The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Men’s Basketball signs Jayson Kent
04.17.2024 | Men's Basketball
Kent has played in 124 career games (62 starts) during the last four seasons at Indiana State and Bradley.
AUSTIN, Texas — Jayson Kent has signed an Athletic Scholarship Agreement (ASA) to play basketball next season at The University of Texas, head coach Rodney Terry announced Wednesday. Kent, who spent the last two seasons at Indiana State University and the two previous years at Bradley University, will join the Longhorns for the upcoming 2024-25 season.
Kent (6-8, 205), a guard/forward from Oak Forest, Ill., has played in 124 career games (62 starts) and registered 969 points (7.8 ppg) and 488 rebounds (3.9 rpg) in 1,669 minutes (19.9 mpg) over the last four seasons at Indiana State (2022-24) and Bradley (2020-22). He has converted 50.7-percent (351-692) from the floor and 78.3-percent (180-230) from the free throw line in his first four collegiate seasons. Kent helped lead Indiana State to a 55-20 (.733) mark during his two seasons with the Sycamores.
During his senior season in 2023-24 at Indiana State, Kent played in 38 of a possible 39 games (37 starts) and led the team in rebounding (8.1 rpg) while ranking second in blocks (20) and fourth in scoring (13.5 ppg) in 30.3 minutes per contest. He converted a team-best 63.9-percent (188-294) from the floor, including a 36.6-percent (30-82) mark from three-point range, and 83.7-percent (108-129) from the free throw line during the year. Kent earned second-team All-MVC and MVC All-Defensive Team recognition while helping Indiana State register a 32-7 overall record (17-3 Missouri Valley Conference) and advance to the NIT Championship game. He reached double figures in 29 of his 38 games, including a collegiate career-high 35 points (11-12 FG, 2-2 threes, 11-12 FT) against SMU (Mar. 20) in the NIT First Round. Larry reached double digits in rebounds in 12 games, including a career-best 20 boards against Drake (Feb. 3), and tallied 10 double-doubles on the season.
As a junior in 2022-23 season at Indiana State, Kent played in 35 of a possible 36 games (six starts) and helped the Sycamores to a 23-13 overall record (13-7 MVC). He averaged 5.1 points and 2.1 rebounds in 14.7 minutes per contest while hitting 46.8-percent (65-139) from the floor and 79.5-percent (31-39) from the free throw line during the year. Kent posted a season-high 20 points at Southern Indiana (Dec. 11) and recorded a collegiate career-high five steals in his Indiana State debut against Green Bay (Nov. 7).
During his sophomore year in 2021-22 at Bradley, Kent played in 28 of a possible 31 games (15 starts) and ranked sixth on the team in scoring (6.9 ppg) while adding 2.9 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per contest. He reached double figures in scoring in 10 games, including a season-high 18 points against Missouri State. As a freshman at Bradley in 2020-21, Kent played in 23 of a possible 28 games (four starts) and averaged 3.6 points and 1.1 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per contest.
Kent played at Oak Forest High School (Oak Forest, Ill.) and averaged 17.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game as a senior while leading Oak Forest to its first conference and regional titles since 1987. He earned all-state honors from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) and Prep Hoops and honorable mention all-state accolades from The Associated Press during his senior year. Kent converted 48.9-percent from the floor, including a 43.4-percent mark from three-point range, and also claimed all-conference, all-area and South Suburban Hoops first-team accolades as a senior. He completed his career at Oak Forest with 1,290 career points (14.7 ppg) and 350 career rebounds.
