Texas Basketball: 3 Players Who Will Get More Playing Time Next Year

The 2011-12 Texas basketball season ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a loss to Cincinnati. It was the Longhorns' 13th consecutive tourney berth, all of which have come under head coach Rick Barnes.

After going 28-7 and finishing second in the Big 12, a second-round loss was a major disappointment, but with only two seniors on the roster, the future looks bright for Texas basketball.

Here are three players who will get more playing time next season. 

3. Jaylen Bond

The 6'7'' freshman played just over 15 minutes per game this season, but shot 51 percent from the field and pulled down 4.6 rebounds per contest.

With posts Clint Chapman and Alexis Wangmene set to graduate, Bond's minutes will surely go up as long as he can improve his free-throw shooting. The Philadelphia native shot an anemic 36.7 percent from the charity stripe in '11-12.

2. Sterling Gibbs

With star guard J'Covan Brown ready to take his talents to the next level, freshman Sterling Gibbs will have a chance to step up next season in his place.

He's proven he can shoot (37.1% 3pt FG) and was one of the best free-throw shooters on the team last season at 77.3 percent.

He's very young and still needs work, but surely his 7.5 minutes per game will increase next year. Gibbs looks to be a fixture in Texas basketball for years to come. 

1. Jonathan Holmes

Another talented freshman on the Longhorns roster, Jonathan Holmes earned 21.4 minutes per game last season and blocked 20 shots while contributing 7.1 points per game.

At 6'7'', he isn't huge, but he's legitimized himself as a post presence and figures to be a key player for next year's squad.