AUSTIN -- When the Texas Longhorns dove into the transfer portal this past offseason, they added heavy collegiate experience to replace some of the eligibility departures that cut the roster deep following last season's Elite Eight run.
The spotlight landed on transfer additions like Max Abmas, Kadin Shedrick and Ithiel Horton, who arrived in Austin with a combined 11 seasons of college basketball under their belts. Through 21 games this season, Abmas leads the team in scoring, Shedrick has had a few big games while dealing with lingering back pain and Horton has yet to find game-to-game consistency despite being a starter.
When evaluating the production of Texas' transfer acquisitions at the midway point of the season, there's certainly been some surprises, but there might be none bigger than that of sophomore guard Chendall Weaver, who has had an unexpected emergence this season despite transitioning from the Western Athletic Conference with UT Arlington to the rough-and-tough Big 12.
Weaver finished with five points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal while playing 26 minutes off the bench in Texas' crushing 76-72 overtime loss to No. 4 Houston on Monday, but once again showed that his impact this season has gone beyond the numbers.
Leave it to a veteran coach like Houston's Kelvin Sampson to recognize this, as he had some incredibly-high praise for Weaver after the game.
"You know the guy that's really made a difference on their team -- I think their best defensive guard is Weaver," Sampson said. " ... When you have a kid like him setting the standard, it makes the other guys better. So I'm not taking anything against any of the other kids, but I'm gonna sit here and give a big shout out to the Weaver kid. He's tough. He's an athlete that plays athletic."
In the second half, Weaver was assigned to defend Houston star guard Jamal Shead, who finished with a game-high 25 points but was 11 of 24 from the field and air-balled the potential game-winning triple in regulation while being guarded by Weaver.
"He knows how to use his athleticism," Sampson said. "You know there's a lot of guys that are athletes, they'd have to study to pass the blood tests. They have no idea how to use their athleticism. He really used his athleticism well. He's got a low base, he's got great feet. He might have had something to do with that shot Mal (Shead) took at the end of regulation just because of how good his defense was."
Of course, it's unfair to expect Weaver to play perfect on the big stage, as he had some moments to forget against Houston. He got a bit hurried up at the start of overtime and missed some free throws down the stretch of the second half that Texas needed. Things like this are to be expected for a sophomore in college.
But without his hounding defense and high-motor on both ends, the Longhorns likely would've never had a chance at turning the tide in the second half after trailing by as many as 12 in the first half.
Monday's performance was a sign that he's building on some of the impressive games he had leading up the matchup against Houston. Weaver posted a season-high 15 points along with five rebounds and two steals in the 84-72 loss to No. 21 BYU after tallying 11 points and four rebounds, a steal and a block in the 75-60 win over then-No. 11 Oklahoma on Jan. 23.
This season, he's averaging 4.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 15.6 minutes in 21 games, but numbers have never meant less for a guy who is capturing the hearts of Texas fans.
Weaver and the Longhorns visit the No. 25 TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday for their fifth straight game against a ranked opponent. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. CT.
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