Texas Longhorns assistant coach search update

For the first time since Texas Longhorns basketball head coach Shaka Smart's introductory press conference on Friday, news broke on Monday regarding his coaching staff.

Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman confirmed earlier reports that former South Carolina head coach Darrin Horn will become one of three assistants under Smart. The two share a similar philosophy in playing an aggressive style of basketball featuring press defenses and well-conditioned teams capable of coming at opponents for 40 minutes straight.

The addition of former VCU assistant Mike Morrell also received confirmation from Davis after Scout's Evan Daniels first reported that Morrell would follow Smart from Richmond. Morrell quickly cleaned out his desk on Thursday night, when he was spotted leaving the Siegel Center not long after Smart's team meeting to announce his attentions of taking the Texas job. Morrell has ties to Smart dating back to their days at Clemson under Oliver Purnell, where he was the director of basketball operations. Two years in the same position at VCU helped Morrell land a spot as one of Smart's assistants in 2013.

As for the final spot on Smart's bench, 247Sports reported on Monday that former associate head coach Rob Lanier will remain in Austin instead of leaving to work with new Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes. There was buzz last week that Lanier and his family don't want to leave to Austin. However, Lanier "is not a given just yet" to finalize Smart's first staff at Texas, according to Davis. Smart and Lanier worked together at Florida in 2009.

Lanier isn't a given to remain with the Longhorns in part because he's still a candidate to join Barnes and the Volunteers. In fact, a Knoxville newspaper reported that Lanier was in town on Monday to meet with Barnes about joining his staff.