Cunningham to return next season
AUSTIN — To get a sense of who Brock Cunningham is, just inquire about his basketball role models.
“(Dennis) Rodman for sure,” he once said. “Him and Draymond Green.” That paints a picture. Beyond the sincere adoration for denim and the goofy grin, Cunningham is a supreme nuisance in the vein of Rodman and Green, two of the greatest defenders and agitators in NBA history.
The 6-6 graduate forward from Westlake has been the Big 12's preeminent rabble-rouser for a few years now. And much to the dismay of the rest of the league, Cunningham's sharp elbows and vigorous hip checks aren't going anywhere.
Cunningham, who redshirted as a true freshman in 2018-19, recently announced he'll utilize the extra year of eligibility granted to NCAA athletes impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and return to Texas for his fifth and final season in 2023-24.
With 102 career games under his belt heading into Tuesday's home tilt against No. 23 Iowa State (17-9, 8-6 Big 12), Cunningham could eclipse A.J. Abrams' program record of 144 appearances sometime next season. While that would be a special accomplishment, that's not why he's running it back.
“I haven't thought about it a lot,” Cunningham said. “The appearance record, truly I haven't thought about it. It'd be a nice record to have, but I'd rather go get a Big 12 conference championship, another tournament championship to be completely honest with you.”
That's exactly what No. 8 Texas (21-6, 10-4), half a game back of first-place Kansas in the Big 12 race going into Tuesday's game against Iowa State, is endeavoring for with three other regular-season games remaining.
Cunningham has played an important role in that quest. He's only averaging 5.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.9 steals per game, but those traditional counting statistics have never done an adequate job of illustrating his impact.
Texas has outscored its opponents by 203 points with Cunningham on the floor this season. That's the fifth-best plus/minus among all Big 12 players, and he's the only one in the top 10 who's played fewer than 800 possessions, according to statistician Evan Miyakowski's database.
That's not to say Cunningham hasn't broadened his game beyond “playing hard.”
He's boosted his 3point percentage every season, from an abysmal 23.5 percent as a redshirt freshman in 2019-20 to a sizzling 44.9 percent on 1.8 attempts per game this year. That's allowed interim coach Rodney Terry to utilize Cunningham in more situations, including crucial late-game possessions when floor spacing is paramount.
“Brock is one of the more intelligent players I've coached against,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton said of Cunningham earlier this season. “I've seen the kid play for a long time and he's always been a cerebral player who can defend multiple positions, understands spacing on the floor, isn't afraid to take big shots when his team needs it. And obviously he's been around this program a long time, understands what it means being from the city to put that uniform on and play with the pride it takes to be successful.”
Boynton was spot-on about Cunningham's hometown pride. He's reveled in being an ambassador for the program and his city, and getting to spend another year hooping and pursuing a Master's in advertising easily topped all the other options.
“Something about Austin kids playing at Texas, there's a little bit more pressure,” Cunningham said. “It's all about how you look at it and I've embraced being the Austin kid ever since I stepped on campus. So I've loved every minute of it.”
Not quite up to No. 1 seed
When the Division I men's basketball committee released its top 16 seeds last week, Texas was the top No. 2 seed and fifth overall seed behind the four No. 1s: Alabama, Houston, Purdue and Kansas.
The committee placed the Longhorns in the Midwest Region along with Houston, No. 3 seed Tennessee and No. 4 seed Xavier.
Texas has been a No. 2 seed twice before, in 2006 and 2008. It was a No. 1 seed in 2003, which resulted in the program's most recent trip to the Final Four.
“Look, I always tell the guys that all takes care of itself,” Terry said. “You win this league, have a chance to be right there to win the league, you're gonna get an incredible seed for the NCAA tournament. Our guys have been well aware of that. They know every game (in this league) is an NCAA tournament game and an opportunity to build your résumé.”