Texas Longhorns senior guard Jordan Pope is back in the Bay Area where he grew up for Thursday’s Sweet 16 matchup against the Purdue Boilermakers, but his availability isn’t certain after suffering an ankle injury in the closing moments of last Saturday’s win over the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
However, head coach Sean Miller is hopeful that Pope will be able to play.
“We’ve given him a lot of rest since our last game and I think he’s really responding to it,” Miller said on Wednesday. “We still had a pretty
quick turnaround, all things considered, because of the distance between San Jose and Austin and traveling from Dayton to Portland and Portland back to Austin.”
During a 90-minute portion of practice open to the media on Wednesday, Pope was a limited participant, according to Inside Texas.
Other than the high-profile setting in the NCAA Tournament, the ability to play near his hometown of Oakland, where he grew up, increases the odds that Pope will at least attempt to get on the court against the Boilermakers in what could be his final college basketball game.
“It’s really worked out like a storybook ending for him, when you think about just his journey, where he began his career, how this year has unfolded,” Miller said.
The team’s starting point guard, Pope has dished out seven assists in the three Texas games in the NCAA Tournament while scoring 28 points in the last two contests. In the win over BYU, Pope hit a big three late in the game, one of three on the night, before hitting three more threes against Gonzaga.
Pope’s explosiveness is a key element of his offensive game because the Longhorns offense asks him to create the vast majority of his shots off the bounce.
“Jordan has really grown and emerged as our point guard. We depend on him in just virtually every category,“ Miller said. ”I think his skill set of shooting, his ability to score at the point guard position, it’s really been vital in our biggest victories this year, including the tournament. I just think his play in general sets the tone for our team. The fact that he’s here, back home, that’s how you want it to end for every player.”
