Iowa State transfer guard Tyrese Hunter chooses Texas over Gonzaga, others

Tyrese Hunter went from potential Gonzaga point guard to future Gonzaga opponent on Friday afternoon.

The Iowa State transfer who’d been considering a move to Mark Few’s program instead committed to Texas, choosing the Longhorns over Gonzaga, Kansas, Louisville, Purdue and Tennessee.

Hunter, the reigning Big 12 Freshman of the Year, could have bolstered a relatively inexperienced, albeit talented, Gonzaga backcourt in 2022-23. Instead, the Bulldogs will have to plan for the sophomore-to-be ahead of GU’s Nov. 16 date against Texas in the Moody Center.

A defensive ace who averaged 11.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.0 steals for the Cyclones last season, Hunter took an official visit to Gonzaga earlier this month, but reports in the past two weeks indicated the 6-foot guard was planning to stay in the Big 12.

Gonzaga has missed out on two Big 12 transfer within the past few weeks. Texas Tech wing Kevin McCullar was deciding between the Bulldogs and Kansas before committing to the reigning national champion Jayhawks on May 19.

The Bulldogs picked up one player in the transfer portal, LSU center and former five-star recruit Efton Reid. Few’s staff may still have a chance to add to the 2022-23 roster pending the decisions of Drew Timme, Julian Strawther and Rasir Bolton, who’ve all entered their names in the NBA draft while retaining their college eligibility. The deadline for players to remove their name from the draft is Wednesday.

As of now, Gonzaga’s backcourt next season will feature sophomores Nolan Hickman and Hunter Sallis along with redshirt sophomore Dominick Harris, who missed the entirety of the 2021-22 season due to injury.

The Bulldogs have been linked with Real Madrid standout Baba Miller. One since-removed tweet indicated the 6-10 wing had committed to Gonzaga, though Miller denied that rumor, clarifying he’d yet to make a decision on his future.