Big 12: Texas Adds 2015 Backcourt Depth In Kerwin Roach

The news broke Friday that Rick Barnes and his Texas Longhorns have reeled in yet another four-star shooting guard for his 2015 class in ESPN 100 recruit Kerwin Roach.

Roach, the 6’3”, 160-pound product out of North Shore High School in Houston is ranked as the No. 99 overall recruit in 2015, according to ESPN.

Roach becomes the second commit for Texas’ 2015 recruiting class; following previously committed four-star guard Eric Davis.

Despite both being listed as 6’3″ shooting guards, where they would be expected to compete for minutes, Roach and Davis could very possibly make up the next era backcourt in Austin, or add even further depth to what is already a loaded perimeter should Texas return all of its players yet again next season.

Roach is often listed as a combo guard with a sharpshooter’s stroke from deep, explosiveness around the rim and a deceptively talented facilitator. The facilitating side to his skill set just might have been what intrigued Barnes about him so much, as seen by 247 Sports’ Trey Scott.

"“The Longhorns see him as a point guard, a defensive menace in man or at the top of a 2-3 zone, with a good shooting skill, a great frame and tremendous bounce at the other end.”"

With the explosive scoring tendencies of Davis, having a scoring point guard to pair that with would begin to point to Texas’ backcourt becoming their strength in the coming seasons.

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Although the two could come have the skill to come in and start immediately have an impact as starters, Texas has one of the best possible problems to have, as every player on the roster could return next season, outside of senior Jonathan Holmes.

This would allow Barnes to integrate the two into a backcourt consisting of Isaiah Taylor, Javan Felix, Demarcus Holland, Kendal Yancy and Damarcus Croaker, which shows minutes won’t be able to come easy for the highly-touted pair of guards.

So why did Roach choose the Texas Longhorns over California and SMU?

"“It’s so close to home. It’s good to have a powerhouse school in the state, where your family can go see you play. It would be great. They could go see me play and come check on me whenever.”"

It also doesn’t hurt when Barnes is comparing Roach to his current star-point guard in Taylor, who was overlooked in recruiting and exploded onto the scene in college.

"“Texas wants me to spread the court, keep it spaced and get the ball up and down. That’s something I’ll be really good at.”"

Whether he has to sit and learn under Taylor for a season or not, Roach is going to perform at a high level at Texas before it’s all said and done. He’s an extremely skill athlete with a world of upside and an opportunity to play under a coach who has helped transform several names into NBA talent. This was a great commitment for Barnes and his staff.