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Shaka Smart is still eyeing the market in hopes of adding another piece to his 11th-ranked 2019 recruiting class, as the Texas Longhorns have extended on offer to Mount Pleasant (Utah) Wasatch Academy small forward Tristan Enaruna, per a report from Rivals’ Corey Evans.
A four-star talent, Enaruna’s Texas offer is just his seventh, but nevertheless, his brief list features a variety of prominent programs. In addition to Texas, Enaruna holds invitations from Creighton, Kansas, Miami, Georgia Tech, Illinois, and Texas Tech
The fact that Texas has now put an offer on the table would seemingly indicate that Smart and his staff are now anticipating some previously unexpected attrition. Based on the current outlook, with Texas set to lose only two seniors in Kerwin Roach II and Dylan Osetkowski, while adding a three-man 2019 class featuring five-star Austin Westlake center Will Baker, four-star Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy center Kai Jones, and four-star Missouri City Elkins shooting guard Donovan Williams, the Longhorns could carry as many as 14 scholarship players into the offseason.
Of that bunch, it’s becoming increasingly likely that freshman center Jaxson Hayes departs for the NBA after just one season in Austin, as he’s widely mentioned in the lottery portion of 2019 NBA mock drafts, but even without Hayes, the Horns would have 13 scholarship players on the roster.
Texas’ pursuit of Enaruna could, if things ended in the Horns’ favor, push Texas back to 14 scholarships, if not 15 should Hayes elect to return for his sophomore season.
A native of the Netherlands, Enaruna has previously competed in the 2017 FIBA U16 European Championship. Enaruna also played briefly for Apollo Amsterdam in the Netherlands DBL league before moving to the United States. Now capping his high school career in Utah, the 6’9, 205-pound wing is ranked as the nation’s No. 78 player and as the No. 20 small forward, per the 247Sports Composite.
In 26 games this season with Mount Pleasant (Utah) Wasatch Academy, Enaruna is averaging 10.5 points, 2.4 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and one block per game. He’s shooting 45 percent from the field and 32 percent from the perimeter.