The Longhorns make a late addition to the 2025 recruiting class by adding versatility on the wing.
New Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller’s commitment to recruiting internationally paid off on Tuesday with the commitment from Real Madrid forward Declan Duru.
NEWS: Real Madrid’s Declan Duru has committed to Texas, he told ESPN.
The 6’9, 18-year old power forward had a strong showing for silver medalist Germany at last week’s FIBA U19 World Cup.
Can stretch the floor, guard multiple positions and offer physicality inside the paint. pic.twitter.com/5EXL9RpRes
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) July 8, 2025
Duru committed to the Longhorns after receiving an offer from the staff on Monday.
Variously listed between 6’7 and 6’9 and 225 pounds, Duru becomes a member of the 2025 recruiting class for the Longhorns in the wake of a strong performance in the FIBA U19 World Cup for his native Germany, which finished with the silver medal.
Duru averaged 11.4 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game, and shot 36.4 percent from three during the tournament. Inside the arc, Duru was extremely efficient, shooting 14-of-20 (70 percent).
As a jump shooter, Duru is a credible spacing option, although he’s a little bit deliberate with his release, much like Arthur Kaluma, and he has room for improvement as a free-throw shooter based on his rate of 66.7 percent in the FIBA World Cup because of 3-of-7 and 2-of-6 performances.
The shot credibility of Duru gives him a chance to use his pump fake to get into the lane, where he can finish with both hands and can take advantage of his strength and athleticism.
Off the ball, Duru has a feel for finding open spots and projects as a strong finisher at the rim for Texas who could develop into a credible pick-and-role option because of his shooting and rolling ability.
Because Duru is well developed physically for his age, he all the tools to be an impact defender against multiple positions.
Here’s the evaluation of Duru from NBA Draft Room:
Duru is a high level prospect with a lot of upside but a lot basketball development still to come.
At 6-8 and possibly still growing he’s a big combo forward with a strong frame and exceptional athleticism. He plays with a lot of energy and passion and is a standout defender who can guard all over the court.
His game is still pretty raw and unpolished but his tools are elite.
Duru adds to the frontcourt depth for Texas behind wings Dailyn Swain and Cam Heide with the versatility to play the three or the four and could contribute as a freshman with Miller likely to use big lineups with a combination of those three players at the three and four alongside Lassina Traore or Matas Vokietaitis — the Longhorns currently only have four guards on the roster, a position that the staff is likely to address before the start of the fall semester.
If Duru can play with energy defensively and rebound his position, he has a chance to carve out an important role off the bench in the 2025-26 season because his floor-stretching ability as a shooter is a skill that Swain didn’t have at Xavier.