Texas Basketball 2023-24

[idigTexas 2,288]

56 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

Rein in the enthusiasm, peoples. We won't know how any of these kids will perform until the lights come on.

Well shit, we apparently spent all our money on NIL, and now can't pay the electric bill.

[MoJames 8,244]

2 hours ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Huge

 

1 hour ago, Herpa Derpa said:

Gargantuan

[HookEm 2,467]

I guess I have assumed all along that Shedrick will be starting, but now I'm not sure.  He started 19 and 15 games for Virginia in the last two years, respectively.  I couldn't imagine him leaving an elite program as a starter to come to Texas and play off the bench.  He also mentioned wanting a bigger role as a primary reason for why he left.  

But I agree with everyone that getting a versatile guard/forward who can shoot 3s and score off the dribble (while playing defense) - and moving Mitchell & Disu from the 3/4 to the 4/5 seems like a better potential team.  That said, there is nothing preventing us from going to a 3-guard lineup for long stretches of the game with our current roster.  I assume that both Weaver and Cunningham will get plenty of run at SF - and both of them have shot over 40% from 3. That could move Mitchell and Disu to the 4/5 during those periods.

This could be a nice lineup:

• Aßmas + Weaver + Cunningham + Mitchell + Disu

Or go small for stetches and haves shooters errywhere.  We had a similar lineup last year with Cunningham playing the 4 and Disu at the 5 that was effective.

• Hunter + Aßmas + Weaver + Cunningham + Disu 

[Ignatius 4,017]

21 minutes ago, ztejas said:

We also don't know if Tyrese, Disu, Mitchell and Brock have any established chemistry with each other or the head coach. Or if they're capable of making a tourney run.

CHAMINADE, MOTHERFUCKER!!!! I AM LEGEND!!!!

[CTC2 2,797]

1 hour ago, idigTexas said:

Yes, it is too early to write off RT.  It is also too early to claim that he is going to be successful in all facets.  If you evaluate what he has done month-to-month instead of minute-by-minute, what we have seen so far is encouraging. 

Interesting that within the large $ donor class there are people with the opinion that he has suffered from Cuba Gooding Jr syndrome since he got the job. I know why they think it but not really sure it’s a valid opinion. 

[Burt Macklin 19,024]

4 minutes ago, HookEm said:

I guess I have assumed all along that Shedrick will be starting, but now I'm not sure.  He started 19 and 15 games for Virginia in the last two years, respectively.  I couldn't imagine him leaving an elite program as a starter to come to Texas and play off the bench.  He also mentioned wanting a bigger role as a primary reason for why he left.  

But I agree with everyone that getting a versatile guard/forward who can shoot 3s and score off the dribble (while playing defense) - and moving Mitchell & Disu from the 3/4 to the 4/5 seems like a better potential team.  That said, there is nothing preventing us from going to a 3-guard lineup for long stretches of the game with our current roster.  I assume that both Weaver and Cunningham will get plenty of run at SF - and both of them have shot over 40% from 3. That could move Mitchell and Disu to the 4/5 during those periods.

This could be a nice lineup:

• Aßmas + Weaver + Cunningham + Mitchell + Disu

Or go small for stetches and haves shooters errywhere.  We had a similar lineup last year with Cunningham playing the 4 and Disu at the 5 that was effective.

• Hunter + Aßmas + Weaver + Cunningham + Disu 

I think we can play Disu, Shedrick, and Mitchell at the 4/5 and get all of them 20+ minutes a game, and we especially need to limit Disu’s minutes in games where we don’t need him with all his injury history. But it will be tricky naming the starters. I don’t think any of those 3 would be happy with not being named a starter. Maybe we start most games big and sub one out early. I don’t think Cunningham or Weaver would have a problem coming off the bench. 

[HookEm 2,467]

Does anyone have access to stats showing Texas' various lineups used last year (with minutes, +/-, etc.)?

[ztejas 43,439]

I assume we start either Hunter, Abmas, Mitchell, Shedrick, Disu or someone else at the 3 with Mitchell/Disu at the 4/5.

A lot of it may depend on how much DM can develop from BTA in the next 5 months. Optimally you play him at the 3 - he isn't really built like a 4 despite his ability on the boards and around the rim. 

Edited June 1, 2023 by ztejas

[MoJames 8,244]

7 minutes ago, HookEm said:

Does anyone have access to stats showing Texas' various lineups used last year (with minutes, +/-, etc.)?

probably

[Lonestar88 4,664]

Tyrin Lawrence is going back to Vanderbilt, so that pipe dream can finally end.

[MirrOlure 14,773]

Eh. Never mind

[Red Five 40,858]

3 hours ago, Burt Macklin said:

But it will be tricky naming the starters. I don’t think any of those 3 would be happy with not being named a starter. Maybe we start most games big and sub one out early.

We did last year. 

[Herpa Derpa 6,126]

3 hours ago, HookEm said:

I guess I have assumed all along that Shedrick will be starting, but now I'm not sure.  He started 19 and 15 games for Virginia in the last two years, respectively.  I couldn't imagine him leaving an elite program as a starter to come to Texas and play off the bench.  He also mentioned wanting a bigger role as a primary reason for why he left.  

But I agree with everyone that getting a versatile guard/forward who can shoot 3s and score off the dribble (while playing defense) - and moving Mitchell & Disu from the 3/4 to the 4/5 seems like a better potential team.  That said, there is nothing preventing us from going to a 3-guard lineup for long stretches of the game with our current roster.  I assume that both Weaver and Cunningham will get plenty of run at SF - and both of them have shot over 40% from 3. That could move Mitchell and Disu to the 4/5 during those periods.

This could be a nice lineup:

• Aßmas + Weaver + Cunningham + Mitchell + Disu

Or go small for stetches and haves shooters errywhere.  We had a similar lineup last year with Cunningham playing the 4 and Disu at the 5 that was effective.

• Hunter + Aßmas + Weaver + Cunningham + Disu 

Pos rep for proper spelling.

[kingkoopa6 8,350]

noice!!!

[LTtxfan 49,186]

6 hours ago, Herpa Derpa said:

Gargantuan

 

Mammoth...

 

[Biff Tannen 45,683]

Well this seems nice

[ClubWhatever 12,144]

I haven't been paying attention.  Did Mitchell learn how to shoot at the NBA tryout camps?

[shadow_operative 15,932]

00:27 - 00:36 we have actual video evidence that dillon mitchell can indeed hit jump shots.

 

i think that if he keeps his jump shots/face up game to practice reps and smart looks then he can shoot a fine percentage from outside the lane. if i were his coach is probably tell him to exclusively shoot off the catch in any conference/highly contested games. 

 

[Snake Diggity 4,624]

Starters (5): Hunter, Abmas, Mitchell, Disu, Shedrick

Bench (4): Weaver, Cunningham, Onyema, Anamekwe

Walk-ons (4): Perryman, Clark, Bott, Prince

Thats a really good roster.  Legit 8 deep with upside to be 9 deep.  Maybe add a guard who can drain 3s or be a defensive stopper, but that would be gravy.  Should be a Sweet 16 team as-is.

[Braff Zacklin 13,573]

If only we could get Sir'Jabari back for an unprecedented 12th season of eligibility ...

Edited June 2, 2023 by Braff Zacklin

[honolulu horn 6,158]

2 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

00:27 - 00:36 we have actual video evidence that dillon mitchell can indeed hit jump shots.

 

i think that if he keeps his jump shots/face up game to practice reps and smart looks then he can shoot a fine percentage from outside the lane. if i were his coach is probably tell him to exclusively shoot off the catch in any conference/highly contested games. 

 

Those two Gonzaga dunks at 1:40 and 1:55 are so filthy. Love having Mitchell back! 

[ztejas 43,439]

2 hours ago, shadow_operative said:

00:27 - 00:36 we have actual video evidence that dillon mitchell can indeed hit jump shots.

 

i think that if he keeps his jump shots/face up game to practice reps and smart looks then he can shoot a fine percentage from outside the lane. if i were his coach is probably tell him to exclusively shoot off the catch in any conference/highly contested games. 

 

I know I had 30 posts about it last night but I think he's going to develop a lot. He's a very high IQ player and is going to continue to be familiar with the staff, facilities, regimen, teammates etc. I also think he works hard.

I wouldn't be surprised if he's 2nd team all B12 next season. From everything I've seen he takes the game seriously and cares about winning and his teammates. The typical teenager social media shit should just be noise. By every discernable basketball metric he's a very high character guy. 

Edited June 2, 2023 by ztejas

[Rickylovesweed 14,313]

Mitchell actually has a decent stroke. It's why he looked good at those NBA combine shooting drills. 

For whatever reason, it just hasn't translated to actual play. Maybe it's the pace of play, not being put in the right position, adapting to size/quickness at this level, etc. 

 

[VinyVango 693]

Mitchell actually has a decent stroke. It's why he looked good at those NBA combine shooting drills. 
For whatever reason, it just hasn't translated to actual play. Maybe it's the pace of play, not being put in the right position, adapting to size/quickness at this level, etc. 
 

He was drinking water out of a firehouse at times last year but showed he has the tools … I fully expect increases in scoring and minutes played and hope he makes a big jump and plays like a lottery pick… or that happens our ceiling will be up there with last year (assuming guard depth decent become an issue)

[HtownHorn 14,681]

13 hours ago, ztejas said:

I know I had 30 posts about it last night but I think he's going to develop a lot. He's a very high IQ player and is going to continue to be familiar with the staff, facilities, regimen, teammates etc. I also think he works hard.

I wouldn't be surprised if he's 2nd team all B12 next season. From everything I've seen he takes the game seriously and cares about winning and his teammates. The typical teenager social media shit should just be noise. By every discernable basketball metric he's a very high character guy. 

I agree with you. Texas played a lot with 2 PFs and a C last year with Allen, Mitchell, and Disu together. If Mitchell could play the Allen role, then that would be a huge lift. Find his spots in the midrange, a couple of dribbles and pull up. It looks like he already has a decent back to the basket game. Of course, the biggest jump needs to be from the FT line. He can't be a 40% shooter again this year. I am also interested in seeing if he can be switchable against P6 caliber guards and wings. He shows all those things and he's going in the Top 10 next year.

Edited June 2, 2023 by HtownHorn

[HookEm 2,467]

As far as starters go:

• Last year: Hunter + Mitchell + Disu + Carr + Allen
• This year:  Hunter + Mitchell + Disu + Aßmas + Shedrick

I would say advantage 2024.  Hunter, Disu and Mitchell will all be better with another year of experience. Maybe a lot better. 

Aßmas is a slight upgrade over Carr in my opinion.  His defense won't be as good, but he is a better shooter and scorer. 

Allen and Shedrick is probably a wash.  Obviously they play different positions, but we are basically swapping one for the other in the starting lineup. Allen is more skilled, but was basically a power forward trapped in a small forward's body.  He can't really shoot from deep, so we lose nothing there. And he can't really bang with the big guys.  Shedrick is a better free throw shooter (79% vs. 69%), a better rebounder, and a MUCH better interior defender.  It also lets Disu move to the 4 where he is better.  I would expect more 3s from Disu this year for that reason. 

The main loss from last year is Rice.

[LebongJames 1,811]

That’s a big assumption. Carr was our best scorer in most games.

[HookEm 2,467]

The best Carr ever did was average 19 points a game on 45.1 eFG%.  He was definitely a great scorer.

That said, Aßmas is on a different level. He averaged 24.5 points on 58.3 eFG%.  He also shot 43% from 3 one year on over 8 attempts per game.  And he also did it in the tournament, earning NCAA All Region honors.  d

Whether he can do it in the Big-12 is debatable, but he will also have much better surrounding teammates.

[CashMcCoy 3,199]

1 hour ago, HookEm said:

The best Carr ever did was average 19 points a game on 45.1 eFG%.  He was definitely a great scorer.

That said, Aßmas is on a different level. He averaged 24.5 points on 58.3 eFG%.  He also shot 43% from 3 one year on over 8 attempts per game.  And he also did it in the tournament, earning NCAA All Region honors.  d

Whether he can do it in the Big-12 is debatable, but he will also have much better surrounding teammates.

Cool stat from his Wikipedia: Abmas in 2021 was the first player to score 25+ in each of the first three games of a single NCAA tournament since Steph Curry.

[CTC2 2,797]

18 hours ago, Rickylovesweed said:

Mitchell actually has a decent stroke. It's why he looked good at those NBA combine shooting drills. 

For whatever reason, it just hasn't translated to actual play. Maybe it's the pace of play, not being put in the right position, adapting to size/quickness at this level, etc. 

 

I noticed several times last year that he passed up open shots in favor of passing to someone else. It was like he wasn’t even thinking of shooting. 

[shadow_operative 15,932]

Anamekwe can fly:

 

[MotownHorn 1,762]

Great video. My only complaint is that RT forgot to say “win every day on the internet” at the end there 

[dogbreath 434]

Nice video breakdown of Abmas. What an amazing shooter and pnr’s with Disu for midrange and Shedrick and Mitchell for rolls to the bucket  should be a strength. Will his defense improve or will he at least give more effort? Will better conditioning enable him to do so without taking away from his offense?

Shedrick can help on d for drives but will get eaten up on pnr’s if abmas continues same lack of effort. 

Hunter is terrific on hounding the pg dribbling the ball up court and that will help Abmas on the defensive end. Hunter’s not a great shooter as he needs space as he brings the ball down when shooting threes. With the focus on Abmas, Hunter should have more time for catch and shoots. 

Did duke establish the game plan to limit Abmas?  Probably and with Mitchell and Hunter not great shooters, it might be effective. But Texas is way more dangerous than ORU. If Abmas doesn’t have the ball in his hands, there should be lots of off the ball pnr’s with opportunities for the roller as well as Abmas  

This will be a fun season. 

[Rickylovesweed 14,313]

Any chance Texas tries to get involved? No FR in the class and we did make his top 7. My guess is he's asking for his release based on the lack of playing time available so that's probably a problem here too. 

 

Edited June 3, 2023 by Rickylovesweed

[Rickylovesweed 14,313]

Sounds like me might be. 

 

[Majorcholas 508]

3 hours ago, dogbreath said:

Nice video breakdown of Abmas. What an amazing shooter and pnr’s with Disu for midrange and Shedrick and Mitchell for rolls to the bucket  should be a strength. Will his defense improve or will he at least give more effort? Will better conditioning enable him to do so without taking away from his offense?

Shedrick can help on d for drives but will get eaten up on pnr’s if abmas continues same lack of effort. 

Hunter is terrific on hounding the pg dribbling the ball up court and that will help Abmas on the defensive end. Hunter’s not a great shooter as he needs space as he brings the ball down when shooting threes. With the focus on Abmas, Hunter should have more time for catch and shoots. 

Did duke establish the game plan to limit Abmas?  Probably and with Mitchell and Hunter not great shooters, it might be effective. But Texas is way more dangerous than ORU. If Abmas doesn’t have the ball in his hands, there should be lots of off the ball pnr’s with opportunities for the roller as well as Abmas  

This will be a fun season. 

Hunter and abmas seem about as complimentary as it gets with a guard combo. Their strengths seem to be the other’s shortcoming.

[MotownHorn 1,762]

4 hours ago, Majorcholas said:

Hunter and abmas seem about as complimentary as it gets with a guard combo. Their strengths seem to be the other’s shortcoming.

Gonna be one of the best backcourts in the nation if they can gel 

Personally I'm ready to put Sweet 16 expectations on this squad

[HtownHorn 14,681]

8 hours ago, Rickylovesweed said:

Any chance Texas tries to get involved? No FR in the class and we did make his top 7. My guess is he's asking for his release based on the lack of playing time available so that's probably a problem here too. 

 

We definitely have PT available. We need another guard. Be funny if he came here to take Morris's spot.

[HookEm 2,467]

8 hours ago, HtownHorn said:

We definitely have PT available. We need another guard. Be funny if he came here to take Morris's spot.

I'm not sure how much PT we have to give.  Abmas has played ~36 mpg the last two years.  Hunter needs 30+ minutes.  Weaver played almost 30 mpg last year.  Mitchell only got 17.5 mpg last year and is going to need more.  Disu only got 19 mpg last year, but got 31 mpg at Vanderbilt. He needs more minutes.

I can't see any way we have more than 18 mpg available - and even that is stretching it a ton.  Here is what that might look like:

We aren't going to get an elite player who will be happy playing that few minutes... and it also results in too few minutes for our good players. So I would rather get a mature veteran transfer like Tristen Licon who will be a good culture / practice guy and give us 5-8 mpg as needed. Or a young, raw player (like Anamekwe) who can get the same amount of time, but develop into a contributor next year.

 

[Rickylovesweed 14,313]

I don't think we have much playing time but Johnson is a good fit based on building the roster for the future. He's an ideal 4th guard that has talent and can be a building block for the future. 

But these guys are not willing to play limited minutes so I bet Johnson is a long shot. 

[Lonestar88 4,664]

6 hours ago, HookEm said:

I'm not sure how much PT we have to give.  Abmas has played ~36 mpg the last two years.  Hunter needs 30+ minutes.  Weaver played almost 30 mpg last year.  Mitchell only got 17.5 mpg last year and is going to need more.  Disu only got 19 mpg last year, but got 31 mpg at Vanderbilt. He needs more minutes.

I can't see any way we have more than 18 mpg available - and even that is stretching it a ton.  Here is what that might look like:

We aren't going to get an elite player who will be happy playing that few minutes... and it also results in too few minutes for our good players. So I would rather get a mature veteran transfer like Tristen Licon who will be a good culture / practice guy and give us 5-8 mpg as needed. Or a young, raw player (like Anamekwe) who can get the same amount of time, but develop into a contributor next year.

 

Chris Johnson isn’t a 5-star one and done type. If he wants to go to a good team, 18 mpg is the very top end of what he’s going to get.

[Rickylovesweed 14,313]

It's tough recruiting top 50ish prospects now with the portal. No talented recruit wants to play 10 minutes a game. 

[MotownHorn 1,762]

12 hours ago, HookEm said:

I'm not sure how much PT we have to give.  Abmas has played ~36 mpg the last two years.  Hunter needs 30+ minutes.  Weaver played almost 30 mpg last year.  Mitchell only got 17.5 mpg last year and is going to need more.  Disu only got 19 mpg last year, but got 31 mpg at Vanderbilt. He needs more minutes.

I can't see any way we have more than 18 mpg available - and even that is stretching it a ton.  Here is what that might look like:

We aren't going to get an elite player who will be happy playing that few minutes... and it also results in too few minutes for our good players. So I would rather get a mature veteran transfer like Tristen Licon who will be a good culture / practice guy and give us 5-8 mpg as needed. Or a young, raw player (like Anamekwe) who can get the same amount of time, but develop into a contributor next year.

 

I don’t see Perryman in these projections. WTF?!?!? 😁

[goatsaag 279]

12 hours ago, HookEm said:

I'm not sure how much PT we have to give.  Abmas has played ~36 mpg the last two years.  Hunter needs 30+ minutes.  Weaver played almost 30 mpg last year.  Mitchell only got 17.5 mpg last year and is going to need more.  Disu only got 19 mpg last year, but got 31 mpg at Vanderbilt. He needs more minutes.

I can't see any way we have more than 18 mpg available - and even that is stretching it a ton.

I think the answer is just that Mitchell is eating into Onyema and Anamekwe's proposed minutes much more than he is any potential guard/wing that we add. How many minutes we have just depends on the quality of the player. If he's better than the guys at the end of our current 8-9 man rotation, we easily have 24ish minutes to give. If they are a similar level or worse, it's looking like 10-12 minutes max.

[Hookem2147 21,271]

 

[shadow_operative 15,932]

still surreal to me. so much change since the middle of last season. what a wild 6-7 months it's been. 

[Rickylovesweed 14,313]

On 6/1/2023 at 3:06 AM, Rickylovesweed said:

I don't know if this will be the hire but I was told by somebody I trust they were trying to get Cory Schlesinger who has been the strength and conditioning coach for the Suns. 

Apparently, he has quite the reputation and was involved with a lot of the Olympic sports at Stanford prior to the Suns. 

 

 

FYI he's bringing some big names with him on staff. Including the person that told me he was going to be hired. 

The hold up with Schlesinger is he wanted to bring an entire team with him including nutritionists, sports science people, etc. 

[closetohumping 17,442]

4 hours ago, Hookem2147 said:

 

Is there any chance that Rodney can manage a roster and staff while communicating goodly?

[Herpa Derpa 6,126]

34 minutes ago, closetohumping said:

Is there any chance that Rodney can manage a roster and staff while communicating goodly?

We'll only truly know once the lights come on.

[closetohumping 17,442]

18 minutes ago, Herpa Derpa said:

We'll only truly know once the lights come on.

I hope he’s articulate