Texas F Tre Mitchell enters the NCAA transfer portal

In a long-anticipated decision, Texas Longhorns forward Tre Mitchell officially entered the NCAA transfer portal on Wednesday, as his former high school coach and UMass Minutemen assistant Tony Bergeron once again tries to use Mitchell for his personal gain.

When Mitchell left UMass last year, Bergeron was engaged to his mother.

The decision by Mitchell ends more than two months in limbo for the 6’9, 220-pounder, who took a personal leave of absence from the Texas program on February 15 and did not play for the Longhorns for the remainder of the season.

“I’ve been in contact with Tre and his family consistently. He’s with his family now,” Texas head coach Beard told Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman at the time. “It’s a personal matter, and we support him completely.”

A Pittsburgh native who represented a major coup for Beard and his staff when he transferred to Texas from UMass last summer, Mitchell started 17 games for the Longhorns during the 2021-22 season, averaging 8.7 points per game and 4.0 rebounds per game on 47.8-percent shooting from the field. In a home win over Kansas, Mitchell scored 17 points, just two off his season high, including a stretch of 10 straight points in the first half, but only scored two points in 16 minutes against Baylor in his last game at Texas.

Capable of stretching the floor to the three-point line, Mitchell is a solid shooter with a repertoire of post moves, including the ability to finish with both hands, which should make him appealing once again in the transfer portal.

However, because Mitchell has already used his one-time transfer waiver, he will have to sit out a season, with two potential seasons of eligibility after that, unless the circumstances surrounding his personal leave of absence can help him secure a waiver.