The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Elijah Long transfers to Men's Basketball
05.03.2017 | Men's Basketball
Guard will have two seasons of eligibility beginning in 2018-19.
AUSTIN, Texas – Former Mount St. Mary's University guard Elijah Long (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) will transfer to The University of Texas, head coach Shaka Smart announced Friday. Long signed an Athletic Scholarship Agreement (ASA) and will enroll in classes at Texas beginning this summer.
The addition of Long gives the Longhorns a five-man class at this time. Long will join incoming freshmen guards Matt Coleman and Jase Febres [pronounced: JAYCE FEB-rus] and freshmen forwards Royce Hamm Jr. and Jericho Sims for the 2017-18 season.
"We're very excited to welcome Elijah to our program," Smart said. "He brings winning experience, shot-making ability and has a high basketball IQ. Elijah has a tremendous work ethic and is an extreme competitor.
"Jamion Christian (Mount St. Mary's head coach) and his staff deserve a great deal of credit for their role in Elijah's development over the last two seasons," Smart continued. "Elijah was extremely under-recruited coming out of high school and developed into a first-team all-conference player in their league who is a really good all-around guard."
Per NCAA transfer rules, Long will be permitted to practice and work out with the Longhorns when he begins taking classes at UT. Long will have two seasons of eligibility remaining, beginning in the 2018-19 season.
Long (6-1, 180), spent his freshman and sophomore seasons (2015-16 and 2016-17) at Mount St. Mary's. He played in 66 career games (58 starts) for the Mountaineers and averaged 10.7 points per contest while hitting 37.0 percent from 3-point range over his two-year career.
Last year, Long earned First Team All-Northeast Conference honors while averaging 15.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.6 steals in 34.4 minutes per game. He led his team in scoring, assists, steals and minutes, and he converted 38.2 percent (47-123) from three-point range and 73.9 percent (133-180) from the free throw line. Long claimed 2017 NEC Tournament Most Valuable Player accolades after averaging 21.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals per contest in three league tournament games. He topped the 20-point mark a total of nine times during the year. Mount St. Mary's registered a 20-16 overall record (14-4 NEC) and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Mount defeated New Orleans (67-66) in the First Four before falling to Villanova (76-56) in the NCAA First Round.
During his freshman season (2015-16), Long played in 30 games (23 starts) and averaged 5.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 22.9 minutes per game. Mount St. Mary's posted a 14-19 overall record (10-8 Northeast Conference).
Long averaged 10.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game during his senior year at John Carroll High School (Bel Air, Md.). He averaged 10 points, four assists and four rebounds per contest as a junior.
2017-18 Texas Basketball Recruiting Class
|
Name |
Yr |
Pos |
Ht |
Wt |
Hometown (High School) |
|
Matt Coleman |
Fr. |
G |
6-2 |
175 |
Norfolk, Va. (Oak Hill Academy) |
|
Jase Febres |
Fr. |
G |
6-5 |
180 |
Houston, Texas (Westfield HS) |
|
Royce Hamm Jr. |
Fr. |
F |
6-7 |
200 |
Houston, Texas (Aldine Davis HS) |
|
Elijah Long * |
Jr. |
G |
6-1 |
180 |
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada (John Carroll [Md.]/Mount St. Mary's |
|
Jericho Sims |
Fr. |
F |
6-9 |
220 |
Minneapolis, Minn. (Cristo Rey Jesuit HS) |
*Long will sit out the 2017-18 season due to NCAA transfer rules
