AUSTIN (KXAN) — Devon Pryor gave up his senior season of high school basketball at PSAT Academy in Houston to attend Texas a year early. He didn’t get much playing time in his freshman year with the Longhorns, but rather than pout about it, he did something about it.
After playing in just seven games last season, Pryor has worked himself into the rotation in the middle of Southeastern Conference play, undoubtedly the toughest conference in the country. He’s logged double-digit minutes the past three games including a season-high 21 against Louisiana State in an 89-58 win Feb. 1. He scored nine points and had six rebounds to help the Longhorns get closer to a .500 record in conference play, and how he’s starting to put things together to help spark a potential run to the NCAA tournament.
“For me, the biggest thing was understanding where I best fit in the program and into our system and where I could benefit other guys,” he said. “It all started in practice. I have to play hard, play defense and rebound, so I’m honing in on those aspects and it’s opening up a bigger role for me.”
He took his freshman year to get stronger and prepare for the physical nature of the SEC, because after all, he should have been playing high school ball for the PSAT Panthers in the Texas Christian Athletic League.
Pryor said he understood that enrolling early was a bit of a risk and his approach wasn’t to get on the court right away. He knew it would take some time.
“I didn’t have expectations coming in to actually play, but I wanted to get a jump start on the physicality and understanding,” he said. “I was here to get better physically and it’s starting to pay off.”
Playing for the One Time Legends travel team coached by NBA legend Tracy McGrady helped out, too.
Longhorns head coach Rodney Terry said Pryor was one of his first unofficial visits after he became the full-time head coach. Once Terry saw Pryor’s talent and how his academics lined up, Terry encouraged Pryor to reclassify and get to campus early to work on his body. Terry said Pryor gained almost 30 pounds in his freshman year and continued the work over the summer.
MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newsletters
“He had an incredible summer and a great fall, then he fell on hard times with an injury and missed three weeks of the season,” Terry said. “We envisioned that he’d be in the rotation because he made a lot of strides but his process was set back because of the injuries.”
Terry said the injuries were almost season-ending for Pryor but with the help of the team’s medical staff, he got back where he needed to be.
“He stayed with it and worked his way back in. He’s playing terrific for us right now,” Terry said. “The best is yet to come for him.”
