Texas Basketball 2022-23

[jimmyjazz 46,001]

7 hours ago, SL Xpress said:

Chris Beard is ridiculous. He's like my dream coach in terms of off the court. He's a marketing godsend. 

I have a gigantic man-crush on that guy.  That clip reminded me of when Penders hit campus -- I met him on the Drag.  Beard's a better coach, though.

[OB3 3,629]

 

[LTtxfan 49,324]

 

[LTtxfan 49,324]

 

[mrhorn 1,383]

Hopefully new uniforms as well. It’s almost a given right with the new stadium? The current ones still have that Shaka stank on them. Still hope they wear the throwbacks though.

[ztejas 43,524]

23 hours ago, Burt Macklin said:

Haha that was amazing. Beard just gets it. I really fucking hope he can win. 

He's going to win. A bunch. I just hope he can win a national championship. 

[shadow_operative 15,932]

4 hours ago, ztejas said:

He's going to win. A bunch. I just hope he can win a national championship. 

interestingly enough i made this post in a reply to a post made by you, but i want to share it again here just to reiterate how unbelievably difficult it is to win the ncaa tournament:

 

if Beard accomplishes this at Texas it will be one of the all time great sporting achievements in the history of Texas Athletics.

*also Bill Self now has two titles

 

[SL Xpress 7,517]

3 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

interestingly enough i made this post in a reply to a post made by you, but i want to share it again here just to reiterate how unbelievably difficult it is to win the ncaa tournament:

 

if Beard accomplishes this at Texas it will be one of the all time great sporting achievements in the history of Texas Athletics.

*also Bill Self now has two titles

 

16 coaches in NCAA history have 2 titles (including Rick Pitino who had to vacate one).

6 coaches have 3 or more. 

Those seem like really small numbers to me. 

[Brian Fantana 6,690]

9 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

interestingly enough i made this post in a reply to a post made by you, but i want to share it again here just to reiterate how unbelievably difficult it is to win the ncaa tournament:

 

if Beard accomplishes this at Texas it will be one of the all time great sporting achievements in the history of Texas Athletics.

*also Bill Self now has two titles

 

The stats are pretty remarkable, I remember we had a back and forth a few years ago about why we thought Mark Few hadn't gotten there yet, and it just goes to show how astoundingly difficult it is to win a title. You really have to hand it to Bill Self for pulling it off last year with a team that definitely was flawed and not one of his best, in my opinion.

[SL Xpress 7,517]

4 minutes ago, Brian Fantana said:

The stats are pretty remarkable, I remember we had a back and forth a few years ago about why we thought Mark Few hadn't gotten there yet, and it just goes to show how astoundingly difficult it is to win a title. You really have to hand it to Bill Self for pulling it off last year with a team that definitely was flawed and not one of his best, in my opinion.

In his opinion, either. He flat out stated he's had more talented teams that didn't win it all. 

Most of the KU fans didn't believe, either. It was amazing how many were looking forward to Bill Self's replacement throughout the year. By midseason most of the fans assumed they'd be knocked off in the second or third round. Phog.net has a thread that's been pulled back up after the conference tournament - when they actually turned things around and began looking pretty impressive, mostly thanks to Remy Martin's injection. It's amazing how many people were strenuously arguing the team's ceiling was the Sweet Sixteen.

Then you look at that Baylor team that just steamrolled through the tournament. Made it look easy. If you had told me 10 years ago - or even 5 - that Scott Drew would head up that kind of team I would have laughed in your face.

As far as Beard, make it regularly to the Sweet Sixteen and then let's see where it goes from there. Not every year, mind you. But regularly. At some point things break your way and you get your shot. 

[shadow_operative 15,932]

6 hours ago, SL Xpress said:

16 coaches in NCAA history have 2 titles (including Rick Pitino who had to vacate one).

6 coaches have 3 or more. 

Those seem like really small numbers to me. 

especially in a sport where guys coach for decades and can appear in the tourney 20, 25, 30+ times.

[shadow_operative 15,932]

check out Bill Self from 2000-2022:

 

That's the best coach in college basketball. Finished outside the top 18 in kenpom once in 23 years. Finished in the top ten 17 times in that span. and he just now won his second title on those 23 years, with a 13 year gap between titles. if Bill Self we're a football coach this good he's be Nick Saban, possibly with an extra title or two.

the majority of college hoops fans, even the hardcore ones, really don't seem to understand or appreciate just how hard it is to even get close to winning a single title. it's the holy grail of American sports, up there with the World Cup in terms of how hard it is to win, and how moody any of a title it is. 

[Sir Ulrich 5,188]

 

 

[Pancho 44,884]

Gerry:

 

Spoiler

The Texas Longhorns have a huge month of September on the recruiting trail in front of them. The visit list will include three On3 5-stars, and at least two On3 4-stars. 

Chris Beard and staff signed the No. 3 ranked class in the On3 Consensus team rankings in year one headlined by 5-star forward Dillon Mitchell. The opportunity for back-to-back top 5 classes is a distinct possibility. 

The staff has sights set on multiple in state targets headlined by 5-star forward Ronald Holland, and 4-star guard Wesley Yates. The out of state targets include 5-star point guard A.J. Johnson and 4-star Andrej Stojakovic. 

Inside Texas provides the latest on each recruitment headed into official visits next month

 

[LTtxfan 49,324]

 

[ztejas 43,524]

9 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

That's the best coach in college basketball. Finished outside the top 18 in kenpom once in 23 years. Finished in the top ten 17 times in that span. and he just now won his second title on those 23 years, with a 13 year gap between titles. if Bill Self we're a football coach this good he's be Nick Saban, possibly with an extra title or two.

If he's the best coach in college it's only because Wright retired last season. 

Self is fine. I'm not sure our current coach isn't better. 

[shadow_operative 15,932]

6 minutes ago, ztejas said:

If he's the best coach in college it's only because Wright retired last season. 

Self is fine. I'm not sure our current coach isn't better. 

nobody, and i mean nobody, has as consistent a record as he does over the last 2+ decades. if you take out the tourney the gulf between self and the next guy is extremely wide. and that includes guys like coach k and izzo. nobody has a regular season record that approaches that of bull self over the last 23 years. he's an all-time all-time coach. the only thing keeping him from being recognized as such is his mere two titles. 

[LTtxfan 49,324]

 

[Braff Zacklin 13,636]

That guy needs to put his shirt back on and keep it on.

[Dr Fear 1,268]

When does the full schedule normally come out?

[LTtxfan 49,324]

 

[LTtxfan 49,324]

 

[SL Xpress 7,517]

Chris Beard was interviewed by the LHN broadcast team between sets 2 and 3 (a mild equivalent of a short halftime in volleyball). Absolutely nothing worth repeating from the interview, IMO. I guess he did make a very funny observation in a couple of ways that you have to finish in the top 4 to get an invitation to the athletic department barbecue. 

Mostly it was exciting for me because I stan Chris Beard and I stan the volleyball team, so the confluence was fun. 

The football team was there in force as well, with Bijan front and center. Of course. That guy pays all kinds of dividends off the field as well as on. 

Also, some fun clips on the Texas basketball twitter feed. They recognized Mo Bamba’s efforts to build basketball courts in the Ivory Coast. I wish he’d build some football fields there, too. West Coast Africa would be an amazing part of the world to recruit from. 

Jaxson Hayes recognized for his community effort to build some gorgeous courts in New Orleans, with a shout out from Greg Brown responding on the retweet to both Jaxson and Texas Baaketball. 

It’s a challenge to keep those guys in the fold and make them feel like Texas is their home away from home when their coach has departed, so I’m glad to see all the evidence that Beard’s work is paying some dividends. I even saw a 5* 2023 center prospect cite Jaxson Hayes as one of his influences for considering Texas. Not sure if that’s an effective strategy or not, but whatever helps get him on campus. 

There was a good pseudo recruiting feature of one of the athletic training support staff. Just talking about his resume (spent time with the Dallas Mavericks) and how Texas has cutting edge equipment that they employ modeled after the NBA to prepare guys pre and post workouts/games  

Lastly, another clip of Tyrese dunking the ball, this time on a Timmy Allen feed off the backboard. I wish the season started tomorrow, frankly. 

Edited September 1, 2022 by SL Xpress

[realgreggym 837]

It's not that big of a challenge to keep former players as part of the program when their coach leaves. There have been letterman reunions for over 40 years where lettermen get together and catch up and get to spend time with current players. The difference is that there are more ways to communicate today than in the past.

[shadow_operative 15,932]

ahh, our first instance of greggym tangentially reminding everyone that he was a player 50 years ago. the season is near!

[shadow_operative 15,932]

.

Edited September 2, 2022 by shadow_operative

[LTtxfan 49,324]

 

[realgreggym 837]

4 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

ahh, our first instance of greggym tangentially reminding everyone that he was a player 50 years ago. the season is near!

That's 2 things you couldn't do. 

[shadow_operative 15,932]

marcus carr showing some surprising athleticism: 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CiA5VL7J62_/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

 

[SL Xpress 7,517]

1 hour ago, shadow_operative said:

marcus carr showing some surprising athleticism: 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CiA5VL7J62_/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

 

No way I would have guessed that was him if I didn’t recognize him. 

Even on his other social media clips he’s laying it up or passing it off. They have another clip from last night where he’s at the hoop dishing it off to someone wearing a bandana (Bishop maybe? Can’t tell). 

What’s your over/under on the amount of dunks we’ll see from Carr this season?

Edited September 2, 2022 by SL Xpress

[shadow_operative 15,932]

31 minutes ago, SL Xpress said:

No way I would have guessed that was him if I didn’t recognize him. 

Even on his other social media clips he’s laying it up or passing it off. They have another clip from last night where he’s at the hoop dishing it off to someone wearing a bandana (Bishop maybe? Can’t tell). 

What’s your over/under on the amount of dunks we’ll see from Carr this season?

1.5 lol. 

[shadow_operative 15,932]

 

 

[pacman 7,366]

Assume that is the helplessness with the cutouts at the game. Kudos to them. That is great energy and support from students.

[LTtxfan 49,324]

 

Edited September 7, 2022 by LTtxfan

[LTtxfan 49,324]

 

[Blotto 23,560]

8 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

 

[Js1 85,450]

14 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

 

Derka or we riot 

[BigOrange1 6,442]

1 hour ago, Js1 said:

Derka or we riot 

ha!  derka was my first thought too.

[shadow_operative 15,932]

well hot damn, we're all on the same page for once.

[Braff Zacklin 13,636]

Technically, anyone posting to No.20 is on the same page....

[jimmyjazz 46,001]

I would so love to see Derka getting into Twitter wars with Longhorn fans.

[shadow_operative 15,932]

i can see it now: "...and ANOTHER reason that Beard's third national title was less impressive than Barnes's Final Four run..."

[SL Xpress 7,517]

Here's a podcast Chris Beard was interviewed for. They posted it up on the Men's Basketball Twitter feed, which is how I found it. It's not a bad interview. Talks about him playing high school basketball at Irving in DFW and McCullough in Houston. He notes the impact his two high school coaches had on him. He has a mildly entertaining story about transferring from the Business School to Kinesiology. He talks a little bit about working with Coach Knight. Talks about the team being a good mix of veterans, high school recruits, and transfers.

Some hyperbole, which is just Beard's way. I like how they start the broadcast talking about how Beard was born in Marietta, Georgia outside of Atlanta (where the podcast originates), how his grandparents continued to live there after he moved away, and so the Atlanta area is special to him, because of course. Very Beard-ish. Easily my favorite part of the interview was at the end where the broadcaster mentions he's kept up to date by all things Longhorn because former player Matt Hill is an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks. I'm sure many of you were already aware of this, but I'm like, "Whaaaaaat?!?"

Anyway, here's the link. Interview starts around the 1:50m mark:

https://atrophylife.buzzsprout.com/797903/11286181-september-8th-2022-texas-men-s-basketball-head-coach-chris-beard

[SL Xpress 7,517]

Following up on the Matt Hill information, I did a Google search of him and found this article in the Lincoln Star Journal (Matt Hill was from Lincoln, and was rated the best player in the state coming out of high school). 

Nothing particularly amazing necessarily, but it was an enjoyable read talking about a player I haven't thought a lot about after his career ended, but I always thought he played hard within his limited role at Texas. It's fun to see he's doing so incredibly well. I like knowing that he continues to follow the team and program. This article came out January 22, 2022, so it's only 9 months old. I'd post it in the Matt Hill thread, but I feel very confident there isn't one.

Spoiler

LINCOLN NATIVE IN THE NBA

From coaching sixth-graders to mega-stars, LSE grad Matt Hill continues climb as an NBA assistant coach

• CLARK GRELL Lincoln Journal Star
•  
  • Jan 29, 2022 Updated Mar 6, 2022
  •  
    • 0

Hawks assistant coach Matt Hill helps the team warm up before a game against the New York Knicks on Jan. 4 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Hill, a Lincoln Southeast graduate, has been with the Hawks since 2018.

SCOTT CUNNINGHAM, NBAE/Getty Images.

 

 

 

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CLARK GRELL Lincoln Journal Star

 

Matt Hill has spent the past five years forming game plans intended to slow down some of the world's greatest basketball players and teams.

Kevin Durant. LeBron James. Jimmy Butler. The Greek Freak. The Warriors. The Bucks.

No pressure, right?

But Hill, a Lincoln Southeast graduate, wouldn't want it any other way. He's living out his dream in the sport he loves dearly.

Besides, it's nothing like his first coaching gig — keeping in line an AAU team made up of sixth-graders in Austin, Texas.

"I'm telling you," Hill said laughing. "Some of those first early games I was nervous as hell, I'm not going to lie."

 

Those sixth-graders taught Hill something. He wanted to be a coach at a high level, and it helped open an incredible opportunity to coach in the pros. For the past 10 years, Hill has been working in the NBA, first as a video analyst with the Orlando Magic.

People are also reading…

 

By age 29, Hill was promoted to assistant coach in Orlando under then-head coach Frank Vogel. Now 34, Hill is an assistant coach for Nate McMillan and the Atlanta Hawks.

 

As one can imagine, the NBA consumes a lot of Hill's daily life.

On a recent Wednesday — the Hawks hosted the Timberwolves that night — Hill was at the office by 6:45 a.m. to work on a scouting report. After a team shoot-around, he went home for a couple of hours before coming back to the arena for a 3:30 p.m. warmup, film breakdown and individual prep work with the players. After the game and a coaches' meeting, Hill was home by 11:30 p.m. and back at the office at 7:45 the next morning.

 

Matt Hill (right) looks on as then-Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce talks with Trae Young during a 2019 game against the Magic.

Associated Press file photo

"There's so many games that you're constantly either watching your own games or getting ready for the next game, so you do get in a little bit of a routine," Hill said.

 

Hill has a lot of duties with the Hawks — he even served as head coach of Atlanta's Summer League team last year — but he focuses on opponent scouting reports and player development. Right now he's working with one of the NBA's rising stars in Trae Young.

 

Sounds like fun? For Hill, it is.

"I get to work in the best league in the world and be around some really great coaches," he said.

 

Hill arrived at Texas in 2006 as a top-100 prospect. He battled injuries during his Longhorn career, which maybe helped plant an early coaching seed.

 

"I was out almost two full seasons and during that time I think it had an effect on how I viewed the game, how I approached the game," said Hill, who was college teammates with Durant. "I was constantly looking at practice and talking to our coaches, so I think that time did kind of spark something that I might want to do this."

 

Still, when Hill graduated from Texas, his hope was to keep playing basketball. He worked out in a couple of pro camps in the midst of an NBA lockout and tried to give it a go on a tour in China. His playing days looking numbered, Hill returned to Lincoln and later Austin to work for a software startup company.

Hill didn't like it.

"It just wasn't for me," he said. "I gave it a shot and I'm glad I did looking back because it kind of made me realize that I wanted to coach, and even coaching those young kids kind of sparked my interest."

 

 

A year later, Hill broke into the NBA. Then-Magic coach Jacque Vaughn needed a video analyst, and not just any video analyst, but one who could jump on the court in scrimmages. The 6-foot-10 Hill was an ideal sparring partner for the Magic players.

 

Most of the time, though, Hill was living in the film room. There were long nights and Hill would log two or three opponent scouting reports every night so they were ready for the Orlando assistant coaches the next morning.

 

It was hard work that went unnoticed by fans, but not by the coaches.

"I wasn't really ready for what it took and I had some great guys that I worked with that coached me up on the film and what it takes, but you're not coaching at that level," Hill said. "You're kind of a glue guy for the staff.

 

"For me, it was more trusting that what I'm doing now will hopefully pay off in the long run, and it kind of has."

Hill learned a lot from a Magic coaching staff that included assistant coaches Wes Unseld Jr. (now the head coach for the Washington Wizards) and James Borrego (now the head coach for the Charlotte Hornets).

 

"Those early years in Orlando I feel kind of like was my graduate degree in coaching and basketball," Hill said.

Hill had worked his way up to manager of advance scout and development when Vogel had an assistant vacancy on his staff to fill. Vogel, now coaching the Lakers, called Hill to his office and said he was making the former Southeast Knight a full-time assistant.

 

 

Hill was quickly climbing the coaching ranks, though it came during some tumultuous times for the franchise. Starting with Vaughn, the Magic went through four head coaches while Hill was in the building.

Lincoln Southeast's Matt Hill blocks a shot by Lincoln Northeast's Wendell Faines during a 2006 high school game.

Journal Star file photo

The unsettled nature of the moves meant Hill's standing with the organization was never firmly set. A new coach will typically assemble his own staff, but Hill staying on through multiple coaching hires showed that the Magic liked what he was bringing to the organization.

When the Magic fired Vogel following the 2018 season, Hill was the only assistant coach retained. But he was soon hired by Lloyd Pierce of the Atlanta Hawks that offseason.

 

"It wasn't the greatest circumstances because pretty much every year I was wondering if I was going to still have a job, but I was able to hang on throughout those six years and work with some great coaches," Hill said. "Looking back, I thought it was very beneficial to my growth as a coach."

 

Working in the NBA also has given Hill a chance to work with some great players. As a full-time assistant, one of the first players a 29-year-old Hill worked with was 39-year-old Vince Carter. He also coached DJ Augustine, his former Texas teammate, that first year in Orlando.

"It's just like anything else," Hill said of coaching players his age or older. "It's such a people-person and relationship-type of business that if the guys know you know what you're talking about and respect you, then they'll listen to you. They don't really care who you are, in my opinion. My role is so relationship-based with our guys and I think that team in Orlando really was just excited for me when I got that opportunity."

Hill, who has aspirations to be a head coach someday, hopes to catch his breath a little bit during NBA all-star weekend. He's planning to come home to Lincoln to see his family.

 

Then he'll go back to Atlanta for the final half of the season. The Hawks, who reached the Eastern Conference finals last year, are 23-25 and are 11th in the standings, just outside the playoff picture at the moment.

Hill hasn't played since his Texas days but he still has a competitive edge that shows in his work as a coach.

"It's the closest thing you can get to playing, and I love prepping and trying to win games and feeding that competitive spirit and that want to win," Hill said.

"Being on the court for me is not really work. The work comes with the scouting reports and the prep, but just being on the court is fun, and getting a guy better is fun." 

Hill took chance on himself, and he's happy he did.

From the hallways at Lincoln Southeast to hunkering down in dark film rooms to sitting courtside at NBA arenas across the country (and Toronto), Hill continues his climb. It's the best job, he says.

"You just appreciate guys in the league that take a chance on you and give you an opportunity," Hill said. "I call it giving people life in the NBA because it's such a fickle league and it's such a results-driven league that you can be up one day and you could be out of the NBA the next. I have had a lot of great people that I've worked with vouch for me and take a chance on me. I'm trying to do that for young guys now, as well."

 

[Catdaddyhorn 3,447]

Yeah I know I've mentioned Matt Hill coaching in the NBA a number of times. I believe there may have been a time when both Ivey and Hill were on the same staff.

[jimmyjazz 46,001]

Today I learned that I haven't thought about Matt Hill in over a decade.

[LTtxfan 49,324]

7 hours ago, SL Xpress said:

Here's a podcast Chris Beard was interviewed for. They posted it up on the Men's Basketball Twitter feed, which is how I found it. It's not a bad interview. Talks about him playing high school basketball at Irving in DFW and McCullough in Houston. He notes the impact his two high school coaches had on him. He has a mildly entertaining story about transferring from the Business School to Kinesiology. He talks a little bit about working with Coach Knight. Talks about the team being a good mix of veterans, high school recruits, and transfers.

Some hyperbole, which is just Beard's way. I like how they start the broadcast talking about how Beard was born in Marietta, Georgia outside of Atlanta (where the podcast originates), how his grandparents continued to live there after he moved away, and so the Atlanta area is special to him, because of course. Very Beard-ish. Easily my favorite part of the interview was at the end where the broadcaster mentions he's kept up to date by all things Longhorn because former player Matt Hill is an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks. I'm sure many of you were already aware of this, but I'm like, "Whaaaaaat?!?"

Anyway, here's the link. Interview starts around the 1:50m mark:

https://atrophylife.buzzsprout.com/797903/11286181-september-8th-2022-texas-men-s-basketball-head-coach-chris-beard

Great Stuff SL Xpress...

 

[SL Xpress 7,517]

2 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Today I learned that I haven't thought about Matt Hill in over a decade.

Remember the white man’s Afro he sported as a freshman and sophomore? When he shorn those locks I was sure they were going to have to drop his official height by a couple of inches. 

[Js1 85,450]

2 minutes ago, SL Xpress said:

Remember the white man’s Afro he sported as a freshman and sophomore? When he shorn those locks I was sure they were going to have to drop his official height by a couple of inches. 

I'd never forget, I lived in San Jac my freshman and sophomore years (also his freshman and sophomore years).  Saw that fro at Cypress Bend all the time. 

[LTtxfan 49,324]