By james art 
AUSTIN – Since committing to Texas, freshman Tre Johnson has been compared to former Texas star Kevin Durant.
Johnson, a five-star recruit from Garland, Texas, even spoke with the NBA champion before officially committing to the program.
“I talked to Kevin Durant a little bit about it before I committed,” Johnson said. “He just said to go where my heart was. He said he’s enjoying his time here, the relationships he’s made off the court. So he thought that this (would) be a good place too.”
In Texas’ season opener against Ohio State, Johnson broke Durant’s record for most points scored by a Longhorns freshman in a debut game. Durant scored 20 against Alcorn State in 2009, while Johnson kicked nine extra points in his Longhorn debut in a Power-5 game against the Buckeyes.
Johnson’s career game came just a few months later when he scored 30 points to upset No. 13 Texas A&M at the Moody Center. Durant took to social media to praise the young star in a retweet of a quote on Texas’ post about Johnson’s stats. Johnson is the first 30-point freshman since Durant.
Hey https://t.co/QPcX1XBftx
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) January 25, 2025
Durant stayed in Texas for just one season before declaring for the NBA draft. Amid rumors that he has the same path, Johnson made it clear that anything could happen.
“It’s a chance,” Johnson said of the late-season announcement. “But I have (no) problem spending two (years at UT) if (the season) doesn’t go well. I’m not a guy who’s going to push to go to the NBA.”
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