Texas lands Mount St. Mary’s transfer Elijah Long

Following his two-year tenure at Mount St. Mary’s, sophomore guard Elijah Long has committed to Shaka Smart and the Texas Longhorns, according to multiple reports.

The Mountaineers leading scorer last season visited the Forty Acres over the weekend and committed to Texas over the likes of Ohio State, George Mason and Pittsburgh.

“First of all they know I can take a team to the [March] Madness,” Long told ZagsBlog of Texas on Tuesday. “They said they want me to be able to score the ball on different levels and also lead the team on the court and off the court, bring a lot of energy, compete every day and just basically play my game.”

In 2016-17, Long, the younger brother of Iowa State’s Naz Mitrou-Long, averaged 15 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game as the headliner of a 20-win Mount St. Mary’s squad that ultimately fell to Villanova in the NCAA Tournament.

Long now joins Matt Coleman, Royce Hamm, Jase Febres and Jericho Sims as part of the Longhorns 2017 class, although he’ll be required to sit out next season per transfer rules. Long will then have two years of eligibility remaining.

Texas now has two 2017 scholarships available and remains heavily in the mix with five-star power forward Mohamed Bamba, the nation’s No. 2 overall prospect.