Sean Miller’s first season at the helm of the Texas men’s basketball program is right around the corner, spurring renewed excitement with the program. Since taking the job, Miller has been busy constructing the roster through player retention, the transfer portal and a focus on recruiting players from overseas.
Making an emphasis on international recruiting, Miller spoke about international recruiting in his
introductory press conference
back in March.
“It’s going to be a combination of the transfer portal, recruiting the very best high school players and having a great feel for international recruiting,” Miller said.
International recruiting has served Miller well in his 20 years of experience as a head coach. During his time at Arizona, Miller recruited notable international prospects, such as Deandre Ayton from the Bahamas, Josh Green from Australia and Lauri Markkanen from Finland, all of whom went on to become first-round draft picks.
Miller has turned his words from March into actions, as his roster now sits with four international players on its roster, including senior center Lassina Traore, sophomore center Matas Vokietaitis, freshman center Lewis Obiorah and freshman forward Declan Duru Jr.
Both Traore and Vokietaitis are making their way to the Forty Acres through the transfer portal. Traore, an Ivory Coast native, began his college career with the Saint Louis Billikens before transferring to Long Beach State for his sophomore year. After making his way to Xavier, he now follows Miller to the Forty Acres.
Vokietaitis, a second-year center from Marijampole, Lithuania, played his freshman season at Florida Atlantic to much acclaim. Averaging 10.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and about a block per game, the 7-footer capped off a stellar freshman season by earning the American Athletic Conference’s Freshman of the Year.
Obiorah and Duru both join the Longhorns’ roster as true freshmen ahead of the 2025-26 season. Obiorah, a 7-foot-1 center from London, England, was recruited from the Barking Abbey Basketball Academy in London, where he averaged 10.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game last season.
Duru, originally from Munich, Germany, spent the last five years with Real Madrid’s youth development system in Spain and showed promise representing Germany in the
FIBA U19 World Cup. Duru averaged 11.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in nearly 29 minutes en route to a silver medal in the tournament.
Miller has set the groundwork in terms of recruiting right after being hired, allowing the Texas program to morph into a team that can sign both highly talented players from the high school and collegiate level, while also keeping a focus on talented players around the globe.
