A week into his tenure in Austin, Texas basketball coach Sean Miller has begun to rebuild the Longhorns’ roster.
Miller received a portal pledge Tuesday from Dailyn Swain, according to multiple reports. One of Miller’s former players at Xavier, the 6-foot-8, 220-pound wing, who projects as a future NBA player, has two remaining years of eligibility.
Swain had a breakout season for Xavier in 2024-25 while averaging 11.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists. The former four-star recruit and one of the top prep players in the state of Ohio for the 2023 class visited Austin on Monday. Swain, the No. 20 player in On3’s portal rankings, also reportedly had visits scheduled for Ohio State, Kentucky and Arkansas.
For Texas next season, Swain projects as an instant starter on the wing, considering his versatility and experience. He shoots just 25% from 3-point range but is an effective scorer at the rim and in the mid-range. In Xavier’s loss to Illinois in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, however, he showed his offensive potential by making three of his five 3-point shots while scoring a career-best 27 points. He added eight rebounds, three assists and three steals against Illinois.
Swain can also handle the ball and has shown the ability to guard multiple positions during his two years at Xavier.
The spring portal window opened March 24, the same day that Texas officials announced Miller as the replacement for the fired Rodney Terry.
Miller and his staff have their hands full rebuilding the roster, considering five Texas players used up their collegiate eligibility: forwards Arthur Kaluma, Jayson Kent, Ze’Rik Onyema and Kadin Shedrick as well as guard Julian Larry. Wing Devon Pryor has entered the portal, and Tre Johnson, the SEC’s freshman of the year, is expected to declare for the NBA draft any day.
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That likely leaves Miller with three players — junior guard Jordan Pope, junior guard Chendall Weaver and graduate guard Tramon Mark — as the only eligible returning players who averaged at least 10 minutes a game. Texas went 19-16 this past season and lost to Miller’s Xavier squad in a First Four game.
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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas basketball: Former Xavier star Dailyn Swain first to join new coach Sean Miller
Reporting by Thomas Jones, Austin American-Statesman / Austin American-Statesman
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
