Former Texas men’s basketball guard Jordan Pope has made himself very familiar with the Lone Star Showdown, but the next time he plays in it, he will be entering from the other tunnel.
Pope transferred to Texas A&M on Monday right before winning a temporary restraining order in his lawsuit against the NCAA that was filed in July, after the organization’s new eligibility model excluded athletes who had already exhausted their fourth season. Pope was awarded a fifth season of eligibility in return and stated in his farewell message on Instagram to Texas fans that returning to the Longhorns would have been his first choice.
“I’ve been exploring a return to college for the last couple of months due to the recent court rulings,” Pope said in the post. “I would have loved to go back to Texas, but because of the timing of these court cases and their roster being full, a return wasn’t possible.”
The 6-foot-1 guard spent his last two seasons at Texas, including being the starting point guard in Texas’ Cinderella run last season, where he averaged 13.1 points and 2.1 rebounds in 29.1 minutes per game.
“My two years at UT have been some of the best of my life,” Pope said in the same post. “Through thick and thin you guys always had my back. UT is a special place and will always be home.”
While he will not be playing basketball in burnt orange for next season, he’s no stranger to College Station or the Aggies. Pope has played Texas A&M six times over his college career, counting his time at Texas and Oregon State where he played his first two seasons.
Pope scored 17 points in both meetings against Texas A&M last season. The Aggies won the first matchup, 74-70, in Austin before Texas flipped the script with a 76-70 win in College Station. Throughout the six matchups, he has averaged 13.2 points, three rebounds and 2.3 assists.
With the uncertainty of the court proceedings and Pope’s eligibility, Texas coach Sean Miller filled out the rest of his roster through the transfer portal and with true freshmen. This allowed a team with a roster spot open, like the Aggies, to swoop in.
While Texas fans may have differing opinions, Pope made it clear in his post that there were no harsh intentions and it is all love for his former squad.
“While I’ll be playing college basketball elsewhere next year, I’ll always consider myself a Longhorn. Hook ‘Em,” Pope said to close out the farewell.
It will not take long at all for him to make his return to Moody Center as the Aggies are slated to visit Texas on either Feb. 16 or 17 once the schedule is finalized. The two teams will also meet in College Station for the regular-season finale on March 6.