AUSTIN — What can’t Tre Johnson do?
The Texas Longhorns freshman guard showed off his versatility at SEC Media Days in Birmingham, Alabama. They were joined Tuesday by forward Kadin Shedrick and head coach Rodney Terry. While Terry was on stage addressing the media, Johnson showed off his journalistic skills by taking the microphone and asking questions of the head coach.
“What’s up, Coach? I just wanted to ask you, what do you think is the best thing about this year’s team?” Johnson asked.
“Wow, that’s a great workout,” Terry said with a smile. “That’s a great question for new students. How do you feel about it? I think the best thing about this group that we’ve put together is that I think all these guys really like each other. …I… I think they think so.” Everyone is very competitive and excited about our journey. We still have a long way to go, but I really like this group. ”
Johnson’s open-ended questions elicited detailed responses from the head coach, but there’s more to him than just being a reporter.
Johnson, the only true freshman in attendance at SEC Media Days, is one of the hottest topics surrounding Texas men’s basketball heading into the season. Johnson, a projected lottery pick and possible SEC Rookie of the Year, drew typical Kevin Durant comparisons from Terry, but what stood out was his personal expectations. It was the way he spoke.
“Everything I’ve worked on, I’ll probably go down as one of the greatest basketball players of all time,” Johnson told reporters at SEC Media Day, per On3’s James Fletcher III. Ta. “I want to be one of the greatest players to ever touch basketball.”
Comparisons between Johnson and Durant have been happening ever since Johnson signed with Texas on Nov. 15. He spoke about it during his first meeting with local Austin media on Sept. 24, but the topic picked up steam in Birmingham on Tuesday. When Terry brought it up again.
“I had the opportunity to coach Kevin Durant for a year at Texas, and he and Kevin kind of have a lot of similarities in terms of unbelievable work ethic,” Terry said. “He’s a guy we literally have to get him out of the gym. Like Kevin, he’s in the gym 24/7 and he’s a very competitive kid, and when you put the scoreboard on, he’s on another level. He really wants to win and he wants to compete at a very high level, so I expect him to have a great year this year and do big things in Austin. ”
But more importantly, Terry made it clear that even though Johnson was a true freshman, he was a good fit to represent the program at SEC Media Days because of what he brings to the team’s culture.
“He’s the right guy to be here today,” Terry said. “He’s a very talented player. He was a top-five player nationally in his class last year and has been the best player in his class in the state of Texas throughout his career. He’s a great fit for our culture. “He’s a guy that we think is a high-level, very competitive kid in terms of what he brings to the table, a kid who wants to get better every day.” He is a Texas native, proud to represent Texas in the flagship program, and a super competitor. ”
The Longhorns will play TCU in San Antonio on October 19th and Colorado at the Moody Center on October 27th. Neither scrimmage is open to the public.
Johnson will officially make his Longhorns debut in front of fans as No. 19 Texas opens the regular season against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Monday, Nov. 4 in Las Vegas.