Sad news: Rytis Petraitis announced tha he is leaving Texas Longhorns today due to….

This weekend will mark the Longhorns’ inaugural portal visit.

Head coach Rodney Terry’s program hasn’t done much with the transfer portal in the two and a half weeks since the Texas Longhorns were knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by the Tennessee Volunteers. However, that will likely change this weekend when the Longhorns host Rytis Petraitis of the Air Force Fighting Falcons, a transfer forward.

Petraitis is a gifted wing who averaged 15.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game for Air Force in 2023–24. He is a 6’7, 210-pound player from Arlington with two seasons of eligibility remaining. He shot 34.9 percent from three-point range and 48.5 percent from the field. Petraitis wasn’t a prolific three-point shooter, attempting just 2.6 attempts a game, but he did try 6.3 free throws at a 58.0 rate per game.

In contrast, Dylan Disu’s free-throw percentage as a senior was 28.4. Petraitis attempted 152 free throws, which was 52 more than Max Abmas, the Longhorns’ leading attemptr. Petraitis’s free-throw percentage, which was 65.8 percent as a sophomore, is the major area where he needs to improve.

Petraitis is a defensive rebounder was similar to Disu’s at 18.0, but Texas would have been far ahead with his assist rate of 26.9.

After the departures of guard Chris Johnson, guard Gavin Perryman, and forward Alex Anamekwe, Texas has not added any players through the portal as of yet. Both forward Dillon Mitchell and guard Tyrese Hunter are anticipated to enter the NBA Draft, but they’re probably going to go back to school.