Harry Cabluck - AP

Texas soph. guard Varez Ward will miss the 2009-2010 season after an MRI exam showed he ruptured his right quadriceps tendon.

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Texas starting guard Varez Ward, injured before the No. 3 Longhorns' win over Pittsburgh on Tuesday night, has a ruptured quadriceps and will miss the rest of the season, the school announced Wednesday.

According to a statement from the school, an MRI exam showed Ward ruptured his right quadriceps tendon. He is expected to have surgery next week.

Ward, a sophomore, crumbled to the floor during pregame warm-ups. He was removed from the arena in a wheelchair.

"We all feel for Varez. Everyone within our program understands how much time and hard work Varez has put in, and he has been the most improved player on our team from the end of last season," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "He means a lot to this program. There is one thing for certain, he will be back."

In three games this season, Ward averaged 6.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game and led the team in steals with seven.

AUSTIN, Texas — Tristan Thompson (Brampton, Ontario, Canada) has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball next season at The University of Texas, head coach Rick Barnes announced Wednesday. Thompson will join the Longhorns for the 2010-11 season.

"Tristan is a big, athletic forward who can really rebound the basketball and run the floor well," Barnes said. "He comes from an excellent Grass Roots Canada AAU program coached by Ro Russell and has had the opportunity to play for his Canadian National Team as well. We know he’ll also continue to grow and develop this year while at Findlay Prep, both as a person and on the basketball court."

Thompson (6-9, 240), a forward from Findlay College Prep (Henderson, Nev.) who plays under coach Michael Peck, is ranked as the No. 6 prospect in the nation by Scout.com, No. 11 by ESPNU and No. 17 by Rivals.com. Thompson played in just five games for Findlay last year after transferring in February from St. Benedict’s Prep Academy in New Jersey.

During those five games, Thompson averaged 11.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while playing alongside current UT freshman Avery Bradley. The duo helped lead Findlay to a 33-0 mark and the mythical high school national championship. In 21 games at St. Benedict’s last year, Thompson averaged 19.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per contest.

No. 3/3 Texas opens the 2009-10 season with a home tilt against UC Irvine on Sunday, Nov. 15 as part of the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic. Tip is set for 1 p.m. Central at the Frank Erwin Center, and the game will be televised nationally by ESPNU.

2010-11 Texas Basketball Recruiting Class

Name                                             Yr          Pos           Ht             Wt             Hometown (Previous School)

Tristan Thompson                       Fr             F             6-9            240            Brampton, Ontario, Canada (Findlay Prep [Henderson, Nev.])

In a recurring piece leading up to the start of the basketball season, we will examine the top 5 questions surrounding each Big 12 basketball team.

Today, the top 5 questions for the Texas Longhorn.

1)       Who will play the majority of the year, the Dexter Pittman who dominated the end of last season or the Dexter Pittman who was essentially non-existent for the first half?

2)       Is freshman Avery Bradley as good as advertised?

3)       Can the team get back to its first Final Four since 2003?

4)       Did Damion James make the right move in returning for his senior season?

5)       Between Dogus Balbay, Jai Lucas and J'Covan Brown, who will win the battle for starting PG spot?

Check back tomorrow when we will ask Five Question For... Oklahoma State basketball.

Also check out Five Questions For...
Big 12 North: Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas State, Nebraska
Big 12 South: Oklahoma

Follow Evan on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MizzouHoops

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History shows that Rick Barnes can bring difference-makers from across state lines into the Texas basketball program.  NBA superstar Kevin Durant and most recently ESPN.com’s No. 1 ranked prospect in the 2009 class, Avery Bradley, fit the mold. With their biggest commitment in the 2010 class the Horns went not just outside of Texas but out of the country and will bring one of Canada’s biggest exports, ESPNU 100 selection Tristan Thompson, to Austin next fall.