Texas Basketball Recruiting Notes: A Clean Shave

[Rickylovesweed 14262]

16 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

We need a bulky 6’8”-6”9” dude who rebounds, plays D, roughes up people in the paint, and can post up occasionally. Any of these transfer candidates meet that profile? 

I mean do we? 

We just lost to a team in the Elite 8 that plays nobody bigger than 6'7. Larranega is a top 10 coach in college basketball and really I think Miami is the model we should be following. 

I.e. a bunch of combo guards that can score with an athletic big (even if undersized). So pretty much what Beard was doing at Texas. 

[BurntOrange&White 39930]

38 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

We need a bulky 6’8”-6”9” dude who rebounds, plays D, roughes up people in the paint, and can post up occasionally. Any of these transfer candidates meet that profile? 

I’d like some sort of 7 footer with an offensive game. Could be okay on defense. 

[BurntOrange&White 39930]

21 minutes ago, Rickylovesweed said:

I mean do we? 

We just lost to a team in the Elite 8 that plays nobody bigger than 6'7. Larranega is a top 10 coach in college basketball and really I think Miami is the model we should be following. 

I.e. a bunch of combo guards that can score with an athletic big (even if undersized). So pretty much what Beard was doing at Texas. 

I don’t think they need to be undersized or have some criteria like that. I think you just need 5 scorers that can attack from everywhere on the court. Having a defensive specialist is kind of a meh point in the game today due to how offenses are. Yes you need to play good defense so I’m not saying defense doesn’t matter. 

Edited March 28, 2023 by BurntOrange&White

[Sal 1088]

20 minutes ago, Rickylovesweed said:

I mean do we? 

We just lost to a team in the Elite 8 that plays nobody bigger than 6'7. Larranega is a top 10 coach in college basketball and really I think Miami is the model we should be following. 

I.e. a bunch of combo guards that can score with an athletic big (even if undersized). So pretty much what Beard was doing at Texas. 

I agree, though if we're looking for taller guys, it needs to be wings who can actually shoot. We had Timmy Allen and Dillon Mitchell. Jordan Miller ate us alive and was the difference in the game 

[Rickylovesweed 14262]

There are teams that win going big but I don't really understand the sentiment. 

Beard was winning here going small at the 5 and we just lost to a team that plays really small. I don't know what Terry's philosophy is but give me an athletic big that can switch on the defensive end (like Bishop/Disu) over some 7'0 that's immobile. 

[Rickylovesweed 14262]

1 minute ago, BurntOrange&White said:

I don’t think they need to be undersized or have some criteria like that. I think you just need 5 scorers that can attack from everywhere on the court. Having a defensive specialist is kind of a meh point in the game today due to how offenses are. Yes you need to play good defense so I’m not saying defense doesn’t matter. 

What made Beard's defensive scheme work is he had a 5 that could switch. That requires athleticism. It's why Beard passed on a lot of bigs this last transfer cycle. 

I think Miami is the perfect model for what we should be trying to do. Get an athletic big with a bunch of guards that can score. 

[Gut Wagon 8065]

3 minutes ago, Rickylovesweed said:

There are teams that win going big but I don't really understand the sentiment. 

Beard was winning here going small at the 5 and we just lost to a team that plays really small. I don't know what Terry's philosophy is but give me an athletic big that can switch on the defensive end (like Bishop/Disu) over some 7'0 that's immobile. 

Would we have lost to Miami with a bit more size inside? We'll never know, but I think we'd all agree having the RIGHT giant would seldom hurt any team. The mobility issue is of course key, especially with a switching D. I'd love to see what a huge athlete like Bamba or Hayes could have done on this year's team. 

[Rickylovesweed 14262]

2 minutes ago, Gut Wagon said:

Would we have lost to Miami with a bit more size inside? We'll never know, but I think we'd all agree having the RIGHT giant would seldom hurt any team. The mobility issue is of course key, especially with a switching D. I'd love to see what a huge athlete like Bamba or Hayes could have done on this year's team. 

What we needed was more size on the wing. Like Sal said above Jordan Miller was the one that won this game for Miami. 

Timmy Allen is great but he's not particularly long. The thing this Texas team was missing was just a freak athletic wing with length. The only player that could have potentially become that is Mitchell but not sure if you would classify him as a wing and he's still behind developmentally. 

[Gut Wagon 8065]

5 minutes ago, Rickylovesweed said:

What we needed was more size on the wing. Like Sal said above Jordan Miller was the one that won this game for Miami. 

Timmy Allen is great but he's not particularly long. The thing this Texas team was missing was just a freak athletic wing with length. The only player that could have potentially become that is Mitchell but not sure if you would classify him as a wing and he's still behind developmentally. 

Mitchell with developed jump-shooting skills could be all-world. But he's never needed those skills to dominate...until now. I hope he starts growing into what his body has the potential to be. Same for Morris, though he seems a good bit farther along in shooting.  

[Revolution512 1487]

Mitchell isn’t as far off as people think. It’s hard to develop on the wing when you’re playing out of place on the block. He needs reps, his shot will develop if he will put the work in and get minutes there. Will he with Holland coming in? Can’t speak to that.

[Dbeasy 15040]

6 hours ago, Rickylovesweed said:

What made Beard's defensive scheme work is he had a 5 that could switch. That requires athleticism. It's why Beard passed on a lot of bigs this last transfer cycle. 

I think Miami is the perfect model for what we should be trying to do. Get an athletic big with a bunch of guards that can score. 

I don’t understand why everyone is referencing a tall player. Disu is 6’9” and was key. We had no one to back him up except Bishop and he’s a little shorter and lighter. And we lose him.

Omier for Miami is the type of guy I’m talking about. Athletic but with some weight.  He had 11 points and 9 boards and is 6’8”, but 245 instead of 225. That’s the depth that is missing.

[RollingPresidential 632]

We need a shot blocker. Like Ricky said, Beard’s best teams at Tech were the teams with a center that could switch and help. The refs fucking sucked on Sunday, but having Disu or someone bigger than Bishop there as an anchor on the drives would’ve helped immensely. If we are keeping Beard’s defensive schemes (which a ton of teams in CBB run anyway), having someone to funnel to would help a lot. 

I was most worried about the next round and facing Sanogo and the giant white dude for UConn. You can’t teach hoss. 

[Gut Wagon 8065]

10 hours ago, BurntOrange&White said:

I don’t think they need to be undersized or have some criteria like that. I think you just need 5 scorers that can attack from everywhere on the court. Having a defensive specialist is kind of a meh point in the game today due to how offenses are. Yes you need to play good defense so I’m not saying defense doesn’t matter. 

This year we started a PG who says he considers himself a defender first and was sporadic with his offensive output. If Hunter can increase his scoring and overall impact on offense, that will help us a lot. It also will make him a better pro prospect. 

[kevwun 15759]

11 hours ago, Rickylovesweed said:

I mean do we? 

We just lost to a team in the Elite 8 that plays nobody bigger than 6'7. Larranega is a top 10 coach in college basketball and really I think Miami is the model we should be following. 

I.e. a bunch of combo guards that can score with an athletic big (even if undersized). So pretty much what Beard was doing at Texas. 

He might only be 6'7", but he's built like a tank and athletic as hell.  An inch or 2 doesn't really matter when you are that strong and can move.

[Hookem2147 21188]

Height means nothing in today's game if you aren't athletic and don't have an offensive game outside of 3 feet from the basket. Basketball has changed in that regard. As was mentioned above, a 6'7 240 pound dude who is athletic and can rebound is more valuable than a dude who is 7'0, can't move and can just stick his arms above everyone. 

It's about meshing styles when looking at 3 through 5 in your lineup. It's why having Timmy Allen and Dillon Mitchell on the floor at the same time was so bad for us offensively for much of the year. Neither of those guys are a threat outside of about 15 feet (or about 2 feet in Mitchell's case) and it bogged down the entire offense.

Edited March 28, 2023 by Hookem2147

[cochamps 1879]

17 hours ago, Hookem2147 said:

Gerry is saying Texas has interest in this transfer from Rice

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4432070/quincy-olivari

This guy was pretty, pretty good in his one appearance at Moody (12/12/22 - Beard D-Day).  Twenty eight and took us to OT.

[Hookem2147 21188]

Portal and HS recruiting notes from Gerry Hamilton

Spoiler

Portal is popping

There have been a number of players that have entered the portal be mentioned as having talked to Texas, or having interest in Texas. Inside Texas can report that the Texas staff is receiving many calls right now. The staff is in evaluation mode on players in the portal, with style of play and fit being so key. Those initial communications are going to be very important.

A first name that popped up as having contact with the staff was Temple transfer guard Khalif Battle. Inside Texas does not expect the Longhorns to heavily pursue Battle. He visited UCF over the weekend, for those that like to keep up.

One name that Inside Texas believes the Longhorns have real interest in, is USC transfer guard Reese Waters-Dixon. The 6-foot-5 guard was the Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year this season. He transfers with two years remaining, which makes him even more attractive. There has been contact made.

Two names that IT hears has interest in Texas are North Carolina very talented transfer guard Caleb Love, and Oregon 7-footer Kel’El Ware. Love is an athletic guard that can score it at a high level, and has very good vision. He has plenty of big game experience, including the 2022 Final Four and National Championship game. Missouri and many others will work to be in the mix for the 6-foot-3 guard. Texas recruited Ware out of a high school. He has been on campus in Austin before. Ware has plenty of upside, but did not come close to meeting it as a freshman in Eugene, especially the last 12-14 games.

This process is just beginning for the Texas staff, and there will be plenty of new names enter the portal in the next two or three weeks.

Ron Holland and A.J. Johnson

Texas has two 2023 prospects that have signed, and are expected in Austin this summer. Five-star’s Ron Holland and A.J. Johnson both commented Monday on the news of Rodney Terry expected to be head coach of the Longhorns.

On3 Industry Ranking No. 7 overall Ron Holland spoke to media while at the McDonald’s All-American festities and backed his support for Terry.

“I’m really excited about that,” Holland said of Terry being offered the job to On3’s Joe Tipton. “Just knowing how hard he had those guys playing and he really deserves that job. Just to see him reach that goal and for them to give him the opportunity to continue to coach that team, it’s a really good feeling for me because I get to stay committed to that team. Me and AJ Johnson, we get to go try get us a national championship next year.”

Inside Texas also caught up with five-star point guard AJ Johnson. The 6-foot-6 point guard and No. 16 overall prospect echoed Holland’s statements.

“I feel really good about that,” Johnson said. “He’s a really good coach. I had a relationship with him before (Chris) Beard. Coach Terry and I have a very good relationship. It definitely helps me a lot.”

Texas could pursue another high school prospect in the 2023 class, but that will be determined by how many players on the current roster return next year. The Texas staff should have a clearer picture on that in a week or so.

Texas has momentum in 2024

The Texas staff is working with quite a bit of momentum in the 2024 cycle. And there are some long standing relationships at play, with a number of prospects having been on campus numerous times in the last year.

Tre Johnson, SG, 6-5, Richardson (Texas) Lake Highlands
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 1 (5-star)
*Made official visit to Texas September 16-18. Texas has as good of a shot as any college program.

Robert Miller III, PF, 6-9, Pasadena (Texas) Memorial
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 85
*Has been on campus five times since last spring. Texas is considered the favorite.

Liam McNeeley, SF, 6-7, Richardson (Texas) Montverde Academy
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 8 (5-star)
*Has been on campus multiple times. Texas is very much in the mix here. Very much.

Kuol Atak, F, 6-8.5, Haltom (Texas) High
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 114
*Made unofficial visit for Kansas game March 4. Texas really likes Atak’s upside, and the fit as a person. He wowed the Texas staff March 4 on his visit.

Cam Scott, SG, 6-5, Lexington (S.C.) High
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 24
*Made official visit to Texas during the season. Don’t sleep on Texas here, assuming Terry and staff make a big push.

Donnie Freeman, PF, 6-8.5, Washington (D.C.) St. John’s College High
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 42
*Already made official visit to Texas. Bob Donewald Jr. is the primary recruiter.

Sebastian Rancik, PF, 6-9, San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) J Serra Catholic
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 65
*Texas offered March 19. The Longhorns are expected to be very much in the mix.

Jared Harris, CG, 6-3.5, Silsbee (Texas) High
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 71
*Kansas offered March 3. Brandon Chappell is the primary recruiter.

 

[Hookem2147 21188]

 

[Js1 85266]

47 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

Height means nothing in today's game if you aren't athletic and don't have an offensive game outside of 3 feet from the basket. Basketball has changed in that regard. As was mentioned above, a 6'7 240 pound dude who is athletic and can rebound is more valuable than a dude who is 7'0, can't move and can just stick his arms above everyone. 

It's about meshing styles when looking at 3 through 5 in your lineup. It's why having Timmy Allen and Dillon Mitchell on the floor at the same time was so bad for us offensively for much of the year. Neither of those guys are a threat outside of about 15 feet (or about 2 feet in Mitchell's case) and it bogged down the entire offense.

Yeah I’d rather have Miami’s 6’7 post than the 7’1 guy from X 

[tokamak 6391]

12 hours ago, BurntOrange&White said:

I don’t think they need to be undersized or have some criteria like that. I think you just need 5 scorers that can attack from everywhere on the court. Having a defensive specialist is kind of a meh point in the game today due to how offenses are. Yes you need to play good defense so I’m not saying defense doesn’t matter. 

So we just need 5 dudes that can score from everywhere and play good defense? You've convinced me. Let's do it.

[Hornlover 8827]

52 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

Portal and HS recruiting notes from Gerry Hamilton

Tre Johnson, SG, 6-5, Richardson (Texas) Lake Highlands
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 1 (5-star)
*Made official visit to Texas September 16-18. Texas has as good of a shot as any college program.

Liam McNeeley, SF, 6-7, Richardson (Texas) Montverde Academy
On3 Industry Ranking: No. 8 (5-star)
*Has been on campus multiple times. Texas is very much in the mix here. Very much.

Throw in Drew Timme and Cason Wallace as well.

When did Richardson become such a hotbed of basketball?

 

[ztejas 43411]

12 hours ago, Revolution512 said:

Mitchell isn’t as far off as people think. It’s hard to develop on the wing when you’re playing out of place on the block. He needs reps, his shot will develop if he will put the work in and get minutes there. Will he with Holland coming in? Can’t speak to that.

Mitchell is who we need to throw the most NIL money at. 

[horn4life 3759]

13 hours ago, Rickylovesweed said:

I mean do we? 

We just lost to a team in the Elite 8 that plays nobody bigger than 6'7. Larranega is a top 10 coach in college basketball and really I think Miami is the model we should be following. 

I.e. a bunch of combo guards that can score with an athletic big (even if undersized). So pretty much what Beard was doing at Texas. 

Yeah I see your point, But I would say we do need at least a bigger body from a weight perspective. 

We didn't really have an answer to truly man up in the paint against Omier. In fact the necessity of putting in Brock Cunningham on him at the end cost us badly in that final foul.  Cunningham was listed at 210 lbs, versus the 245 lb Ormier.  There was a reason Miami owned the paint. That's one of the main reasons I am hoping that RT can convince Disu to come back one more year.  As he is the heaviest player we had on the roster at 225 lbs.  He would have helped a lot vs Miami. But he also would have been physically outmuscled most of the time because of the addition 20 pounds of muscle on Omier. 

I would say that the size inside in this game was a puzzle that we never did solve vs Miami.  We need a bigger player that can run at 240 to help us with out in the paint game. IMHO.

[Teryor 4449]

Drawing these conclusions from one game against an undersized center when we only had 1 big available is kinda insane to me. The longer trendline the last 2 years with mostly the same players has been that our team hasn't been capable of guarding the best bigs in the country. Timme, McCormick, Kalkbrenner, Edey, Bryson Williams, the dude from Tennessee all absolutely destroyed us. I'm not saying you need to run the team through the center, see how that's worked out for the B1G as a whole in March, but you have to have a dude who's able to give them issues and make them work for all of their points and rebounds and we haven't had that. 

[HtownHorn 14663]

I think Shedrick would be a perfect fit for whatever system Terry wants to run at Texas, he's big but also switchable.

Love, the USC kid, and one of Ware or Shedrick would be a dream portal class to add to the HS kids and what could potentially return.

Gerry likes Love, and thinks he's way better than what he showed at UNC last year.

[kevwun 15759]

We'

2 hours ago, Teryor said:

Drawing these conclusions from one game against an undersized center when we only had 1 big available is kinda insane to me. The longer trendline the last 2 years with mostly the same players has been that our team hasn't been capable of guarding the best bigs in the country. Timme, McCormick, Kalkbrenner, Edey, Bryson Williams, the dude from Tennessee all absolutely destroyed us. I'm not saying you need to run the team through the center, see how that's worked out for the B1G as a whole in March, but you have to have a dude who's able to give them issues and make them work for all of their points and rebounds and we haven't had that. 

Well we have been eliminated the last two years by teams with a 5 who we didn't have anyone who could guard.  We don't need a 7" or anything, but a big athletic guy who can guard the 5 wouldn't be a bad thing.  It's the Achilles heel of Beard's system.

[RollingPresidential 632]

It's not height or even size, it's skill. Omier was a big bulky rebounder, sure, but the bigger thing was we had no one who could roll over and contest the drives that they were reasonably afraid of. Granted, with those refs, that guy would've fouled out in the first five minutes of the second half...

[Rickylovesweed 14262]

4 hours ago, horn4life said:

Yeah I see your point, But I would say we do need at least a bigger body from a weight perspective. 

We didn't really have an answer to truly man up in the paint against Omier. In fact the necessity of putting in Brock Cunningham on him at the end cost us badly in that final foul.  Cunningham was listed at 210 lbs, versus the 245 lb Ormier.  There was a reason Miami owned the paint. That's one of the main reasons I am hoping that RT can convince Disu to come back one more year.  As he is the heaviest player we had on the roster at 225 lbs.  He would have helped a lot vs Miami. But he also would have been physically outmuscled most of the time because of the addition 20 pounds of muscle on Omier. 

I would say that the size inside in this game was a puzzle that we never did solve vs Miami.  We need a bigger player that can run at 240 to help us with out in the paint game. IMHO.

Omier scored 11 points. Texas didn't lose because they couldn't "man up in the paint against Omier."

They lost because they couldn't defend their guards/wings. Matter of fact, Texas should have played Cunningham more at the 5 in this game. 

[ztejas 43411]

I thought we lost because of our best 3 players one didn't play and the other two were gimpy by the 2nd half but now I see that what we really needed was some fatass or 7 foot stiff to eat another 5 fouls. 

[Ricky's one-hitter 9084]

32 minutes ago, ztejas said:

I thought we lost because of our best 3 players one didn't play and the other two were gimpy by the 2nd half but now I see that what we really needed was some fatass or 7 foot stiff to eat another 5 fouls. 

Modern basketball: Old guards win tournament games

Surly: We don't recruit enough HS Centers

[texifornia 56858]

https://wsucougars.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/tj-bamba/12039

[Radical Larry 28539]

TJ Bamba? Why in the hell is he not already on the team?

[Pato del Muerto 52485]

2 hours ago, Ricky's one-hitter said:

Modern basketball: Old guards win tournament games

Surly: We don't recruit enough HS Centers

We had the oldest guard

[ztejas 43411]

8 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

We had the oldest guard

And won 3 tourney games and would probably be in the Final Four if he didn't take a nasty shot with 12 mins left. 

[BornAndRaised 12281]

2 hours ago, Radical Larry said:

TJ Bamba? Why in the hell is he not already on the team?

 

[Cairn Horn88 8259]

Ish Massoud enters transfer portal

From K state

[Mason Ramsey 3373]

3 minutes ago, Cairn Horn88 said:

Ish Massoud enters transfer portal

From K state

this guy can stretch the floor

[CashMcCoy 3199]

 

[Lonestar88 4629]

 

[ClubWhatever 12120]

1 hour ago, Mason Ramsey said:

this guy can stretch the floor

Can he really defend though?  I don't picture a solid defender when I think of him.  Maybe I'm wrong.  If I'm Terry, at least one thing I continue from Beard' approach is the mantra that you don't come here if you don't defend.

[Rickylovesweed 14262]

19 minutes ago, Lonestar88 said:

 

Probably the top transfer so far. 

[Hornlover 8827]

6 minutes ago, ClubWhatever said:

Can he really defend though?  I don't picture a solid defender when I think of him.  Maybe I'm wrong.  If I'm Terry, at least one thing I continue from Beard' approach is the mantra that you don't come here if you don't defend.

He shot 42% from 3 this year. It was only 3 per game, but if you want an "instant offense off the bench" kinda guy, he fits the bill.

[Mason Ramsey 3373]

40 minutes ago, ClubWhatever said:

Can he really defend though?  I don't picture a solid defender when I think of him.  Maybe I'm wrong.  If I'm Terry, at least one thing I continue from Beard' approach is the mantra that you don't come here if you don't defend.

 

33 minutes ago, Hornlover said:

He shot 42% from 3 this year. It was only 3 per game, but if you want an "instant offense off the bench" kinda guy, he fits the bill.

Right, I don't think I picture him as a great defender, but you can get away with putting him on the opponent's worst offensive player and have him knock down shots. He did it in big moments this year for them and was a good spark off the bench. Not Rice good (and obviously different positions) coming off the bench, but a great shooter nonetheless. You could be spot on that we don't go after him because he doesn't play a ton of defense, I really don't know. But I do know he can stretch the floor.

[HtownHorn 14663]

He was adequate as a defender last year, not really that great but not a sieve either. I don't see him coming here unless he's starting. Which means you go after him if Disu and Mitchell both leave. I'd have him behind the Ware and Shedrick right now.

Edited March 29, 2023 by HtownHorn

[Ignatius 4017]

On 3/28/2023 at 10:25 AM, Hookem2147 said:

Height means nothing in today's game if you aren't athletic and don't have an offensive game outside of 3 feet from the basket. Basketball has changed in that regard. As was mentioned above, a 6'7 240 pound dude who is athletic and can rebound is more valuable than a dude who is 7'0, can't move and can just stick his arms above everyone.

Before Selection Sunday everyone on this board was shitting bricks sideways about the prospect of being a 2 in the Purdue regional…

[Rickylovesweed 14262]

4 minutes ago, Ignatius said:

Before Selection Sunday everyone on this board was shitting bricks sideways about the prospect of being a 2 in the Purdue regional…

Nobody has a big that can guard Edey. You don't beat Purdue with size. You beat them with athletic guards that disrupt their offense from getting the ball to Edey. 

See Farleigh Dickinson. 

Edey is a unicorn. There's nobody else like him. 

Edited March 29, 2023 by Rickylovesweed

[Rockethorn1978 6072]

On 3/28/2023 at 11:26 AM, Teryor said:

Drawing these conclusions from one game against an undersized center when we only had 1 big available is kinda insane to me. The longer trendline the last 2 years with mostly the same players has been that our team hasn't been capable of guarding the best bigs in the country. Timme, McCormick, Kalkbrenner, Edey, Bryson Williams, the dude from Tennessee all absolutely destroyed us. I'm not saying you need to run the team through the center, see how that's worked out for the B1G as a whole in March, but you have to have a dude who's able to give them issues and make them work for all of their points and rebounds and we haven't had that. 

This board posted the same thing last year after losing to Purdue. “We need a 7’0 center and not this undersized roster beard puts together”. You never make roster decisions like that after one game. Kinda reminds me of Mack changing his offense after we lost to bama with colt going down. Just dumb. 

[Lonestar88 4629]

 

[texifornia 56858]

 

[Hookem2147 21188]

Gerry said that the Virginia big man (Kadin Shedrick) and USC guard (Reese Dixon-Waters) are currently the top two targets for Texas in the portal.

RT apparently has an AAU connections to the  team Dixon-Waters played on.

Edited March 30, 2023 by Hookem2147