Texas State men’s basketball head coach Terrence Johnson announced the official signing of the program’s 2023 recruiting class which consists of three talented guards.
According to the college basketball recruiting site on3.com, Texas State’s three-man class is ranked 96th nationally, 72 spots higher than where the program ranked nationally in 2022. The class is ranked as the second-best in the Sun Belt behind New Mexico State. Texas State’s 2022 class finished seventh overall in the Sun Belt.
Johnson has a tremendous amount of excitement and expectations for this incoming recruiting class.
“I like our [recruiting] class because it has a bit of everything,” Johnson said. “We have three quality guards that can do it all: shoot, assist, rebound, defend and they should all have an immediate impact on our team as they all have the characteristics that fit this program.”
The 2023 recruiting class is the highest ranked nationally Johnson has ever signed during his tenure at Texas State, showcasing his and his coaching staff’s abilities as recruiters and the trajectory of where his program is heading.
The crown jewel of the class is a local prodigy, Kaden Gumbs. Gumbs is a 6-1 guard out of San Marcos High School (SMHS). Gumbs is a consensus three-star recruit according to every significant recruiting outlet and is ranked No. 23 overall among high school basketball recruits in the state of Texas, according to 247sports.
Gumbs has scored a total of 1,275 points over the span of his three-year career with the SMHS Rattlers. As a junior, Gumbs averaged 17 points, six assists and 2.8 steals per game and was the greater Austin area’s leading scorer, leading San Marcos to a 27-10 record.
He was also named District 26-6A Defensive MVP in both his junior and sophomore seasons and as a freshman was named to the ALL-District 26-6A Second Team.
Gumbs committed to Texas State over North Texas, Sam Houston State and the University of Texas at San Antonio.
According to Johnson, Gumbs’ proximity to Texas State was a major factor in his recruitment from the coaching staff’s perspective as well as his own.
“Being able to recruit in our own backyard is critical,” Johnson said. “Kaden is a quality young man. He’s a hometown kid that chose to come to Texas State to continue his legacy here in San Marcos.”
Assistant coach Robert Guster spoke on what he believes the team is getting in Gumbs.
“Kaden Gumbs is a proven winner in high school and on the AAU circuit,” Guster said. “He’s a true point [guard] with a promising upside and can impact the game in many different ways.”
Gumbs was the only high school recruit as Johnson and his staff chose to dip into the junior college ranks to finish out the 2023 recruiting class.
The second member of the class is 6-4 two guard Elijah Tate. A native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Tate is spending this season at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas. Through the first 11 games for the Texans, Tate is shooting almost 68% from the field and 37% from three and is averaging 11 points per game. He also has registered five steals and nine blocks and assists.
Before transferring to South Plains College Tate played at UAB in 11 games coming off the bench. For the entire 2021-2022 season, he netted 20 points, five made threes, eight rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block on a squad that reached the NCAA Tournament.
“Elijah will bring a level of toughness to our guard rotation,” Johnson said. “He’s a guy who has been around and seen it all. His experience, toughness and three-point shooting will make our team better.”
The final member of the class is Dontae Horne, a 6-4 guard out of Memphis, Tennessee, who comes to Texas State by way of Howard College in San Angelo, Texas.
So far through the 2022 season, Horne is averaging 8.8 points per game and shooting 44.2% from the field and 22% from three. He also has 33 assists and 17 steals.
“Dontae is a very talented playmaker who can score from all three levels,” Johnson said. “He does things that as a coach you just can’t teach.”
Johnson feels comfortable with where the 2023 recruiting class currently stands, but he will open the possibility of adding more players in the spring.
“The class is complete as of now, but you never know what might happen with the transfer portal,” Johnson said.