfer portal to accompany incoming freshman recruit Braden Smith on the roster next season. The team will be without its three primary ball-handlers from last season.
Jaden Ivey is expected to be a top-five pick in the 2022 NBA Draft while Eric Hunter Jr. and Isaiah Thompson have both transferred away from the program.
Stories Related to Purdue Basketball
- ERIC HUNTER JR. ANNOUNCES COMMITMENT TO BUTLER: After four seasons with the Purdue basketball program, Eric Hunter Jr. announced his decision to transfer to Butler for his final year of college eligibility. The Indianapolis native averaged 6.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game for the Boilermakers last season. CLICK HERE
- THOMPSON TRANSFERS TO FLORIDA GULF COAST: Purdue transfer guard Isaiah Thompson is headed to Florida Gulf Coast after three seasons with the program. The Zionsville, Indiana, native averaged 4.2 points, 1.0 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game during the 2021-22 season. CLICK HERE
- ZACH EDEY TO RETURN TO PURDUE FOR THE 2022-23 SEASON: Purdue 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey announced Friday he will return to the program for his junior season. He averaged 14.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game during the 2021-22 season. CLICK HERE
- BREAKING DOWN PURDUE 2022 RECRUITING CLASS: Purdue basketball will bring in four new recruits to West Lafayette next season. The 2022 recruiting class consisting of Fletcher Loyer, Braden Smith, Camden Heide and William Berg are slated to join redshirts Trey Kaufman-Renn and Brian Waddell as freshmen. CLICK HERE
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.