Fortunately for Texas basketball, guard Mikey Lewis is progressing well following foot surgery, based on what head coach Sean Miller said Wednesday at the SEC's preseason media conference in Birmingham, Ala.
Miller said he expects Lewis "to return in December. ... (and) we fully expect him to be with us from the last 20 to 25 games of our season."
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That timeline would place Lewis's return around Dec. 1, when the Longhorns travel to Louisville. Texas starts its 18-game SEC schedule Jan. 2 against visiting Florida, which means "20 to 25" games could include all six nonconference games in December.
Texas competes in the Rady Children's Invitational Nov. 26-27 in San Diego.
Lewis broke a bone in his right foot during a Sept. 28 practice and underwent surgery Oct. 1 in Austin. He was originally expected to miss at least three months.
A 6-foot-3 guard with three remaining years of eligibility, Lewis projects as a valuable offensive option off the bench for the Longhorns. He played at St. Mary's last season and earned All-West Coast Conference honors after averaging 13.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He fills a roster need for an outside shooter; over his first two seasons, he made 126 of his 340 3-point shots for a long-distance rate of 37.1%.
Lewis is part of a five-player transfer class that includes former Auburn wing Elyjah Freeman, former Tennessee guard Amari Evans, former TCU power forward David Punch and former Colorado guard Isaiah Johnson. When healthy, he's expected to serve as a valuable shooting option of the bench as part of a guard rotation that also includes Johnson, Evans and a trio of freshmen in McDonald's All-American Austin Goosby, Bo Ogden and Joe Sterling.
In the 8-10 games that Texas is expected to play without Lewis, Ogden and Sterling will likely get extended minutes behind the projected starting backcourt of Goosby and Johnson as well as Evans.
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This article originally published at Injured guard Mikey Lewis expected to return early for Texas basketball, says Sean Miller.