Texas among finalists for Eastern Washington PF transfer Tanner Groves

As Chris Beard looks to rebuild a Texas Longhorns roster that’s in significant need of interior talent, he’s put the program in position to potentially land one of the top talents in the transfer portal, as Eastern Washington power forward Tanner Groves is down to Texas, Oklahoma, Portland, and Washington State, per Statium’s Jeff Goodman.

As a junior, the 6’9, 235-pound Groves averaged 17.2 points, 8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.1 blocks per contest en route to the Big Sky Conference’s MVP honors.

Of course, Eastern Washington was rarely in the national spotlight last season, but when it was during the first round of the NCAA Tournament against the Kansas Jayhawks, Groves stole the show, amassing 35 points on 11-18 from the field and 5-11 from deep. Groves is notably efficient offensively, converting at a 56 percent clip from the field, 34.9 percent rate from deep, and going 77.8 percent from the line. Beyond the numbers, though, Groves is simply an impressive offensive talent who’s smooth and crafty working from the post and matches that with a notable face up game. This, in addition to making his presence felt on the glass and being a respectable shot blocker.

Considering the current outlook, it’s possible that Texas may be without each of its post players from the 2020-21 season, so the significance of Beard potentially adding Groves to that mix as well can’t be overstated.

Thus far, Texas has added two transfers to the roster this week in Kentucky freshman guard Devin Askew and Utah small forward Timmy Allen, who was also among the top transfer options available.